All my life, I’ve been a leader. However, I liked it when a man completed the job, not took over. Although a part of me often longs for that sense of security a man provides, I’ve realized that things are done best when they’re done by me. Then I started developing a healthy jealousy of wanting other women to feel the same way, to carve their own paths and future. Its called women empowerment.
Nothing is more appealing to me than when a woman leads the way and succeeds. So I put myself in his shoes and I wonder if I’m going to like it. Literally. I put on my husband’s shirt, my biggest SHEEN watch to feel that sense of power and my most masculine boots. Turns out, taking full responsibility of my life empowered me, a feeling I don’t wish to live without.
What’s amazing is that women don’t have to lose their femininity by doing so. On the contrary, they can be in a man’s shoes taking the toughest decisions while looking every inch a beautiful woman. They’re irrelevant to one another. I think most opinions stand by me when I say that the most incredible woman is the one that is beautiful from inside and out. A wise leader who takes care of herself.
While I’ve been raised in an ordinary Lebanese family, where men are the main source of income for their families, I didn’t understand why our destiny was pre-designed. Why was it debatable for a woman to work or not and if she did, why was she given lighter, more boring, jobs. I wasn’t to allow anybody to dictate my future. Even if that meant struggling to get to the road of success. My road away from what my family has wanted for me was beyond challenging. With little business understanding and no entrepreneurs in my family to help me out, I took on a challenge and every day I wake up grateful for the decisions I made.
I had a choice of marrying into a well off man who would make me spend my life with no financial worries and making my own future. Like I said, I do like the sense of security a man provides me, by that, I mean the physical and emotional strength he provides. I don’t think we can follow our parent’s footsteps anymore. I believe that the future will be more challenging than ever and both men and women should unite not only to survive what’s coming but mostly to make their dreams come true. Team work brings the best results, of course when both parties are compatible.
So now, through my personal relationships and social media, I urge the females I connect with to stand up for themselves, continue their education, smartly get what they want and live the future they deserve. Whether they’re on their own or in a team of a family or a husband. While I can drill a nail in my wall and I can figure out how to put together a desk, I prefer to belong to a team and partner with a member of my family. However, its very important that women nowadays are as independent as a man so that their backup plan in case their team falls of, is themselves.
Hair & Makeup: Kaya Guerreiro
Photography: Sam John