Dear Little Me,
I see you, trying so hard to be what they wanted. Hiding every soft part of yourself, pushing away all those things you secretly loved. You wore toughness like armor, convinced that if you were loud enough, strong enough, unbreakable enough, you’d finally be enough for them. Dolls were for someone else. Dresses were for a girl who didn’t know what it meant to be “strong.” So you buried your softness, didn’t you? Made it something to be ashamed of. You traded lace and light for grit and steel, and you wore it well, little one.
But let me tell you something: you didn’t have to. You were enough from the very beginning, just as you were. You didn’t need to hide the way you did. I wish I could show you now, this version of us—the woman you’d become. You’d probably laugh because I’m everything you tried not to be. I wear my softness like a badge, not because it’s easy but because it’s powerful. I dress in delicate fabrics, I embrace that quiet grace we once thought was a weakness. And guess what? It doesn’t make me any less strong.
Here’s what you don’t know yet: femininity isn’t something to overcome. It’s something to celebrate. Being soft doesn’t mean you’re weak. Being loving doesn’t mean you’re naive. And being feminine? It doesn’t make you “less” anything. Now, I know my worth. I know I can be gentle and fierce, passionate and calm, vulnerable and strong—all at the same time. And you can, too.
If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be this: don’t fight yourself. Love yourself exactly as you are, and know that someday, you’ll be in a place where you can choose for you. You don’t have to hide your softness. You can want beautiful things. You can choose lace, you can choose love, and you can choose every delicate piece that feels true to you. Because the world? It’s waiting for you to shine in your way.
So here I am, wildly feminine, deeply in love, knowing exactly what I’m worth. And someday, you will be, too. Until then, keep going. You’re stronger than you know.
With all the softness you hid,
Me
