#Pressforprogress

In light of International Women’s Day, I thought it would be best to write an article about becoming a prouder feminist through globetrotting. Travel has offered endless opportunities for self-growth and learning the meaning of being a strong woman. A strong woman is loving, understanding, assertive, bold, supportive, and transparent and so much more. The more I explore the world, the more I learn about myself and realize travelling is helping me become a better woman. I see development in countless areas of my life because I am relentlessly immersing myself in new situations. These new experiences are sometimes daunting where they test my limits and then some are so uplifting where they change my perspective. These new exposures mold me into a woman who is resilient and will take on any challenge.

Unfortunately, I have seen first hand in the workplace and on the road how women are mistreated for freely expressing strength and independence. Before committing to the life of travel, I worked in the law field and could easily see chauvinism in the office. I learned quickly that if a woman carries the same professional qualities as males they are deemed bossy, crazy or aggressive. My question is, why does this happen? Fortunately there are gracious men who are encouraging and accepting of women with ambitious qualities. To the one’s who don’t carry this quality, they infuriate me. To put it simply, a woman may come across as overbearing to an individual who is not as strong as she.

We have to pay thanks to all the women who fight and have fought to advocate gender parity. If it weren’t for the Suffragettes, Gloria Steinem, mothers, sisters and teachers, travel for women wouldn’t be possible. We can’t forget the amazing men who believe in fairness too, because, “men of quality do not fear equality.”

Strong women are at their best when they are uplifting others

I feel at my best when I am focusing on my ambitions and achieving my goals. When I am in that mindset, I make sure I encourage and motivate my close friends on their ventures to do the same. Being a strong woman, I try to make it my obligation to empower my loved ones to be content in life and boost their confidence when needed. The force of empowerment is contagious, it lights up spirits to inspire and thrive. When there is a genuine exchange of positive support between people, it starts to act as a ladder for both to rise up to becoming the best versions of them. Make a positive difference with yourself first and be an inspiration to other women around you!

Women are not sluts if they have casual sex

The perspective and meaning of sex is different for all. One outlook I will never stand for is, “slut shaming.” Criticizing an individual for having casual sex is outrageous. Regrettably, society has this disgusting stigma towards women being sexually free. Some men will easily utter words like, “she put out too early for my respect” or “she’s good in the sack, but not girlfriend material.” Remember, there are two consensual parties joining together when sex occurs. If a person views sex in the critical fashion, they should be viewing themselves the same way. A woman can never be a “slut” if she respects herself, holds high life standards and see’s sex as natural act. Both men and woman should be safely having sexual relations and respecting one another at all times. Men and women should be supporting one another regardless of gender, status or race, not shaming the other person.

Just because I am “pretty” doesn’t mean I need a boyfriend

I have heard this line far too often, “you’re a pretty girl, why don’t you have a boyfriend?” Um, maybe because I am far too busy travelling the world, working on my goals and having too much fun in life to be settled down? For the fact I am an attractive twenty something woman, doesn’t mean I need a romantic partner to travel with. People assume women in my position should be with someone out of loneliness and safety concerns while travelling. Let’s just set the record straight. First of all, I am more than “pretty.” Second of all, I am actually ambitious, determined, funny and SMART. My brain functions well enough to make rash decisions for my own safety because I am self-sufficient. The truth of the matter is, more people need to realize there is nothing wrong with being alone. When someone is single you can only encourage them to set foot on a journey of self-love and happiness.

Olivia ☮️