Why do women say sorry so much? The reason is that woman feel like they need to be nice and likable to get ahead in life. We’ve been conditioned to do it because that’s what we’ve seen our whole lives. If a situation is even a little uncomfortable, women will say sorry, thinking that they are being polite and easing the tension. I didn’t really know this was a thing until my sister pointed out that I excessively use the word when it’s not necessary. This was about a year ago and I still haven’t been able to stop; I continuously apologize for things that I shouldn’t have to. Like when I ask a professor for extra help, I start my greeting with a sorry—sorry for wasting your time or sorry that I’m so annoying for asking for help. It’s their job, though! Why am I apologizing for it? Or when I raise my hand in class it's, “Sorry, I have a question.” Why can’t I just say, “I have a question?" Pantene released a commercial with this exact scenario and when I saw it I knew that this was a real problem. Of course a Pantene commercial is trying to evoke some kind of emotion from women to buy their products, but the issue at hand is real. Women just say sorry way too much. When I say sorry for no reason now, I always wish I could take it back, but when I consciously don’t say sorry, it takes a lot of willpower not to blurt it out as an afterthought. This is a struggle, but since I am aware of it, I am trying to improve it. Seems easy, but trust me, it is a lot harder than it sounds.
There is also the issue that if women don’t apologize, they are seen as aggressive, which is a title we try to shield ourselves from. But maybe we have to be a little more aggressive. By not saying sorry, we are revolting and standing up for ourselves. There is weight to the word sorry and it is dragging women down. Journalist Mika Brzezinski said, “I think women have a hard time not apologizing their way into negotiations. We tend to back in to these conversations in a self-deprecating and ultimately self-defeating way.” So, be conscious of your sorrys because they carry more weight than you think they do.
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