I am not that girl. I have always felt like I wasn’t like the other girls my age, I always felt, different. It wasn’t until college that I started to realize I am not THAT girl.

I am not the girl who can sit back and wait for a guy to make a move. I am impatient and believe that if you like someone, you should go for it. What is the worst he could say, no? There is not enough time in this world to allow me to sit around and wait while you decide. If you don’t like me now, I promise you are not going to like me later. So, if that guy isn’t going to make that move, you bet this girl will.

I am not the girl who stays in every weekend and wonders what everyone else is doing. I will go out and have fun and will NOT let ANYONE shame me for it. So what I am in this sorority and go to these parties. That does not mean I am taking a million shots and have an alcohol-induced death wish. I am not the girl who should be defined by what I do on my weekends. However, I am the girl that will make sure everyone is safe and has a good time.

I am not the girl who lets others determine who I am on the inside. I am strong-willed, I am a person who will speak her mind, I am not the girl to stay down. I am the girl that will talk a lot to get her point across, I have a loud voice, I use it as my roar. As a petite, young woman, it takes a lot to be heard, I use my voice. My power comes from within.

I am not the girl who needs validation to know I am a beautiful person, inside and out. I can look in the mirror and like what I see. I am able to love myself, which is something many women struggle with. Why should I be torn down for feeling empowered? Why can people think I am self-centered when really I have confidence? We are telling women to feel beautiful, but we are shamed when we truly believe it.

I am the girl who will fight for what she believes in. I will tear and cry and yell to be heard. I am the girl who believes that all women are beautiful and do not need validation from anyone else to believe it. I am the girl who loves with all her heart, who doesn’t use her adversity as an excuse, rather a proving point. I am a strong, independent, young woman with a voice. I am the girl who will ask the boy out, who will confess her feelings, who will be straight up to everyone in her way. I don’t want to be THAT girl. I want to be THIS girl.