For some reason, women are ostracized for everything from everyone. Whether we have our hair up or down, long, short, or shaved—there's always someone to criticize it. It also doesn't help that once we hear these complaints, we internalize them and think that there is something wrong with us. Being a woman though is an accomplishment, an act of courage, that we should praise daily.To let your fierceness out, stop apologizing for these twelve reasons.

2. Childbearing (or my decision not to).

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Yes, children are the seed of the earth. But that doesn't mean they are my sole worth.

3. My body type.

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My womanhood is not defined by my body. It's defined by how I love myself and others.

5. Standing up for myself.

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Because I have a voice and I won't put myself at your mercy for my beliefs.

Being a woman should mean being unapologetic with herself. Even though throughout history we have been made to be at the mercy of men, it is our time now to show the world who we really are. We shouldn't be shamed for our beauty, sexuality, or assertiveness just because of our designated gender at birth. Identities are more than just prescribed societal labels. Yes, I am a woman—but I am also an Ecuadorian-American, a Christian, an animal-lover, a writer. A poetry editor, a coffee lover, and an aficionado of golden age Hollywood cinema. I don't want to be defined just by my biological sex. I want to be defined by these things as well.

An identity is really just a melting pot of these so-called labels. Being a woman means owning your individuality and showing the world that it cannot be easily defined. Apologizing for that allows others to tell you who you are and what your worth is. Being a woman today is about taking back what's meant to be hers, after all. Her body is her house of worship. Her passion is her loving life in all shapes and sizes.

I am a woman not because society tells me I am; I am a woman because my role models are fierce, independent women who take charge. Who look to change the world by taking action. These women don't apologize for asking for gun reforms or better education for their children. They fight.

Being a woman means fighting against the odds. In the past, I had let myself think I was a victim simply because of my gender. I apologized too much; I apologized for being in the way of the refrigerator, for having people drive me places, for not exercising enough, for speaking my mind. I have found my womanhood simply by telling myself that I will continue to be in the way of the refrigerator. Because I know there isn't something wrong with me for a simple position made by my body.

So for all you women out there— don't apologize for who you inherently are. Don't let someone else tell you when and where you should apologize and what for. You are not a doll. You are a woman who has a voice, who sets an example for little girls. Show that you are a fighter, that nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams. After all, a woman is marked not by her genitalia, but by the size and strength of her heart.