The Issue With 'Strong Women' Rhetoric
Listen to the episode!
Show Notes:
What do you think of when you hear someone described as a “strong woman?”
Does one specific archetype come to mind?
Depending on who your role models are, what Instagram accounts you follow and what your life goals are, your expectations of what a "strong woman" looks like might be different from the person next to you.
And this points at something important.
The reality is, ALL women are strong.
But in today's cultural conversation, people who seek out to empower women do a disservice when they label only specific types of women, or women who have achieved some sort of outward success, as "strong".
Think about it. Have you noticed the trend where women, who ought to be celebrated for their intelligence, business success, parenting, athletic endurance, etc., are instead celebrated with a blanket statement of them being "strong"? I see it all the time.
The problem I have with this language is that it is vague. It makes strength feel like something hard to obtain. It ties strength to lifestyle goals and achievements. It makes female strength seem like something exceptional of the top few, when in fact it is inherent and shared amongst all females.
So here's what I want you to do:
Erase the descriptor "strong woman" from your vocabulary. Instead, replace it with the statement, "women are strong". This inclusive statement is one we can all draw power and hope from. It lifts everyone up!
You belong in your own definition of female strength.
Today, I’m telling you the exact reason why there is no such thing as a “strong woman,” because all women are strong.
In this episode:
Why “strong woman” is a lackluster descriptor (4:00)
Defining yourself as a woman (7:45)
Why all women are strong (9:14)
The struggle to recognize self-strength (12:35)
The subtle difference between strong women and women are strong (& how to recognize it!) (17:27)
Thanks for listening in! If you want to hear more about your ‘Feminine Foresight’ subscribe to the Feminine Foresight podcast!
Watch the video to see my awesome shirt! And, read the list of common “strong women” phrases from the blog!