She Can Do It: It is important to know the meaning of girl power and how it improves self-image

On the side of my mirror, I have a collection of stickers — a yellow van, a wave and a tattoo shop. Clashing with them all is a pink font decal screaming “girl power” with a daisy in place of the letter “I.”

The bubbly petals and rounded letters on the sticker remind me of what I used to think being a woman was all about — acting “girly” like Liv from “Liv and Maddie” or Emma from “Jessie.”

I wish I could go back, put my hair into a sporty high ponytail and tell my 12-year-old self to stop trying to fit into an idealized feminine standard. I didn’t need to wear the black leggings everyone else wore or have my hair down because my friend did.

I used to wear the same outfit every day because I didn’t want to be seen as different from other girls — plain colored tank top and leggings. I wanted to be viewed as intelligent and beautiful. As a girl, I relied heavily on the opinion of others of how I look. It wasn’t until high school that I realized that deciding that you’re beautiful and intelligent on your own accord isn’t selfish. Looks aren’t something I can change, but personality is something I can easily adjust off of advice.

Girl power is taking back your power. Girl power is embracing who you are as a woman and uplifting every other woman around you to do the same.

Don’t get me wrong, I love embracing being feminine in my own way. I love sitting down at my desk and doing my makeup on the weekends or taking as much time as I want on my five-step night skin care routine. I lay my outfits out on the floor the night before I wear them — not to impress other people, but to make myself more confident and my life more stress free.

Those things make me happy. It doesn’t need to be anyone else’s routine — just my own.

Girl power is also sticking up for yourself, enforcing boundaries and telling others they’re wrong — especially when it comes to you. I used to let people walk all over me by saying “I’m sorry” when I didn’t need to but now I don’t let people talk down to me. I even the playing field.

Female standards exist to please others, but I don’t have to live under them simply because I am a woman. It aggravates me when a man tries to explain female inequality to me, mansplaining the Pink Tax — products marketed towards women cost more than those marketed towards men — and saying they understand. They don’t and they never will. 

The Barbie movie had one of the most beautiful montages I’ve seen of growing up as a girl. So yes, I cried during the Barbie movie. Did the man sitting next to me look at me funny? Yes, but being a girl is fragile, emotional and empowering. The movie portrayed girlhood so beautifully and highlighted the most important part of girlhood — happiness. That’s worthy of my tears.

The most precious part about growing as a girl is finding who you are and what makes you the happiest. I’ll go to the gym or hike even when it’s pouring rain. It doesn’t matter what it is or what you do, it will never take away from you being a woman.

Whether that’s spending every day on a sport, shopping for hours or studying on Friday nights. No one can take that away from you as long as you remember you aren’t meant to live under a standard. Standards that were imposed on girls were made to keep women under restraint from what they love — I don’t accept that.

So when that boy in my English class shushes me during our discussion or pushes past me in the hallway, I won’t stop being loud — women matter and our opinions matter.

I want to be confident for the sake of myself — getting a new set of nails or taking an “everything” shower makes me feel confident. I want the confidence to wake up every morning and tell myself I’m beautiful because I don’t need anyone else to do it for me. 

I look up at my girl power sticker that I’ve had for three years as a reminder to myself what girl power means to me.