“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”(Proverbs 21:35)

This is how we are supposed to live as females, but we can’t. We live in a world where we are told to follow our dreams, but we weren’t told how hard it would be to achieve our dreams. For a female in today’s society, there are a lot of things that hold us back from reaching our full potential. Society has drilled into our heads what we can and can’t do as a woman.

Society has instilled this idea of the perfect looking woman in our heads. We can only weigh so much before we are considered fat. We can’t eat a meal without feeling guilty knowing that meals means countless hours at the gym working it off so we can still lose weight. We have to dress a certain way. If we wear clothes that are too “revealing," we are just trying to show off and get attention. If we dress too conservatively, something is wrong with us. Society has made so many guidelines that we have to follow to be considered even remotely attractive. We feel so pressured to fit in while still trying to live a life of our own.

We have to live in fear for our safety. We are targets for sexual assaults and crimes. One in five women will be the victim of a sexual assault. We are always constantly looking over our shoulders. Most females now and days carry pepper spray so we can feel in control and somewhat safe. We do what society wants and we still end up victims. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t skeptical of men. I am, but that doesn’t mean I let them stop me. It just means we have to be aware of our surroundings at all times.

People don’t understand how hard it actually is to be a female growing up in today’s society. We are constantly worrying about the way we look, if we are good enough, and so much more. We date boys because society says we have to be in a relationship to be happy. We do whatever is necessary to please men because that is what we are told to do. We constantly try to please everyone around us while still trying to follow the guidelines society has set for us. Our life is not our own. We are constantly trying to fit in and eventually we end up losing ourselves.

At a certain point it all becomes too much. We burst. We can’t take the pressure anymore. We already have enough to deal with without the pressure of society upon us too. Society doesn’t realize how much we already on our plate as females. We try our best to please everyone but it’s not possible. We can’t do everything and make everyone happy.

This is the reality of the world we currently live in. We have started to adjust to society’s demands for the fear of being left out. However, we are beginning to stop worrying about what society wants us to be like. We are beginning to realize what is acceptable for ourselves and not basing it off of society. It will always be in the back of our minds, but we have to start doing what is right for us. This is what it is like to live as a female in today’s society.