A Call to Stop Saying Sorry

A couple of weeks ago, in my French class, my teacher sat down with my class of 7 (perks of going to a small school) and explained to us what saying sorry does to our image. She explained how saying things like, “I don’t think this is the right answer but…” and “sorry to bother you…” are phrases that diminish our power and voices. This talk inspired me to really think about the effect of being unnecessarily apologetic in school and in the workplace.

I noticed that this approach to life not only affects how you’re perceived by others, but also how you perceive yourself. It shows a level of insecurity and can undermine how much you actually know about something. And this is not only a habit that is present in teenage girls, like myself, but it is present in women in every stage of life. This attitude is a cyclical habit that you can see anywhere in the world. Women diminishing their worth by saying sorry or being cautious when it’s unnecessary to be that way.

And this is not an issue that has gone unnoticed. In the past years major publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Forbes have published articles on this common conundrum.

It is evident that this self-degrading habit  is why many women aren’t getting the jobs that they want or the money that they deserve, or even the treatment that is owed to them; it’s because of our own tendencies to downplay our wants and needs. This habit, often ingrained in us since childhood, is a nasty one that needs to be eliminated now. In this political and social atmosphere, it’s more than necessary that women start standing up for what they believe in. A wave of courage is what will inspire change, and change needs to start now, especially since we have come so far.

So ladies, this is for you: stop saying sorry… be unapologetic in all that you do because your worth is more important than the opinion of one person. Don’t let your life be determined by the opinions of others; rather, let it be determined by your own thoughts and actions.