Strong Women

Thanks a ton to Zenni Optical for providing me with new shades, for sponsoring this post, and for giving me something more important than clothes to write about.

My “prompt” for blog posts is usually something along the lines of “let me tell you about something random that happened to me while wearing this outfit” or “why I should probably be in some kind of shopaholics anonymous group.” Today, though, Zenni Optical has challenged me to write about something a little more substantial: strong women.

It didn’t take me long to decide what direction I would take with this prompt. My mom made me promise that if I ever won an Oscar, I would thank her first in my acceptance speech. Well, I think it may be time to accept that I don’t have any of the skills required to catch the attention of the Academy. This blog is the best platform I have, so consider this my Oscar speech, Mom!

What have I learned from my mom about being a strong woman? You don’t have to walk on the moon, or earn millions of dollars, or become president, or do anything else extraordinary to be a strong woman. What my mom taught me (and continues to teach me) is that a strong woman is one that is independent, doesn’t settle, and tries to make the world a slightly more decent place.

By Gilmore Girls standards, it might seem like my mom and I aren’t that close. We can go weeks without talking. But that’s because my mom taught me independence. Mothers and daughters who are best friends and have everything in common are adorable, I’ll give you that. I have no judgment for those relationships because I’ve seen them work for many people. But there’s something special to be said for a mom who teaches her kids to think for themselves and follow their own paths, even when that lesson results in kids who don’t call daily, who move hundreds of miles away, and who don’t produce grandchildren. By never judging my decisions, my mom (without even saying it) taught me that being independent is the first step to being a strong woman. That’s not to say that you’re weak if you get married or join a club or whatever. But you have to take paths because they are right for you. I don’t know of any important life decision that my mom made because someone else pressured her into thinking she had to, and I plan on continuing the family tradition!

Step 2 to strong womanhood: never settle. My mom recently hit that magic age and is getting close to totally retired. Instead of sitting back and giving her brain a rest after decades of full-time work, she’s taking advantage of the chance to get better at lifelong hobbies (singing and playing piano) and to pick up some new ones (knitting). I have always been impressed by my mom’s pursuit of higher education (she has a PhD, the smarty pants), but I continue to be impressed by her desire to keep learning and getting better at things, even if it’s only for her own enjoyment. She doesn’t need to be the best in the world at any of these things, just the best that she can be. Being a strong woman doesn’t always involve riches and fame; it just involves never settling for less than you are capable of.

Finally, there’s the whole “make the world more decent” element. That’s not the easiest task. My mom is not a rose-tinted glasses kind of person, something she clearly passed down to me! (It’s not a coincidence that I chose green-tinted shades for this post.) Everyone has those nuggets of wisdom they remember their mom saying, right? Well, the thing I remember my mom saying is “life’s tough, kid!” So sweet, right? When I couldn’t have the toys/clothes/whatever that I wanted: “Mom, that’s not fair!” “Life’s tough, kid.” Of course, I now realize I had it better than most kids, but my mom’s chorus still rings true. Life is tough! It’s tough for everyone, but in different ways, and for some it’s worse than others. A strong woman like the one I’ve been praising for the last few paragraphs recognizes that life will never be perfect, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying to be a good person and to leave some kind of mark on the world. My mom’s mark has definitely not gone unnoticed, at least by me.

Keep being a badass, Mom.

Who are the strong women that you would thank in your Oscar acceptance speech? I’d love to hear, but don’t just tell me…let them know how they have inspired you!

Sunglasses* // similar Romper // similar Cardigan // Bag // similar Shoes

*Sunglasses provided courtesy of Zenni Optical.