Sophia Bush is a Feminist Icon. But I have a little bit of truth to tell you first before I get into it, which I'm not proud of. The last year has been VERY difficult for me. For someone who is very loud and proud about feminism and social change, the November 2016 Presidential Election results knocked the wind out of me. I was more than disheartened...I was heart broken. You see, I'd been very actively working in my community with Non-Profit Organizations and State agencies to advocate for women's rights and fight for justice and change. It seemed as if we were on a forward propellant, climbing up and up...I could see our bright new future, it was on the horizon, but I could see it.
I could see a world where women and girls were given equal opportunities and equal access to education and funding and pay equity. I could see a world where women and girls held 50% of the jobs in STEM fields, where they were 50% CEO's, leaders, lawmakers, judges, politicians. A world I could be proud of to show my nieces that whatever they dreamt of being, (a vet, a scientist, an artist, a ballerina, a mom, whatever they wanted!) they could grasp, as long as they did their part. A world where they felt safe at school, where they were treated with respect, where I didn't have to fear for them walking home. A world where bullies and sexual assault and violence against women had decreased to such an extent, that it was like talking about the Dark Ages in history class. I dreamed of that world. I knew we could become that world. And then suddenly...it was gone. The horizon now held only blackness.
I'm not proud that it took me a while to shake it off. I'm not proud that at many times during the next several months, I thought, "Why even try." I'm not proud that I considered, truly considered, giving up the fight.
But I am proud that I had the guts, the tenacity, the willpower, to get back up and keep fighting. And I did that, because of this amazing person, Ms. Sophia Bush, and her incredible strength. I watched interview after interview of her talking about feminism and social change. I followed her IG and Twitter accounts religiously, because it was the daily ((if not, hourly)) pep talk I needed to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep picking myself up defeat-after-political-defeat. [If you don't follow her on social media, stop reading this right now and DO IT!! They're both linked above]
She has positively impacted me so greatly, that I wanted to share it with all of you, in case you also need the Sophia-Bush-Empowerment-Magic-Pep-Talks! Here are some of my favorites since election day: (Newest to Oldest)
1. "L.A., I love you. For your fight, your heart, your diversity, your tolerance. The food vendors, community organizers, legal teams, day laborers, storytellers, artists, chefs, farm workers, creatives, and more. The fabric of our community is colorful and fantastic. It was an honor to march with you, my neighbors, today. It was a thrill to speak before you. And I am endlessly inspired by the ways that you show up, stand up, and speak up. You are truly a City of Angels." -IG
2. "Speak your truth. Even when your voice shakes." -IG
3. "That’s the tremendous value of friends, right? People who can come into your sacred spaces, be it your home, your heart, your psyche, and help you see what’s in there in new ways. I’m so grateful ladies." -IG
4. "ALL HANDS ON DECK PEOPLE. Call and leave comments before the end of the day on the Trump administration's proposed rollback of contraceptive coverage for the ACA. This script will get you started! Birth control is HEALTHCARE. It’s a basic right for women who want to go to school, have careers, have families, and be able to PLAN those families. Do not let this archaic patriarchal moron strip you of your rights to control your own life. BURN UP THE PHONE LINES! 🔥🔥🔥 " -IG
5. "Here's to the fierce females. The choir getting louder every day. Anyone who has ever felt silenced, who now knows they can roar. Here's to each of you." -IG
6. "
7. "sleep is not coming. anger is the gnawing, nauseating pang that keeps you up past 3am.
screaming is what your insides do when you give them just enough space to breathe.
fury moved in a long time ago and set its roots. joy still exists. make no mistake. they are not mutually exclusive. it is hard won, and worth fighting for. but if you mistake my joy, other women's joy, to mean there is an absence of pain? we will burn you to the ground when we open our mouths to share our rage. you are not entitled to more pieces of us than we are ready to share. be very careful what you wish for, when it comes to information.
you just might get it. and once you've seen, you can never unsee. sometimes we withhold to protect your eyes." -IG
8. "It's shocking to see how many men are shocked. That women they know, perhaps even EVERY woman they know, has been sexually harassed. Sexually assaulted. This problem reaches farther than Harvey. Or Donald. (Both of whom, by the way, I hope get their due.) We live in a country where 1 in 4 women is assaulted or raped by the time she leaves college. And those numbers come from what gets reported. Estimates put the true stats at 1 in 2. Half of all women. By the age of 22. And if you scoff at that reality, you are part of the problem. If you are feeling a little uneasy, wondering if your behavior is part of the problem? It is. I promise you. If you're a woman who has been manipulated or bullied into feeling like her assault was her fault? It was not. There is no excuse for the behavior of abusers. And so many abusers are adept at psychological and emotionally abuse, thus masterful manipulators.
And if you're one of those men that I know? One of those men whose palms are sweating reading this? Wondering if your names are about to be exposed because of what you've done? How you've abused. How you've twisted. How you've lied. Good. Sweat. Be afraid. Welcome to our world. And watch your backs. We have looked over our shoulders in fear, every day and night, for long enough. Your turn. To you abusers and the ones who stood by and stayed silent? Consider this your notice. From me and from women everywhere. We are roaring, alright. #MeToo #WomenWhoRoar" -IG
9. "Did you know, on this #InternationalDayOfTheGirl, that 130 million girls worldwide are not in school? That's 130 MILLION potential doctors, coders, researchers, designers, future leaders. Stripped of their potential. That has to change. And it can. From @onecampaign: We know (Girls) + (Education) = Unstoppable. Let’s make sure world leaders know that ALL #GirlsCount" -IG
10. "Some of you have come at me on social media recently, telling me that I deserve to die. That I'm a disgrace to America. That I should get shot and stop complaining. All because I am heartbroken and really, really f-ing angry about America's gun problem. I've had people tell me to give up my body guards. Guess what? I don't have any. Tell me that if I'd ever shot a gun in real life I'd feel differently. Guess what? I've been a sharp shooter since the age of 12, own my fair share of guns, & love nothing more than an afternoon at the range. Especially with the SWAT team and/or the servicemen & women I've visited on USO tours. I've had people tell me that I live in a "celebrity/coastal/libtarded bubble" & have no clue what real people go through. That my outrage is just band wagon jumping. Guess what? My cousin's 9 year old was murdered in a mass shooting. In Arizona. No coastal bubble in sight to save her. So STOP. If you're more outraged that I'd say "f- you" to a President & GOP masquerading as leaders, than you are that they're pushing laws to make silencers readily available (because they're getting NRA $$) the same week of a mass shooting? Well then you & I have different priorities. And that's fine. But on my end? I'm angry that the NRA wants to sell more crap that we don't need so they can make money. I'm angry that they're claiming it's about ear protection. Newsflash it's not. That's what cans are for. I'm angry that money is valued more than human life in this country. I'd happily go through more rigorous background checks, wait longer to get a gun, or give my guns BACK, if it meant we could work toward stopping this madness. Saying it doesn't work that way just ISN'T real. Data doesn't lie. Every country that's enacted some form of gun control has ended massacres. And for the "dangerous criminals who don't abide by laws?" That's what our police & military are for. And they don't think any of us need auto/semi-auto weapons or silencers either. So the next time you tell one of your fellow Americans to die/get raped/leave the country because she doesn't like that leaders value kickbacks over children's lives? Look in a mirror. Long & hard." -IG
11. "Donald Embarrassment-to-us-all Trump called an American citizen exercising his right to free speech, who is peacefully protesting violence + racism, a "son of a bitch." Trump called a group of NAZIS chanting racial slurs who murdered an American citizen "very fine people." Let that sink in. I'm damn proud to count myself as a son of a bitch by those standards." -IG
12. "Dear Senators who are willing to kill 35 million Americans to offer tax cuts to the super rich and get kickbacks from corporations who stand to profit off of your constituents dying? Shame on you. Where do you all think you came from? Pregnant women. Who will NO LONGER BE COVERED IF GRAHAM CASSIDY PASSES. Us. THAT'S WHERE. Though given your current disregard for the lives of human beings you're sworn to serve, perhaps you all crawled from the bellies of beasts.
And to the Senators taking the GOP bribe of YOUR states keeping the Affordable Care Act while others are stripped of its coverage? (Yeah Murkowski, I'm looking at you. Hard.) Shame shame shame on you. The richest nation on EARTH should be better than this. Too bad all we seem to have is money. Nothing "caring" about this." -IG
11. "Donald Embarrassment-to-us-all Trump called an American citizen exercising his right to free speech, who is peacefully protesting violence + racism, a "son of a bitch." Trump called a group of NAZIS chanting racial slurs who murdered an American citizen "very fine people." Let that sink in. I'm damn proud to count myself as a son of a bitch by those standards." -IG
12. "Dear Senators who are willing to kill 35 million Americans to offer tax cuts to the super rich and get kickbacks from corporations who stand to profit off of your constituents dying? Shame on you. Where do you all think you came from? Pregnant women. Who will NO LONGER BE COVERED IF GRAHAM CASSIDY PASSES. Us. THAT'S WHERE. Though given your current disregard for the lives of human beings you're sworn to serve, perhaps you all crawled from the bellies of beasts.
And to the Senators taking the GOP bribe of YOUR states keeping the Affordable Care Act while others are stripped of its coverage? (Yeah Murkowski, I'm looking at you. Hard.) Shame shame shame on you. The richest nation on EARTH should be better than this. Too bad all we seem to have is money. Nothing "caring" about this." -IG
13. "If your house is burning, so is mine. If your liberty is threatened, so is mine. Your fight is my fight. Our fight. We stand with you and we will fight to #DefendDACA.
Sincerely, Me + Americans who know what, and who, makes this country great." -IG
Sincerely, Me + Americans who know what, and who, makes this country great." -IG
14. "I'm tremendously grateful to have friends who are disrupting the world for good, prioritizing quality culture, and shining lights on the incredible women in their workforce. Not to mention proving that doing good is also good for business."- IG
15. "Silence is violence. Silence is encouragement. So hit the streets. Make some noise. Be safe. Hug your neighbors and let them know you've got their backs. Love people by showing up for them. That's what we are here for." -IG
16. "You are not alone. Humans, we are in this together. All of us. Injustice thrust upon any group is injustice thrust upon us all. Defend the brothers and sisters in your communities. Step up for the marginalized. They will step up for you when this monstrous "leader" inevitably threatens your existence and attempts to take away your rights. It's coming. In the same way that he lied when he held a pride flag and stumbled through the LGBTQ acronym to say he would defend our fellow man, he will lie to your face and eviscerate you behind barely closed doors to prove that he won and he can do whatever he wants. We are here to tell him that we will not abide by his cruelty and betrayal. We have to stand united in the face of this." -IG
17. "I've watched so many people kick off #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth with astonishing and beautiful vulnerability. That takes so much courage. And it got me thinking about how each of them has shared that while they may look like they have it all figured out to people peering in from the outside, they don't. No one does. Remember that whatever you perceive -- or are just "certain" about -- when you look at another person is quite simply a projection of yourself. You literally have no idea what anyone is going through, or experiencing. So meet people with love rather than judgement. Meet them in ways that allow them to expand, rather than causing them to contract. Nothing else matters." -IG
18. "That's the kind of thing that makes my soul cry out in a way it only does when it comes face to face with deeply universal truths. The kind that encourage human tenderness. Yes. There is only your way. You will learn the hard way. You will make mistakes. You will have great love. You will experience tragic loss. People will give you advice and it will, sometimes, be taken but it will not save you from the good or the bad. You will live in your own way and you don't need to apologize for ANY of it. There is only your way. There is only your heart beating in your chest. Serve it first. Do so with kindness and consideration for the world around you, obviously. But dammit. Own your own way. Grip it in your first and hold it tight. Be true." -IG
19. "The Resistance is WORKING. Making noise works. Giving a s- works. Demanding that people be held accountable and treat others with some gd decency and respect WORKS. Keep it up y'all. Keep changing the game. And don't let them forget that we are watching. We both expect AND deserve better." -IG
20. "They say that it takes 100 positive thoughts to undo a negative. Our little human brains have evolved over time to keep us alive based on our fear responses, but in modern times these evolutionary traits have gotten out of whack. Harboring a deep and paralyzing fear that you are not enough, and thus hating yourself, isn't going to keep you alive the way that knowing you should fear a lion or a rattlesnake will.
Almost everyone I know struggles with the negative self-talk spiral. It's a silent killer of fun, creativity, self worth, romance ... the list goes on. So let's, for the next few minutes, start to beat it back to where it came from k? Great. Really sit, and be thoughtful. It might be scary. It might feel weirdly hard. Avoid the desire get snarky or to say, "I'll do this later." See what happens. Maybe it'll make you feel surprisingly free! You can keep them to yourself or share them if you like. But I'd love for each of you to change your day, even momentarily, by coming up with three things you like about yourself ... go for it." -IG
Almost everyone I know struggles with the negative self-talk spiral. It's a silent killer of fun, creativity, self worth, romance ... the list goes on. So let's, for the next few minutes, start to beat it back to where it came from k? Great. Really sit, and be thoughtful. It might be scary. It might feel weirdly hard. Avoid the desire get snarky or to say, "I'll do this later." See what happens. Maybe it'll make you feel surprisingly free! You can keep them to yourself or share them if you like. But I'd love for each of you to change your day, even momentarily, by coming up with three things you like about yourself ... go for it." -IG
21. "#PrettyMighty is ... every woman out there using her inspiring brain and worthy voice to stand in defense of her community. They define strength. Commitment. Grace. Gumption. The willingness to head toward the fear. They are beautiful and bold. They have my utmost gratitude." -IG
22. "You deserve better. Examine the ways in which you deserve more, and also look at the ways that others deserve more from you. Make sure you're being shown up for, and make sure you're showing up to the best of your abilities. Life is a two way street. Own your successes and failures so that you can keep growing. You deserve to." -IG
23. "I still believe in us. I do. I think if anything this should motivate us. This should wake us up. We've clearly been complacent. We haven't sought out one another and had the tough conversations and really LISTENED to each other. People are hurting. You don't decide to risk throwing the whole country out the window to "change the system" if you aren't hurting. People who feel like they've lost everything today are hurting. Their rights as women, the LGBTQ, POC, environmental champions, union members, and the list goes on. People are terrified. So please... Instead of giving in to the fear and reacting with savage hearts, let's come together now. Have conversations with people who believe in different things than you do. And instead of needing to be right, try to hear them. Then ask for the same respect in return. Build bridges, not walls. Let's sew the broken pieces of ourselves back together again, and remake the fabric of America. We can." -IG
***I didn't intend for this to be so long, but then I couldn't stop choosing things and I couldn't kick any of these off my list!! So anyways, here's to you, Sophia Bush, for being a beacon of light in these dark, dark times. For reminding us to keep fighting, to stand up, to make noise, to care for each other and fight for each other. You are a goddess and a Feminist Icon. An incredibly smart, vibrant, kind, talented, beautiful, powerful human being with a soul of compassionate fire. Thank you for your words, your empowerment, your courage to scream from the hilltop and not care what the haters have to say. You are an inspiration, and you truly got me through this though time, and helped motivate me to continue to fight the good fight for social change. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.
Sincerely,
Ashley, aka: Brown Eyed Girl
***I didn't intend for this to be so long, but then I couldn't stop choosing things and I couldn't kick any of these off my list!! So anyways, here's to you, Sophia Bush, for being a beacon of light in these dark, dark times. For reminding us to keep fighting, to stand up, to make noise, to care for each other and fight for each other. You are a goddess and a Feminist Icon. An incredibly smart, vibrant, kind, talented, beautiful, powerful human being with a soul of compassionate fire. Thank you for your words, your empowerment, your courage to scream from the hilltop and not care what the haters have to say. You are an inspiration, and you truly got me through this though time, and helped motivate me to continue to fight the good fight for social change. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.
Sincerely,
Ashley, aka: Brown Eyed Girl
