Let Her Be

 

by: Chesilya Putri

My mother once said to me, "Even though life as a woman is often a second-class cluster, you should still live and shine." Back then, I didn't really understand what she meant, but as I grew into a woman who could only rely on herself, I finally did. Women being a second-class cluster means people will try to restrict women from flapping their wings. The worst thing is how passive women are romanticized, violence is naturalized, and revives a culture of mutual support. I know women's hardships don't even come from themselves.

Let her be,

let her shine,

let her be whatever she wants,

leave her alone and see how she will bloom and grow.

Every woman has beauty, a beauty that is not a debt that she has to pay to anyone. Husband, mother, father, friend, sibling, or anyone. Let her be an independent woman who knows where her life is going, who knows what she wants, and who is firm about her boundaries. Women are not just secondary creatures created just to serve, aren't they? Women's bodies are also not a disgrace that must always be covered to avoid getting objectified. Let her be a woman who is free, dignified, and always walks with confidence.

Just let her be, anything.

Not asking when she will get married, not attaching the stigma of a spinster, not forcing her to become a mother. Let her be an educated woman. Let her be whatever she wants. There are so many women out there who can't even be themselves, why? Because her life is always taught by the standard that is so fake. Have you ever asked them, aren't you tired? Aren't you fed up?

I believe that women always have a choice, whatever it is. Women have the same opportunities as men and women must know that they have potential. Women are the most extraordinary creatures, their hearts are soft, their smiles are honest, and their hugs are warm. You deserve to be loved, girl. Thank yourself for how far you have come. It hasn't been easy. Love yourself the way you wish they did.