Girly is GOOD.

Is it irony that Maya Angelou passed away in the wake of a tragic shooting in California that inspired #YesAllWomen tweets?  Probably not (I dunno; Maya probably understands irony better than I do).  It’s most definitely a big loss for my gender. 

We, as women, must continue to support each other. We must continue to work to change our social status, but it can’t stop there. Let’s also take some responsibility for the men we produce in our society.  Men, I am obviously speaking to you, too. See the soapbox?  Let’s do this:

Vulnerability is NOT weakness. 

Stop using the word “girly” to describe actions or activities that we should be ashamed of because they may be viewed as feminine.  Femininity is NOT. A BAD THING.    

Stop using the word “rape” as a metaphor for something else.  You take away the weight of this word.  It is not a joke.  And it sure as shit is not what happened to you when you lost at HALO. 

Stop telling your brothers, your sons, and your grandsons, to “be a man,” or “man up.”  Or at the very least, change what these statements mean.

Stop implying that strength comes from possessing testicles.      

Stop inadvertently teaching boys that, while women should hate themselves for being rejected by men, men should hate the women for rejecting them. 

We can support each other without offering the men in our lives the double-edged sword they are offered from a very young age: Respect women, but not the things they do or feel.  What kind of a lesson is that?