International Women’s Day
Behind the Style Her Strong Name
Thinking of the name Style Her Strong for my blog took longer than I’d like to admit. For weeks I had words scribbled across a piece of scrap paper that I would try to use to formulate the perfect blog name equation. I wanted there to be a clear meaning to the name I chose, but I wanted it to also be something powerful and meaningful for me. A daily reminder of how I want to live my life, and the example I want to be for my daughter.
From The Surface
It’s clear at this point that I love fashion. As a stylist for Stitch Fix, I style women on a daily basis. My goal is to make each woman I style feel empowered, beautiful and confident. I believe that by making them feel great on the outside, they spend less time worrying about their outer appearance and spend more time bettering the world around them.
As a personal trainer, I emphasize the importance of strengthening your body on a daily basis. Fitness has transformed myย life. When you meet or even beat physical/sports oriented goals, you feel unstoppable. That motivation and self-loveย transfer over into all areas of one’s life. Feeling physically strong takes work ethic, effort, grit, and over time it shapes your character.
A Bit Deeper
When I became a mother, I wanted to make sure that I lived my life as an example for my daughter. I want to raise her to be a strong woman, and that begins with me. One of my favorite reminders is Proverbs 31:25-31. It says,
25ย She is clothed with strength and dignity,
ย ย ย ย and she laughs without fear of the future.
26ย When she speaks, her words are wise,
ย ย ย ย and she gives instructions with kindness.
27ย She carefully watches everything in her household
ย ย ย ย and suffers nothing from laziness.
28ย Her children stand and bless her.
ย ย ย ย Her husband praises her:
29ย โThere are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
ย ย ย ย but you surpass them all!โ
30ย Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
ย ย ย ย but a woman who fears theย Lordย will be greatly praised.
31ย Reward her for all she has done.
ย ย ย ย Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
The verse that stops me in my tracks is verse 26. Do I always give instructions with kindness? Is everything that I say wise? Will my daughter look back on her childhood and say that her mother lived life in a way that honored these verses?
I want my daughter to be strong in so many ways:
- I want her to be strong in discernment.
- I want her to have a strong relationship with the Lord.
- I want her to stand up for her beliefs and be authentic.
- I want her to strongly pursue her passions in life.
- I want her to know that she can strongly stand alone and doesn’t need to be somebody’s to be a somebody.
- I want her to know that strength comes from within, and won’t waiver even if her outer appearance does.
- I want her to know what it is like to run really fast, to beat the boys, to be physically strong.
- I want her to motivate and empower others with her strength
Looking at that list is a constant reminder that every single one of these bullet points starts with me, and the example I set for her and the way I intentionally can help raise her to be a strong woman. She’s little right now, but as a mother it is my job to raise a strong and capable adult. Raising a strong woman is a legacy I want to leave for her and for the world.
I will close with the quote that has been flooding social media today:
“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”
Happy International Women’s Day!
xoxo,
Kalyn
