The Words We’re Afraid to Say are Often the Most Powerful Ones
Thank you Chrissy Teigen.
Hear that sigh of relief around the world?
It’s coming from roughly a million women who suffer from postpartum depression as they read Chrissy’s open letter signifying two powerful words that have always set women free:
Me too.
As women, we know that if you let the pressure for perfection get to you, it can be suffocating.
Implicit memo from society:
Smile. Be friendly. Be happy. Act like a lady. Care about your weight and your appearance. Stay “on brand.” Stay in this box that I’ve defined for you and DON’T. MOVE.
I can’t even imagine the crushing magnitude of that pressure if you’re living in the public eye.
Whether living in the spotlight or not, whether it’s postpartum depression or something else, the reality is there are women around the world right now who are living as Chrissy was. Afraid. Feeling alone. Hiding out. Feeling powerless and confused. Scared to ask for help. Worried what others would think.
We simply don’t give each other enough permission to be imperfect, be ourselves and speak our truths. And we certainly don’t give those in the public eye enough permission either.
If there’s something I’ve learned from Chrissy in 140 characters or less, it’s that we shouldn’t be afraid to tell each other the things that make us complex. We shouldn’t be afraid to share the things that make us — us. We shouldn’t be afraid to share what we’re going through — whether it’s depression or when we accidentally dye our hands from eating too much Fun Dip.
When we speak our truth it sets others free. It makes others free to speak theirs. Today, let’s commit to encouraging each other to be more brave.
The messages we’re fed direct us to stay small, to be perfect, and stay in our pretty, little boxes. Well, we were never meant to be small or quiet. We have power, unique voices and multitudes that this world needs. Our beauty lies in the way we so DO NOT fit into those boxes.
Life is messy. And, just like the potential hazards of Fun Dip, the reality of mental health does not discriminate. Maybe we can commit to writing more open letters. Maybe when talking about the mess and our complexities becomes normalized, we can all breathe a bit easier and the world can honor, respect and bask in the true beauty of women more deeply.
We hated that you felt you had to hide this from us, Chrissy. XX
