I am such a big fan of women and the things we have and do accomplish. There will always be people who poo-poo months to honor minorities or cry, “But what about _____?!”, but I am not one of those people.

Historically, our society and our language has been so dismissive of women.

• “It’s just her time of the month.”
• “Are you ladies having a nice chit chat?”
• Women’s sports treatment
• The pay gap
• “Women are too dramatic to lead/preach/work/serve.”
• The stereotype that females are catty toward and envious of one another.
• Dumb blondes
• “Throw like a girl.”

You get it.

It’s infuriating for two main reasons. First of all, it’s complete bullshit. Are men and women different? Absolutely. Are women somehow inferior? Almost never.

Secondly? Most of my favorite people are women. And I can’t imagine putting any of them down in these ways.

In high school I was one of those teenagers who felt she “wasn’t like other girls” and “mostly had guy friends, actually.” This is truly the biggest load of bullshit on the planet. I had like, 4 close guy friends. And one of them was my brother. I had nearly a dozen female friends that I loved and spent time with often through my teen years.

But in my underdeveloped, adolescent brain, something made me think that it was cooler to “have mostly guy friend” and avoid that female drama. Call it society or peer pressure or sheer ignorance.

Can we stop this insanity?

Can we raise our girls to encourage and support one another, not compete or put down? Can we teach our daughters that good, true, deep friendships can grow from female companionship? Can we show our future female leaders that working hard and being generous with our words and energy is rewarding? And in the same breath, can we teach them that they DESERVE gratitude, money, time, solitude, praise, and accolades?

I love this month because I love seeing a spotlight on what women have accomplished- most often in the face of adversity, sexism, prejudice, etc. Countries have been discovered, wars have been won, people have been educated, and social inequality have been fought- because of women.

It is a patriarchal fallacy that women are overly emotional, catty, and unfit. My daughter sees my strong female friendships. She hears me lift up and encourage the women around me. She does not hear me speak unkindly about my appearance or intelligence- and she will learn that I won’t tolerate that kind of self-talk from her, either. I hope she’s also in awe of all the women who have paved the way for her.

I hope she learns to celebrate women, celebrate herself, and celebrate her friendships. I love and rely on the women in my life. I want to see my girl create and foster similar relationships.

And so to all the women out there (and men), Happy Women’s History Month. I hope you learn something new this month 💕

-A.L.