I saw a teenage girl at a coffee shop. For some unknown reason, I felt an unspoken connection between us, as if we shared something in common. She looked worried, so I approached her.
She had been waiting for her friend for over 30 minutes, unsure if they would ever come. Yet, she held onto hope&mdash;because she was afraid to watch a movie alone. She didn&rsquo;t like going out by herself. Meanwhile, I was taking myself out for the same movie, completely alone&mdash;but not lonely. I had learned to enjoy my own company, to find comfort in solitude. There was a time when I feared it too, but now, I know it&rsquo;s never awkward to exist in a public space by yourself.
I asked if I could sit with her, hoping to make her feel a little less afraid of the world. She glanced at me and softly asked, &ldquo;Did my mascara smudge?&rdquo; Anxiety traced her voice.
&ldquo;No,&rdquo; I reassured her, &ldquo;You look beautiful.&rdquo;
She sighed, revealing that she spends over an hour on her makeup because, without it, she feels ugly. She believes no one would like her if she didn&rsquo;t wear "colors" on her face. Then, she&nbsp; told me she envied me for being able to step out with just sunscreen.
I smiled. &ldquo;I wear makeup too,&rdquo; I admitted, &ldquo;but I do it to feel good about myself, not to seek validation from others.&rdquo;
She stared at me for a moment before saying, &ldquo;I want to be a woman like you when I grow up.&rdquo;
I chuckled and replied, &ldquo;And I miss being a teenage girl like you.&rdquo;
A sudden, genuine smile lit up her face. Moments later, her friend finally arrived, and she bid me goodbye. As she walked away, I realized that what I had felt earlier was true&mdash;we really did have something in common. I was her, years ago.
Women begin feeling the weight of expectations even before we can call ourselves women. At some point in our lives, we are all &ldquo;her&rdquo;&mdash;unsure, longing for approval, learning to navigate the world. And at another point, we are all &ldquo;I&rdquo;&mdash;independent, learning to embrace who we are without fear.
To all the women who feel scared, like that teenage girl, know that it&rsquo;s okay. You will find your strength. And to the women who provide for their families, who work and study tirelessly, to working moms, first-time moms, solo moms&mdash;to every woman in the world: Happy Women&rsquo;s Month.
The world is a better place because we exist in it, because we fight to make it one.
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