"Too often, women are not encouraged to express ourselves."
That's what Lea Michele wrote in an op-ed for The Daily Beast this week. Michele explained the importance of women empowering other women in a world where women's experiences, opinions and unique traits are often dismissed and overlooked.
"We are held to unrealistic media standards, airbrushed in order to be more perfect, and even told to change the very things that make us unique to fit into a mold," she wrote. "Too often, female expression is stifled. The truth about women is skewed in popular culture, and so many young girls reading the weekly magazines in the grocery checkout aisle are left to wonder where they fit in."
In her piece, Michele explained why she's taking part in the #ActuallySheCan campaign, which "celebrates female ambition and champions the goals of the millennial generation." She noted the importance of supportive female friends and mentors, and shared how her friends and advocates have helped her in both her professional and personal life.
"I encourage all millennial women to stand proudly on the platform and share their voices in the best way they know how—and to support others that do the same," she wrote. "We have to be diligent, we have to be willing to take risks, we have to be willing to celebrate one another and accept the challenges we face individually and collectively."
Read the full piece here.
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