Let’s talk about the Power of the Pussy.

Girl power! Creators of life! Nurturers of the Universe! Formidable Forces of the World!

Oh, there is nothing we can’t do!!!

Except, maybe believe that narrative.

Since, according to 2016, women seem to have trouble supporting a female president, let’s start looking at why.

Yes, we may self-identify as Wonder Women, wear tee shirts exclaiming: “I rescue myself, thank you very much!” and shake what our mammas gave us when Beyonce asks us “Who runs the world?”

But then we turn right around and make “Fifty Shades of Grey” a best-seller and continue to shove the princess narrative down our daughters throats.

We want to be strong, but we really want to be saved. It is okay to admit it, and it is okay if you maybe are not yet ready to acknowledge this truth.

But we should not feel shame about the parts of us that want to be saved.

They make sense. And here is why:

1. Shit is harder to do if you are a woman. I am sorry, but it is true. Making as much as a man is more difficult, having your voice heard when you are in a room with men is more difficult, and taking your power and your space on this planet is more difficult. It makes sense we want to be saved by men because power is easier for them to obtain. I ask my tall husband to reach things for me because HE CAN.
2. We are tired. Women are generally the caretakers. We are often the ones who care for children, the sick and elderly, the social calendars. It makes sense that we want to be taken care of. We find 50 Shades of Grey sexy because the female protagonist gets everything she could ever want or need. Sure, she gives up her rights as a human and is abused – but every little thing she desires is hers and her every need is taken care of for her. It has its appeal…
3. Authority figures are men. That is what we may feel, however subconsciously. Of course. It makes sense. Even today, most school superintendents, principals, police officers, military officers and soldiers, firefighters, doctors, attorneys, directors, newscasters, writers for movies and tv, managers and CEOs are men. In America, every president and most members of congress and the supreme court are men. Even Santa and Jesus are men. We have all grown up with men in every authoritative role in our lives.
4. Women are more vulnerable than men. Sexual assault, reproductive rights issues, motherhood, physicality, and dare I say, the calculated erosion of our self confidence and extreme judgement of our actions often leaves us in situations where we frequently feel powerless.

Wait, what??!?!?!

“Karen Mangiacotti, feminist and activist?”

“Empowerer of women and believer in feminine power – what are you saying?”

“Where did you go so horribly astray?”

Simmer down, friends. Simmer down.

It is still me. I am still here.

But we can’t get rid of bullshit ideas until we acknowledge we hold them.

If the princes narrative or the desire to be saved rings true for you – FEEL NO SHAME.

We have been fed this narrative our whole lives, it is a universal story that has lived throughout the ages, in every culture. We are evolutionarily programmed this way – it lives deep in your cells.

But now that we shed a little light on it, it is time to clean out our bullshit notions. Kind of like a facial where you gently extract the dirt and oil and belief systems that clog the pores and your mind if you let it.

Time to unpack some baggage.

So let’s cleanse our bullshit myths out of our heads by noticing they are there, then sending them on their way.

“Women are irrational, overly sensitive and hormonal.”
No, no and no. Bye bye.

“Success means you must be a bitch.”
Maybe, and 20% of male CEOs are sociopaths – excellence sometimes comes at a price. Bye bye.

“You have to do it all”
Career, family, relationship – if you are not excelling at all, what is wrong with you?

And while we are at it, “if another woman is successful, she is illustrating what a failure you are“. Ridiculous. You are enough.

Love yourself and love successful women, they make the world better for everyone.
Bye bye

“You need to be taken care of.”
No you don’t. You have this. You are stronger than you know.bye bye

“Authority figures are men.”
Some are. And some are women. And some have yet to decide – but I promise, authority does not come from your genitals – it comes from your head and your heart. Bye bye.

“Women who buck the system threaten the status quo”
Yeah, you do. If we never changed status quo, you wouldn’t be able to vote – or own property. By changing expectations, by not taking a man’s name in marriage (although there is nothing wrong with that), by fighting for roles that are traditionally male, you don’t hurt others, you help us all see what doesn’t make sense and you open doors. Bye bye.

“Cold women are evil”
No, cold women are just people. Just because a woman does not smile at all times or constantly try to make those around her feel at ease, doesn’t mean she is evil. It means she has shit to do.

In fact, ALL of us have shit to do. We all have to work together to be able to see the Power of the Pussy.

So, let’s start:

One – Unpack any baggage that gets in the way of supporting other women – done.

Two – Find your own strength as a woman, as a person. This is not the time for women to be complacent. We now live in a world where hate resides in the White House. We are all called upon to be heroes to protect love and decency.

Come on! You know how strong women can be! You see it everyday and just because you don’t see enough of it in the upper echelons of authority with equal representation does not mean women can’t rise to power. It means we each, in our own way, have all kept them from doing it.

Three – Start supporting the hell out of other women – in any way you can, Know that women have an uphill battle toward success. Give them a hand or a boost or at the very least stop pushing them back down the hill.

This is it women! It is time for us to start realizing that we are holding ourselves back. We need to realize that we have been evolutionarily programmed to hold ourselves back and let that shit go!

We need to start believing in the power of the pussy. We need to start believing in ourselves as leaders and as competent.

When Beyonce asks who runs the world – we need to answer girls – and mean it.

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