About 2 years ago, I created choreography to this song for a hip hop dance program I created (Diva Dance Academy) for young girls. At the time, V. Rose was one of the few prominent girls in the Christian Hip Hop scene with music that I could pull from (and I was ADAMANT about incorporating female artists). I chose the song because it had a good message that I could teach on weekly in addition to the dance, it was cute for kids and because it was dance-able. Nothing more, nothing less. It amazed me how this one song resonated with these young girls in such a major way, that in their small lives, they GOT IT. They began to walk different, talk different and live different. They began to understand who they are uniquely in this world and how to be confident in that. They began to ignore bullies, ignore their insecurities and ignore the messages that this world shoots our way to break us down. If you didn't know, even girls in elementary school fight the most violent battle in their hearts and minds and it would be a shame if we continue to dismiss their battle as "not a big deal".
They get bullied for being who they are. They hear and see conflicting messages of what a woman should be daily. They try and measure up to our standards, their friends standards, their teachers standards and fall into a deep comparison. They may have a void in their hearts that stems from missing a parental figure. They may battle with what love truly is. They may be insecure about their appearance. If we, as grown women, feel the pain from these same issues, how much more pain do these little girls feel, not even being emotionally mature enough to sort these emotions out? Think about that for a moment.
We not only have the responsibility to fight for our inner peace. We are enlisted to fight for them when they cannot fight for themselves. Can we be the example? Can we model to them what a woman of strength looks like? A woman that refuses to break or buckle under the weight of this worlds expectations? A woman that is relentless in her pursuit of the dream God entrusted her with. A woman who will not get derailed by haters and critics. A woman who succeeds using her talents, her mind, her skills and her vision instead of relying completely on looks, her boyfriend or husbands status or stepping on another woman to get there.
From the very beginning, the enemy whispers to us that we are not good enough, that we need to look different, dress different, come from a different family, be more like her, be less like ourselves. But being authentically us if where our true strength lies. How much longer will we listen to those lies that keep us in bondage AND our little sisters stuck too? I hope you hear my heart. God created all of us uniquely and placed in us something that is an answer to a problem in this world. We are all here to create something that would not exist if we didn't. We have power, we have strength, we have beauty and we each have something special to bring to this battle. Some of us rap, some sing, others dance. Some of us are great writers, organizers, counselors, or teachers. Some of of excel in sports, coaching, coding, designing and art. Some girls give and help like no other. We nurture, we protect, we give life and we design beautiful things. If we all come together we can take over the world, not for our own glory, but for the betterment of society. If we all do our part, we can make big changes. Understand your unique beauty and walk in your unique strength. Divas, stand right alongside the guys and multiply their strengths. They need us in the fight too. No one else can be a better YOU.
