There seems to be an unwritten rule somewhere that says every aspect of a woman’s life is subject to commentary from any person within a 200-mile radius. However, when it comes to things like your dating life (or any of your feelings, for that matter), one thing stands true: what’s yours is yours, and no one else’s.
Sorry we’re not sorry.
1. Eating Junk Food
Who ever said you needed to have a bad day or a breakup to make out with a giant piece of pizza or dominate an entire pint of ice cream? Don’t worry; Cosmo and SHAPE Magazine have plenty of thigh-busting, arm-shrinking workouts to make up for it. Junk food was made for a reason, and someone’s gotta eat it. So in that case, we volunteer as tribute.
2. How Active (or Inactive) Our Sex Lives Are
Society has formed this stigma around sex for college-aged women: either you’re having too much of it, or you're not having enough. The fact of the matter is that this stigma has turned sex into something women feel ashamed of. Nothing ruins a great thing more than someone telling you how to do it and when to do it, especially sex. Why don’t we start focusing more on making it safe and exciting instead of degrading women for having (or not having) it?
3. How Much (or How Little) We Are Eating
It’s the classic “I haven’t eaten since, like, 8 a.m., so I'm starving,” or “I ate a really, really big lunch.” You know what, girls? Don’t ever feel like you owe anyone an explanation about what you are (or aren’t) putting in your mouth. Your eating habits are yours and yours only, so you go on and eat (or don’t eat) that giant sandwich and feel no shame.
4. Our Relationship Statuses
If we’re single, we’re trained to think there is something inherently wrong with us. If we’re in a relationship, were trained to think we are boring, tied-down creatures with owners who have a leash. So there’s really no winning with this one. If anyone asks you why you’re in a relationship or why you’re still single, you have full permission by Gretchen Weiners' Rules of Feminism to roll your eyes and walk away.
5. Wearing Leggings and Drinking Starbucks
Let’s just put this whole “White Girl” thing to bed. Whether girls are white, black, Hispanic, purple or polka-dotted, has it ever crossed people’s minds that maybe we wear leggings with UGG boots because they're comfy and that we drink Starbucks because it’s really, really good? If we're going to pay $5 for a cup of coffee, we're going to enjoy it, and we’re going to be cozy as sh*t while we do so.
6. Being a Boss
Let’s clear something up right now: being a boss does not in any way make you bossy (or a b*tch, for that matter). It simply means you know what you want, how you want it and how you’re going to get it, and there's nothing wrong with that. Contrary to popular belief, being a woman who takes her job seriously and expects people to pull their own weight is not a crime.
7. Being Emotional
Women have been brainwashed into believing that having feelings somehow categorizes us into the “crazy and overemotional” category deep in the pits of womanly hell. If you are feeling sad, happy or angry, there's obviously a reason why you're having that reaction. Even if it is just your period, let it out, girl. Let. It. Out.
8. Our Taste in Guys
We're finally getting to the age where “swag” and “sick game” no longer fall on our list of what we look for in a guy, and that’s okay. You don’t ever owe anyone an explanation as to why you find someone attractive, and anyone who makes you feel like you do isn't worth your time.
9. Our Political Views
We're still young, and (whether we believe it or not) we're very naïve. Meeting someone who knows every true and unbiased fact about politics is a very rare occasion. That being said, don’t ever let someone make you feel like your views are wrong, because they aren’t. That’s the beauty about politics - there is no right or wrong side. It’s all about what you believe, and that’s something that nobody can ever take away from you.
10. Our Weight
Whether it’s a thyroid problem, a digestive issue, a fast metabolism or just a flat-out pure love for food, it doesn’t matter. A woman should never have to justify her weight. Period. Last time we checked, whether you're fat, skinny, chunky or somewhere in the middle, our graves are all the same size.
