For centuries, female success was downplayed to elevate the status of men and ensure that patriarchy retained its hold upon us. As a result, women were taught by society to be quiet and humble, while men were taught to use their voices, to speak boldly and loudly about their every success. Unfortunately, this perception seems to still linger - meaning that we aren’t being as vocal as we should be. This is important for various reasons. For example: 

Confidence and pride are not signs of arrogance. While men are often praised for being confident and proud, women can quickly be mislabelled as arrogant - whether you are posting pics of your new keys after visiting your nearest Vauxhall dealer or showing off your car to your friends and family. However, buying a car is something that you should be incredibly proud of - as it takes a great deal of time and effort to afford one. Write one hundred statuses if you want to - you’ve put the work in and deserve every bit of praise that comes your way. Be confident in every situation - even when it comes to talking about your achievements. There is no sense in downplaying your success in any scenario. For example, you wouldn’t choose to downplay them in a job interview, so why dismiss them in your daily life? 

Being quiet breeds future silence. Whether we like it or not, our behaviour sets precedence for the generations that follow us. This means that the young women around you may look to you for guidance.  The more vocal you are, the more they will use their own voices. Therefore, one loud woman can open the door for three more loud women, who will have five women following them, and so on. Staying quiet can have an adverse effect. 

Loud isn’t a bad word. When society teaches us to be quiet, it’s not because being loud is bad. It’s because it makes it easier for somebody to talk over us, for their opinion to be held with higher regard than our own. Therefore, you must unlearn negative stereotypes associated with femininity and begin to redefine them. Loud means confident, bold, educated, insightful, intelligent, witty, assertive. Loud means proud. Remember, your opinion deserves to be heard, even if you are dealing with imposter syndrome. If we aren’t part of the conversation, we could be left out of it entirely. 

Being quiet allows problems to continue. Talking about issues you hold close to your heart is a great way to shine a light on them, even if they may be hard to talk about. Therefore, it’s important that you start using your voice (when you feel comfortable and safe to do so). For example, for decades, conversations around money and earnings have been considered taboo. While this is, in some ways understandable, it also paved the way for companies to pay men more than women for the same job. Therefore, talking with your colleagues about money can eradicate this practise and ensure that fair wages are given across the board. Staying silent means the problem could continue into the future.