Dear Girls

   Dear girls,

   I wanted to write an open to letter to all the females of the world. I want you to slow down and think because there are so many messages you receive and I know that sometimes it's hard to decipher what to believe and what to ignore. It's hard when the world tells you one thing and your gut tells you another. I know we live in a cruel world that is especially hard on females. I know you might not be sure who you want to be and that's okay.

   Dear girls, I want you to know that you're so beautiful.
   You don't need to compare yourself to anyone else. You don't have to be beautiful like the next girl; you are beautiful in the way you were created to be. Love yourself. Please don't harm your precious body trying to reach an unrealistic goal of perfection. Please don't punish your beautiful temple for not being enough. Stop relying on silly numbers to tell you your worth because those numbers are liars. Your weight will fluctuate, your grades will change, your bank account will be full and empty; all those things are a part of life and do not have any correlation to your value.

   Dear girls, be strong. Be independent. Be fearless.
   Be your own anchor. Don't let your happiness be dependent on a boy. Don't let the opinions of other people dictate your every move. Be the person you want to be. Don't be afraid to love the things you love, whether it be sports or Starbucks or video games or makeup. Know that you are complete; you are not a soul wandering around, waiting for her life to start when she meets a man. Your life is now. Don't be afraid to travel alone or be alone. Fear not the isolation but embrace the adventure. Don't listen to people who say that boys don't like independent girls. Be whole on your own.

   But girls, be soft.
   Be gentle. Be forgiving. Know that tears are not a sign of weakness. Your femininity does not make you weak; it makes you strong. Your ability to be kind is a lovely thing. Be humble enough to accept help.

   Dear girls, be modest.
   Truthfully, I hate that word, but I want you to know that you don't need to show your body to get attention and to be loved. You are not a disgrace for the way you dress. I know that sometimes it can seem like a competition and the only way to get ahead is by showing off the most skin but darling, you don't need to prove yourself to anyone.

   Dear girls, excel.
   Excel in your education, in your work place, in your passions. Don't dumb yourself down to please people. Do your best. Do your best in sports and business and science and math. Don't be intimidated by male dominated spaces. You are just as important. You are valuable.

   Dear girls, enjoy your time alone.
   Solitude is a gift. Being single is a gift. Take time by yourself to discover who you are, as cliche as that sounds. Try new ideas. Pick up hobbies. Have adventures on your own.

   Dear girls, love your boyfriend or husband.
   Serve him. Adore him. Honor him. Know that while yes, he is not above you, your desire should be to humble yourself and love him. Love him, love him, love him.

   Dear girls, don't tear each other down.
   This is not a contest. We have enough crap to deal with, we don't need it from friends. Girls, we need to stop putting each other down. We need to build each other up and support each other. Give compliments often. Hug one another. Don't gossip. Be kind. Other girls are not your competition. They are your friends.

   Dear girls, embrace your femininity.
   We can be looked down on for loving "girly" things but you can be strong and wear red lipstick at the same time. There's seriously nothing wrong with wearing pink and going shopping and doing your makeup. High heels are great and dresses are great. Being a girl is great. Stop letting people put you down for being a female.

   Dear girls, live.
   Dance like no one is watching. Sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs. Be crazy. Be wild. Be yourself. Embrace every part of yourself, even the parts that you hate.

   You matter in this world. Sometimes you need to fight for things. You are worth fighting for. It took me too long to learn all these things and I hope you understand way before I did. I love you so much. I love seeing girls who are confident in who they are. You inspire me. Remember all these things because you never know who's watching you. There's a girl somewhere that wants to be just like you. Be strong for her. Girls should inspire each other. So learn from females who have lived longer than you and be a role model for the younger generations.

   Now get out there and show the world what you're made of.