“Strong people define themselves; weak people allow others to define them.”

I’m a woman.

“You’re not lady like. You’re too girly. You can’t play sports. You can’t like video games. You’re too pale. You shouldn’t get your hands dirty. You should be in the kitchen. You have to have a child, it’s your job. You can’t just have one child, you need another one.  You can’t wear men’s clothes. You can’t wear that, it shows too much. Your hair is too short. You can’t drive. You can’t actually be just friends with a male. No man will want you with your reputation. You’re just here for amusement. You’ll just get used again because you’re trash.”

I’m a Christian.

“You have to go to church to be a Christian. You can’t smoke, you can’t drink, and you can’t cuss. You can’t make mistakes, you can’t watch that, and you can’t listen to that. You can’t be friends with those people. You can’t play that game. You can’t wear that. You can’t support gay rights. You can’t live with a man and not be married, that’s a sin. You’re going to hell.”

I’m a mother

“You can’t be friends with your child. You can’t let him watch that. He’s too young. You can’t let him get away with that, he’ll never learn. You need to feed him more, he’s too skinny. He’s too sensitive. He’s going to get picked on and bullied. Karate is teaching him how to be violent. He’s too old to be acting that way. He should already know how to do that. You’re too strict with him. You’re not strict enough. You’re a horrible mother.”

I’m a feminist.

“You hate men. You hate tradition. You hate stay at home moms. You stand for murder. You are a slut. You are of this world. You have no morals. You have no respect. You can’t love a man if you think you are better than him. You aren’t above the law, and you aren’t above a man. Women are already free, so what are you fighting for? You are part of the problem.”

I am just me.

I am strong. I am sensitive. I am blunt. I am shy. I am stubborn. I am sarcastic. I am proud. I am independent. I am a fighter and a lover. I stand for what I believe in with full force. I don’t waste my time on unimportant things. I am not a fool. I know more than I lead you to believe. I don’t give out second chances very often. I am not defined by what has happened to me. I am a work in progress. I am flawed and that’s okay.

I am perfectly imperfect.

Don’t let people steal your joy, your thunder, or your happiness with their words. Be you and be you with style. “They hate us cause they ain’t us.”-The Interview

via Daily Prompt: Stylish