When women uplift women

I want to take just a minute and share with you something that has really weighed heavy on my mind.

In today's society, women feel as if they are expected to be a size 2. They feel a need to meet expectations of having a perfectly contoured face, be up on all the latest fashion trends, and have everything "on fleek" in order to be perceived as beautiful or having worth in the eyes of their peers.

And we are taught to feel this way from a very young age.

Women's lives are inundated with magazine articles, television shows, silver screen depictions of rail thin women with perfect makeup surrounded by men.

And this idea has lead women to wage war on each other. Facebook statuses claiming plus sized model Ashley Graham is a horrible role model to put on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition; Tweets mocking those walking the Oscar red carpet with full figures; Instagram profiles set up for the sole purpose of body shamming other women.

But what if for one moment, we as women and men, took a step back from the Photoshop, picture filters and hateful comments, and actually started praising one another for our amazing differences?

Women, and men, come in all shapes and sizes. We come with different eye colors, character traits, and specialties. And I firmly believe we should love that about one another.

You are different from anyone else in the world, and what makes that even more amazing, is that God looked at this wonderful place we live in and decided we needed one of you.

So I ask my fellow women, next time you feel like poking fun at a Facebook photo someone posted, or think about sending that snarky tweet, take a minute and remember those women you are targeting are amazing women. They have a unique purpose in this life, and when women uplift women we only become stronger.

Nothing bad could come of women uplifting other women ... We can only continue the cycle. And when this cycle is forward moving, we raise a generation of young women who understand we are all different, who understand we all have our own gifts and qualities, and who seek out the positive in others.

So, if you would, take a minute and compliment a fellow sister today. Let them know you love her outfit, you enjoy her personality, or wouldn't be the woman you are today without her influence.

Because, like I said, when women uplift other women, we can only go up.

Jessica is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached at jessicadtharp@gmail.com.