Strength. Passion. Creativity. Assertion. Determination.

The qualities every young woman strives for. In this day and age with woman taking the upper hand in management roles in society and are no longer as discriminated against as they used to be. While we are still fighting some gender roles and norms, we essentially want to be seen as equal and powerful as a man.

But how do you do this in a world where we can be shoved aside or so easily called negative slurs? Especially amongst our own gender and generation. Girls are catty, they can be cruel and down-right mean. And as we get older it becomes harder to handle all the insane personalities.

Some girls are passive and not assertive and choose to hold their feelings inside, others express them through their art, and others put on a front of a warrior - a stone cold, tough chic.

Pros and cons to this? Simple.

Pros:

1. Lesser chance of getting hurt

2. Opportunity for others to see that you mean business and will not tolerate bs and become possibly intimidated.

3. Possibility to improve endurance and emotional stamina.

Cons:

1. Bottling up emotions can lead to all of them overflowing at one point and exploding.

2. Opportunity for others to see that you mean business and will not tolerate bs and become possibly intimidated.

3. Develop a negative, stand-off-ish attitude.

See how the second "what others think of you" bullet is italicized? Must mean it's important huh.. Yeah the representation of intimidation or scared behavior is most likely to come from acting like you don't care and are tough enough to handle the world. But it is important to be mindful of how you are appearing to others, even if they have done nothing wrong to you.

On the flip side, seeming too passive and unassertive can make you appear as someone that can be easily taken advantage of or walked all over.

It's important to find a balance of both, do not appear as rude and nasty but do not come off as easy to take advantage of.

Most of my life I have struggled with this complex. Being an only child in a divorced household I have had to stick up for myself and grow up very quickly. Being a theatre girl has also contributed to the amount of drama I have had to deal with -- and my natural coping mechanism is to sweep it under the rug and put on a tough girl apparatus.

Although I consider myself a very sensitive person, I tend to not show when I'm hurt but it is very clear when I am angry or irritated. Might be the Taurus astrology sign part of me?? Something about my stars aligning just right or something.

But the thing is, putting up this wall has not always served as a good thing. It's important to remember to give people second chances and make sure that you open up a door of forgiveness and light within your heart.

So it is important to go through life with a sense of pride, confidence, love, and also an honest and adventurous attitude that allows light and love into your heart. Do not block yourself off to people or resist letting them in -- but be weary of those that may try to tear down your beacon of light.

Ain't nothin' wrong with being a tough girl, as long as you have a sweet girl locked away in there somewhere.