I Am A Woman, & I Am Equal.

Women have a history far richer than some can imagine, but I specifically think a lot about what it was like to be a woman of color centuries ago. It's wild to me that I wasn't allowed to vote, have birth control, own a credit card, attend an Ivy League...speak my opinion....all because I wasn't born with a penis between my legs. As if a woman isn't the one who brings humans into the world. There are women who have paved the way for me, a multiracial female, that I will never be able to thank for their effort & dedication toward bettering my livelihood. But, I'll say it anyway. Thank you for allowing me to run because you knew you deserved to walk.

When I had this photoshoot, I told the photographer, Derek, that I wanted to make a post about #WomenEmpowerment. Alabama had just finished stating they were moving forth with establishing laws to prevent women from having an abortion. As if it's the right of a man to have jurisdiction over my body.

& I was livid.

Shoot. I am still livid.

I could go on a tangent & tell you the 1 million & 1 things I have to say about that particular scenario, but I know you have heard it before. & if you have not heard it before, you need to surround yourself with more #StrongWomen who can educate you on why those laws are completely & utterly asinine...& morally unjust.

This post is not, by any means, man-shaming. I do not believe that all men are awful or that they don't have the intellect to understand a woman. I do not think that all men believe they are superior to women. I do not believe that all men are trash. I think that they are just as valuable as women & that they are needed. (I mean, hi....it takes two to reproduce.)

BUT

what I'd like to say is this.

I am not lesser than a man because I am a woman. Anatomically, I may not be built to be as physically strong. Anatomically, I have a bigger amygdala & ultimately, process emotions differently. But I eat, sleep, & shit just the same. & I think, feel, & process just like men do. So, strip all titles, belongings, & status & tell me just exactly what the difference is.

There isn't.

Because we're all just bone & skin.

I'd like to get to a point in life where I do not have to defend myself or my body parts. A point where I can wear the clothes I want without being overly sexualized & told that "I'm asking for it." A point where my voice is just as loud & received as my counterpart. A point where I can reject & curve someone I'm not interested in without being a "bitch." A point where I am truly viewed & received as an equal.

Women are phenomenal human beings & must be treated & valued as such. It takes two to reproduce, yes, but it take the woman to carry an entire human to term & deliver it. Respect women. Cherish women. & Protect women.

We are far more deserving than the world gives us credit.

May your day be ever filled with love, light, and of course, an abundance of chicken tenders💜🌻✨

Cheyenne Pajardo