Dear Girls A message to you all!

WOMAN UP

Dear girls,

I’m writing this as your big sister

not to tell you how to live,

but to remind you

that your life belongs to you.

You will hear people tell you

how a woman should dress,

how she should speak,

who she should love,

when she should marry,

and how much she should dream.

Listen to them if you must—

but never forget

that you get to decide.

You don't owe the world

a smaller version of yourself

just to make it comfortable.

If you want to lead, lead.

If you want to build, build.

If you want to leave, leave.

If you want to begin again, begin.

Never let anyone convince you

that independence makes you cold,

boundaries make you rude,

or ambition makes you less feminine.

You don't have to become hard

to become strong.

Be kind.

Be fierce.

Be gentle.

Be fearless.

And when society tells you

to know your place

know your worth instead.

There will be days

when the world makes you question yourself.

On those days,

remember the little girl you once were

before the world taught her to doubt.

Protect her dreams.

Protect her voice.

Protect her right to choose.

Take your space.

Raise your voice.

Choose your own path.

And if they tell you

that you are too much

remember, little sister,

you were never born

to be less

so someone else could feel bigger.

Woman up.

Stand tall.

Own your story.

Write your own rules.

And never ask permission

to become the woman

you were meant to be.