To be both strong and female is not an easy feat. Strength is often seen as something other than what it is — a desirable asset that all girls should strive for emphatically.
There are a lot of misconceptions about the strong girl. People often get her wrong.
People will misconstrue her confidence and strength for cockiness or brass. None of this is true. She's strong and she knows it.
A strong woman should be unapologetically vocal about her strength. She should never feel the need to hide it.
She should shout it from the rooftops. She shouldn't be put down, she should be praised.
The strong girl would like to clear a few things up. Here are eight very important things she wants you to know:
1. She's vulnerable at times, and that is perfectly okay.
She has thick skin, but she's still capable of letting her walls down. She's able to let the right people in. Strong doesn't mean hard. She's aware of herself, but that doesn't make her impervious to hurt.
She wants you to know she is capable of feeling pain just like anyone else. It can be difficult going through life as a strong woman when everyone assumes you're always perfectly okay. She is strong, but she is still a human being.
2. She wants to find love.
Sure, the strong girl is perfectly happy on her own, but that doesn't mean she isn't looking for someone to share her awesome life with. She isn't your typical girl. She has her own career, her own ambitions.
Others often think because she's strong, she's content. They think she doesn't want anything else. Yet, she wants to fall in love. She doesn't need a partner, but she wants one.
3. She still has a lot to learn.
The strong woman has learned many things about life. It's one of the main reasons she has such a solid foundation on which she builds her life. She's gleaned the important lessons that life has presented to her and has grown from them.
This doesn't mean she's finished learning. She isn't an expert in all things. She is still growing more and more every single day.
She wants you to know she isn't stubborn or stuck in her ways. She's open to new ideas and ways of thinking. Her strength comes from the unending desire to educate herself.
4. She isn't cold; she's careful.
She may not throw her emotions out into the open with reckless abandon, but that certainly doesn't mean she's devoid of emotions. She's learned enough about life's ups and downs to know better than to fragilely hang in the open.
She isn't guarded; she's just mastered the art of protecting her heart. She has feelings; they just aren't put on display for everyone to see at any moment of the day. She prefers to maintain her independence while being warm and fuzzy with those closest to her.
5. She has dreams.
She's strong, capable, and she usually gets what she wants. What others often don't understand is she gets what she wants because she earns it. Her achievements are great because she puts in the work.
She still has goals, and she still has dreams. Her aspirations are not going to be handed to her on a silver platter. She's strong because she's faced rejection. She's been let down.
That is where true strength comes from -- it comes from within after dealing with the trials that life doles out without reserve.
6. She's not fearless; she's brave.
She will jump feet first into any challenge. She knows she's capable of a great deal.
Yet there is a difference between being brave and being completely without fear. You can face the monster while still being scared. It's okay to be scared.
To be without fear is just plain silly. Without a good dose of fear, one can never really know her limitations. The strong girl is aware of her limitations and isn't going to do something that is dangerous or haphazard.
She won't shy away from a new, scary or hard experience, but stringing along some fear is what helps her get to the other side.
7. She's not intimidating; she's self-assured.
She shouldn't be feared just because she's poised and assertive. She isn't mean; she just goes for what she wants. She doesn't feel the need to step on anyone on her way to the top. She wants success for all who deserve it.
She knows her worth, and she isn't apologizing for that. The strong girl doesn't want her confidence to be mistaken for cockiness. She believes in herself, but only as far as she can prove she's worth the faith.
She isn't looking to bring you down; she wants to help build up the world with you.
8. She wasn't just born this way; she was made this way.
Inner strength doesn't always come naturally. It is fostered from meticulous care and a variety of different factors.
The strong girl wants you to know her strength is not something she just decided to have one day, out of the blue. She forged this strength over time and with a lot of effort.
It is extremely difficult to be strong and to also be a woman. She had to fight against many an outside enemy to become this way. Her strength comes from a deep-seated place in her soul.
It isn't some shallow mask she wears. She is her strength through and through.
Women are strong, and they aren't going to apologize for it. Tune in for the premiere of SUPERGIRL Monday, October 26 8:30 | 7:30c on CBS. #MySupergirl
