Disclaimer: opinions stated in this article are highly subjective and may not apply to everyone.

If you’ve been reading our articles with #femaleleaders tags this whole month, then you must know that society has not been very nice with women. Stereotypes are everywhere, and there are ideals made by society–and shaped by strong culture–that somehow do not make sense for progressive women.

I’m not going to say I’m a progressive woman myself, sometimes I’m too weak and I choose to follow those ideals myself, even though doing that makes me feel less free and less true to myself.

There are “lucky” women in society who happen to just like the ideals: from wearing proper make-up everywhere you go, to getting married before you turn 25. But there are those who are considered “not lucky” or are considered “rebels”. Or maybe they simply have their own ideals.

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And I have always respected women like them, those who choose not to follow the ideals–not only for the sake of rebelling–but because they simply stay true to themselves.

And if you’re one the lucky women who happen to be “good girls” who never rebels against the ideals, here I want to tell you about the disadvantages of being a progressive women:

1. Your friends often tell you: “I bet you’ll marry late” (and they say it like it’s a bad thing).

2. People often say things like this to you: “Remember, you’re a girl. You musn’t act that way. Try to be a little girlier.“

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And yeah, they say these things as a reminder. They try to remind you that you should’ve tried harder following the ideals, so you can be more likeable, or more acceptable.

I don’t want to give some fuckin advices here, I’m not some wise writers to turn to.

But at least you–who often experiences those two things above–should know that you’re not alone. That many women all over the world who also experience the downsides of being a progressive woman. And people will keep saying unpleasant things who make you feel less woman or even less human.

I’m just going to say:

If you really believe on staying true to yourself, then ignore them.

If you’ve tried really hard opposing those ideals, but at the end you’re not that strong, just follow the ideals.

It’s easier that way 🙂

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Header image credit: hbr.org