the young girls of the la femme movement

This stopped me dead in my tracks when I scrolled to it in Instagram. When I read these words that speak so vividly to la femme, I had to ask for permission to share them with you all. Kelsey, a then 14 year old girl feels the struggles and pressure of society and so delicately yet deliberately says so much in the way it needs to be heard. I found this to be so powerful and got me to thinking of just how we can be a better role model to the younger generation.

What if together we can begin a local movement to allow all ages to write in and share their stories. Whether they want to write, share photographs, lyrics, or have us help them share their thoughts in a way that allows them to creatively express their feelings so that others can resonate in them and realize that together we are more powerful than the isolation that we sometimes feel in our own thoughts. In the meantime, soak these words in.

I've gotten to the point where I have no motivation to write, no motivation to speak. 

Why do we hide so much? We dissemble ourselves as society's expectations, for who's benefit?

We attempt to mirror what we want to be, which most of the time, it isn't ourselves who we're reflecting on. 

Sexuality will never be normalized, according to every insecure teenager who must use a homophobic slur in every other sentence. 

I want to peek into the future and determine if the red-white lines on our bodies from stretched skin will be a part of society's long list of acceptable features. 

Should I worry about my nails not being painted a different color everyday?

Should I worry about the bit of fat on my body? Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that, maybe I should vigorously exercise until everyone else is happy with my body. 

Why do we all have the presumption that women don't mind shaving everyday? 

Why is it that boobs are so incredibly sexualized?

Why is that we never acknowledge the men with breasts, or the men who deserve the right to wear their highest heels and brightest red lipstick outside the safety of their own home?

I can't figure out why every body is overly-sexualized by angry adults. 

I can't figure out why bodies are sexualized in the first place. 

I want art.

I want freckles, I want stretch marks, I want extra weight. 

I want scars, I want pronounced hip bones, I want stories.

I want to discover humanity without politeness being confused with flirtation.

I want tears, I want bliss, I want confidence.

We need optimism and prosperity, not labels. 

We need alliance, not hostility.

We are humans, we are one giant team.

We are humans, we need to prove that we can be humane.

We need to love. We need to involve ourselves.

Why find someone to blame when we can all find someone to admire?

Attach yourself to the universe. 

Keep yourself safe, make the world a safe place.

Make the outdoors a safe place for men to wear dresses, for anyone to show off what society labels 'flaws', for people of different races to get an equal salary as white cis women and men. 

Make the outdoors a safe place for us humans to unite, 

to fall in love, 

to understand each other.

Let us attempt to understand each other.

Written by Kelsey H.

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If this resonates with you, send us your art! 

dkollafemme@gmail.com

xo-d

Originally posted on February 1, 2016