There’s a quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich that states: “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” It’s a often posted on Pinterest boards and slapped onto cards with women in 1920s-fashion kicking up their heels in unison.
But for me, this sentiment is more than encouragement to go on a girls trip and go wild; it’s a celebration of women who choose to be defined by their courage, bravery and decisions to go after the life they want to live instead of being confined by “appropriateness.”
Call them bold, fearless, or powerful, these are women who light up a room with their magnetic energy. They intimidate the close-minded and inspire those who have long hungered for tangible proof that they, too, will serve themselves well by igniting their passions and relishing in their independence. I know a few of them very well and they have changed my life (and helped me to unleash my own inner badass). Here are fifteen things alpha-women do differently:
1. They cultivate a life they actually enjoy living.
Whether they’re single, coupled or in that complicated grey area, they commit to creating and living a life they love. While they may not feel 100% comfortable initially, they push themselves to take the class, book the ticket, try the restaurant and understand that life won’t wait for them if they’re choosing to wait for a specific someone to enjoy it with.
2. They make their move.
Whether it’s walking up to a stranger and saying hello, putting in an offer for an apartment they want or asking their boss for more responsibility, bold women would rather risk hearing “no” than sit on the sidelines and hope someone else will bring them the opportunity they desire.
Want more? Try: 6 “non-traditional” jobs that women totally nail
3. They don’t put themselves down.
Very few men and women walk this earth feeling one hundred percent happy with their looks and life one hundred percent of the time. But fearless alpha women accept the fact that there will always be someone younger, smarter and thinner than they are and don’t stress it because, well, that’s not the point.
These women know they’re not defined by any one attribute (and certainly not by something as small as a few dimples on their backside.) They know they’re a whole package and that package is so f*cking awesome it demands to be spoken about with respect.
4. They don’t need a boyfriend but they’re open to having a partner.
In a world that treats singledom as a disease that needs to be treated, it’s refreshing to meet a woman who’s not only OK being on her own but unwilling to compromise the time she spends with friends, on her career, or enjoying hobbies just to have any old someone in her life.
Like this? Try: Ex-Spice Girl tells the world she’s not a feminist. Shits all over girl power.
Fearless women aren’t looking for a savior, a benefactor or boy toy. In fact, they are not even looking. The bold and fearless women is, however, excited when she meets a man who understands her, accepts her, respects her, respects himself and is looking in the same direction as she is.
5. They don’t waste time wishing.
We all have situations we wish would have gone differently but a bold woman knows that the only thing the past can do for her is serve as a lesson in how to do better for herself here in the now.
Top Comments
I love how the point about not putting themselves down is followed by a gif of Tina Fey who uses self-deprecation as part of her humour. I don't think alpha women "don't put themselves down"... they often do but take strength from it. I believe it was Tyrion Lannister who said something about owning your faults and weaknesses because once you do that, they actually become a defence against anyone who tries to use them against you.
I'm disappointed in how much this article focussed on having a partner and how fearless women conduct themselves in a partnership. There's so much more to being fearless. Something that has always resonated with me as a fearless woman is a quote by Sara Henderson, "don't wait for the light at the end of tunnel, go there and bloody well light it yourself".