Stay Happy, Healthy, and Empowered

Hey there, my name is @MsMerri.  I am an actress/Masters student, who connected with @OnTheLoSwimwear through the Humboldt community a few years back. 

I have to be honest...being linked to this brand's instagram page was a little triggering for me at first. Why? Because all the women (and the owner) of this company are so incredibly CONFIDENT and BEAUTIFUL, and for some illogical reason, this made me feel bad about myself.  I even unfollowed their page for awhile!

But why?  Why should another woman's beauty effect our self esteem?

I know for me personally, I grew up on a competitive dance team, so competitive vibes were engrained into my brain at a very young age.  But now, after taking a break to grow up a little, I can see that this tribe of women represents more than just beauty.  These ladies represent love.  They represent community.   They represent empowerment.

@OnTheLoSwimwear inspires me greatly because it models swimwear fashion in a way that is more than just sexualizing the female body...it's actually giving women their power back.  It's gifting them the opportunity to harness their sexuality for themselves, with each other, so that they can feel safe in expressing their strength.

But empowerment is more than just our bodies, it is our minds as well...hence this blog.   @OnTheLoSwimwear represents the balance of the 2, and I'm honored to be jumping on for the ride.

Remember when we couldn't vote?  Remember when the sole purpose of the female identity was to bear children?  Not that there is anything wrong with motherhood, but we are lucky to be living in a reality where that doesn't have to be our only choice.

Okay, I'll jump off my high horse now.  I'd like to share with you a song I wrote today.  I had just gotten into a fight with my boyfriend, and for the first time in a long while, I raised my voice.  YELLED actually.  For all those who know me, you know that I'm not a yeller.  A lot of the time, I'm even too quiet.  I resonate with the meditative lifestyle, and consider myself to be chiller than most people I know.  

But today, I yelled, and I'm not mad at it.  I yelled because I wasn't being heard.  I yelled because he wasn't listening.  I yelled because my boundaries weren't being respected.  And you know what?  It's okay to not be okay with that.  

(Sidenote: The person I'm talking about is also very open to learning, and just for the record, there was never any sense of not feeling safe.  Just a clarification so things aren't taken the wrong way).

Anyways, back from that tangent.... 

After all that happened, I sat with my notebook, and played a beat I had just purchased.  I smoked a joint, sat with my notebook, and wrote at the top of my paper: "Women Empowerment, Body Positivity, Bikinis, and Self Love".  These are the subject criteria desired for this blog.  And this is what I came up with.

Sometimes I feel like I'm back at the beginning.

Where the external world is alwayz winning.

And then I gotta remember that it's my choice..

To say what I want to say and use my voice.

You alwayz have a choice (Alwayz all wayz Alwayz).

Because when you need space, it's okay.

And if someone isn't listening, it's okay to say..

That you need space , it's okay. That's okay.

Do what you gotta do to be okay.

Don't put on a fake face.

Don't jump in on the chase..

Chase of the mind manipulation.

Don't fall for the fogged mirrored hallucinations.

'Cause reality is yours to create.

Don't settle for what you don't want in your fate.

That only breeds hate.

And that will negate..

All your energy, that you save for you.

Before anything, fill your cup, boo.

Do what you gotta do..

To avoid battle wounds.

Anyways, ya.  That's all I got for now.  Thanks for reading, and for supporting this cause.  If you'd like to watch a video of myself performing this song 20 minutes after I wrote it, you can check it out at Patreon.com/MsMerri.  It's only available to my #PussyPurrspective subscribers for now, but once I get the song a little more well rehearsed and recorded, the song will also be available on Soundcloud (#PussyPurrspective), and eventually its music video will be available on Youtube (Danielle Merri Cichon) as well.

Stay happy, healthy, and empowered!

Love Alwayz.

@MsMerri