10 Things to Remember When You're a Girl

1. It’s important to find your own voice. That’s a voice that is yours not your best friend’s, a celeb or someone else’s. This can be harder for girls than boys because you might not see so many women speaking out and getting things done around you. The answer is to find yourself positive role models not just in your real life but the online world and more. That’s girls and women who inspire you to do things, be who you want to be and stand up and speak out for what you believe in.

 

2. What you watch and listen to the most will affect who you are. Whether that’s reality TV, celebrities, models or friends – it’s important to realise that what you invest your time in affects both your thinking and your view of yourself. If you’re stuck in a negative mindset it’s probably time to change one or more of the above.

 

3. It is possible to feel good about your body. In a world that’s always telling us what women should look like, it is possible to be body confident. The key is not to bombard yourself with images of "perfect" women whether you’re online or looking at magazines and be more accepting and positive about your body and what it can do for you.

 

4. You don’t need to be popular to be happy. Friendship and social media often feels like a popularity contest but the reality is - all you need is a couple of good friends to be happy in life. Remember it’s all about the quality of your friendships, rather than the quantity.

 

5. Real girls aren’t perfect. Perfect girls aren’t real. Are you stuck in the perfection trap of thinking you have to look perfectly groomed and be perfect at school and with friends all the time? If so, stop. Perfection is unattainable and unrealistic to aim for. You’re good enough just as you are.

 

6. Self-esteem is the key to feeling good enough. Good self-esteem comes from liking yourself and seeing that you’re worthy flaws and all. If you don’t feel good enough then you need to look at your core beliefs (the things you believe about yourself) and challenge them. Are they true? What things disprove these beliefs? 

 

7. Don’t believe the many girl stereotypes out there. That’s don’t believe the oversimplified fixed ideas some people have about what it means to be a girl. Being a girl doesn’t mean you’re the weaker sex or bad at sport or silly or anything other than you are a girl. You get to make the rules in your life, no one else.

 

8. Don’t fall for girl as victim stories. As entertaining as they are, girl as victim stories can make you feel like a victim. You do not need to be saved. Instead broaden the scope of what you read and listen to and who you admire and you’ll find yourself feeling bold, brave and empowered in your life.

 

9. Stay away from the mean girls. We all know them. They may be popular or may be your best friend but if mean friends make you feel bad about yourself, or make you be mean to others (privately or in public) then they are bad news for your self esteem and how you feel about yourself.

 

10. Don’t be selfie-addicted. Looking at your refelction/pictures all the time can become an excuse to be hard on yourself and seek constant reassurance from others all the time. If that’s you, turn your focus outwards not inwards and you’ll feel happier and more content with both your looks and being a girl.