My apology to young women.

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Sometimes I like to write random open letters to various people/objects/places for various reasons as Facebook statuses. I've shared a love letter to women with you before, I've recently written one to my favorite steak house, and least favorite dog owners, most of them are silly, and not really worth sharing, however, I am occasionally insightful, or so I think. I think this one I wrote the other evening is worth sharing. It's my apology to young women.

Dear Young Women of the World,

I wish we did better jobs of living out our lives in such a way that we could be a positive example for you. I wish we told you more often how awesome, and wonderful, and worth while you are. I wish we modeled self confidence, and self love better. I wish we showed you that you can be confident, without being arrogant. That you could be beautiful, without being immodest. That we showed you better that you can be strong, and independent without being cold and callous. That we told you more often that you have more value than your body. I wish we did a better job of showing you that you don't have to fit into any mold that Hollywood gives you to be the amazing, super awesome person you were created to be.

For all of this, I am deeply sorry. If I have ever been one of those women that ever showed you any such example, I am so, so sorry. I don't say it often enough. Your value is not in what other people think of you. Your value is not in who you sleep with. Your value is not in who you are dating. Your value is not in what you wear. Your Value is not in how you do your hair and make up. Your value is not in the number on the scale. Your value is not in who your friends are. Your value is in who YOU are, in your heart.

I see all of these women my age and older that are only happy if they have a boyfriend, dress in tight/short clothes, can't walk out the door without painting on the makeup, call themselves "fat" constantly, only wear certain clothes, believe that if they aren't sleeping with a man, they will lose him, believe that in order to be respected they have to be rude, and harsh, think that they must put other women down to prove that they are better. I realize that we are leading you right down this same path that we were led down.

I am sorry. This attitude is wrong. You are beautiful just the way you were made. You don't need a boyfriend, and you certainly don't need a boyfriend that expects you to do anything you don't want to do, and I mean that in everything from dressing/looking/acting a certain way to having sex. You are better than that. You can be a better example to the next generation, than we have been to you. I also apologize to the women of my age and older, that anyone ever made you feel that way, again, it's not true.

Remember that we are all works of God, created in HIS image, knit together by HIS hands, not the world's.

((Hopefully)) On Behalf of all women older than you,

Amanda