On leveling up and womanhood.

If you’ve played Mario Kart, you may have used Princess Peach as your player. Perhaps something within you connects to her pink ball gown, inelastic blonde bob, or fighting a man three times her size. A mess, truly.

Peach, however, was still successful and, through many iterations of the Mario universe, has leveled up to her very own solo game. She has inspired me to write on the topic of “leveling up” as a woman.

One of the unconventional aspects of my personality is my tendency to be confused by embarrassment. Mostly, because things are largely trivial; why should you feel shame for honest missteps or the ignorance that comes with growing pains?

From genuine friends, a sugar lashing can grow you. However, I notice the desire to optimize your being, not to be male-centered but still alluring, successful but effortlessly so, enviable but not in a pompous way, can sometimes lead to a life wrapped in cellophane.

The pressure for perfection hit me the hardest after a tough season of life. At the time, I developed a self-improvement kink that now still lingers. The catalyst of this said kink was a myriad of opinions on my personality, decisions, and being. So much so that I forgot that I didn’t within myself feel much shame on these honest missteps.

I think the complexity of self-improvement can be its potential to better people but also sterilize.

When I speak to some of the closer women in my life, they ooze beauty. The same women who have goals yet to be fulfilled or fulfilled in a messy way.

A single mother but still a devoting and excited one, a part time student soon to graduate, or a single woman who is an amazing community member. I don’t want to degrade these to underdog wins; I just believe “leveling up” is a personal journey. Especially in womanhood, where we are often lambasted for our mistakes more harshly.

To be better than yesterday is an admirable goal, but please let it be for the sake of your true reflection and not a portrait painted by well-meaning projections.

I hope you do level up, but I admit I no longer know what that looks like. There is no true marker for success or failure. Though, as you grow, I hope that is authentic to you. Slowly or quickly is of no consequence, just as long as you persist.

I’ve been trying out Substack so check it out: On Leveling Up – Princess Posts

Happiest Sunday