I like to wear high heels, chuck taylors, cowboy boots, and running shoes. I buy a new outfit before a big event or a first date but can never find anything to wear every other day in my closet that’s full of clothes. My text messages use plenty of emojicons and exclamation marks, and my apartment is color coordinated. I always have my nails done to keep from biting them, and they have to be short so they don’t bug me when I work out. I love Taylor Swift and I laugh out loud until I cry, literally every single time I watch the movie Bridesmaids. I use the word literally too much. I drink wine and I drink whiskey. I go to church and I have pictures of my friends and family all over my apartment. I drive a manual car, and parallel parked it every day living in San Francisco. I don’t have the gift of crafting, or arting, or whatever it’s called. I work hard every day at my job and sometimes have to act like a boss in a meeting even if I’m the youngest one in the room. I get so passionate about my sports teams that it gives me anxiety, and I’m a terrible winner and an even worse loser. I think being a CEO sounds fun, but being a mom would be the hardest job in the world. In my lifetime, I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon, run a half marathon, been sky-diving eleven times, have logged in twenty-two scuba dives and one cage shark dive. Since the sun set last night, I’ve run six miles, done sixty squats, sixty lunges, sixty second wall sits, sixty pushups, and went to spin class before the sun rose today. And I’m not stopping any time soon. Like a girl.
If you haven’t already seen this commercial; I beg you to by the end of the day. Not because I’m a feminist activist who thinks women are all necessarily treated poorly or even that I think men deserve to be treated any less, but because the little girls and young women in this world need to know their worth. Girls need to hear the message for themselves. I want strong women to be seen as sexy. I want young girls to be able to stand up for and protect themselves. I want to live in a world where men do take care of the women in their life, but the women can be individuals with a voice.
I don’t have kids yet and I only have one little nephew(er), but I have three young swimmer cousins in South Africa. They’ve won first place, they’ve set championships, and they swim like girls. And I am so proud of them. Someday if I have a daughter of my own, I plan to tell her she is beautiful and encourage her to be strong and active, and work hard every day at whatever her passion is. Like my parents did to me, I’d tell her to live up to her amazing potential – to act like a boss and even more importantly, to act like a girl.
So today, join me in honoring the women and girls in your life. Let’s join Procter & Gamble in changing the definition of LIKE A GIRL by sharing this video and spreading the word. The next time you say someone does something like a girl, I know you’ll mean it as a compliment.
As #Always, remember to just, love life… like a girl.
Love,
Chianne
Just, Love Life 