In Protest at all this Strong Women Bullshit

Sometimes it’s OK to be weak

© Susie Kearley

I see calls for stories about ‘strong women’ from magazine editors and it irritates me because I feel it sends a message that we must always be strong, and if we’re not, that’s a problem. Am I alone?

Our society puts a massive amount of emphasis on strong, influential, inspirational women. That’s nice for them, but is it giving the wrong message? It’s OK to feel weak sometimes. It’s OK to struggle, to live quietly, and to just be you.

Life can be a battle, especially during a pandemic. Sometimes loved ones get ill or die. Your own health falters. Perhaps your livelihood is in tatters because of economic woes or layoffs.

It’s OK to feel beaten, to feel weak, to cry and let your emotions out. There’s a certain strength in struggling through when life throws crap at you, but there’s nothing wrong with giving up the fight and just letting life take you whatever way it goes, either.

It’s also OK to feel like you’re *never* particularly strong. We don’t all have to be leaders or influencers. We don’t all have to be fighters.

We can all be skilled and productive individuals. Everyone has important roles to fulfil. You are no less of a person if you don’t feel strong.