I am generally in awe of - and often slightly intimidated by - difficult women. It's probably because my inner self wants to be all confident and courageous, but my outer self is passive and apologetic. But yesterday, I had a moment. A man I'd never met ask me some questions, basically hoping I'd bend to accommodate his wishes. It was irritating me, so I stood firm. I thought of all of the women in this book who stood up for themselves and took life by the reigns. I gathered some courage from deep within and I tried something different: I held eye contact. I stated my facts clearly and didn't bend. Oh my gosh, this one is big: I didn't apologize. And guess what? No one was rude. No one got offended. No one walked out on me. It worked out in my favour.
There are twenty nine women profiled in In Praise of Difficult Women. I'd heard of all of them, but I didn't know many of their stories. Many were pioneers in their areas, but the point that struck me the most was how so many of them forged ahead and carved their own paths, leading by instinct and sheer ballsiness alone. They saw no reason to question their lack of experience or expertise to get where they wanted in life. They made their own place in the world through their own strong will and determination. It was so inspiring! Some gained fame and adoration because of their accomplishments, which was a bonus; others were considered too demanding, too greedy and weren't as well liked - but those women weren't the kind to give a second thought to what others thought about them anyway, rendering a need for approval irrelevant.
Some grew up as the poorest of the poor and had nowhere to climb but up. Their courage came from not wanting to suffer anymore and to gain success in life to make up for all of the things their childhoods lacked. Others were born into great privilege and it's their wealth that allowed them the freedom to explore their desires and whims.
No matter the circumstances, every one of these women inspired me in some way. As an introvert, I would find myself shrinking in alarm at some of the things these women expected from those around them, simply because they demanded it. But I credit this book and the women within it for giving me that little push to try being my version of difficult for a minute yesterday and it kind of felt good. Do I think I've changed and that I'll start commanding attention? In all honesty, no, and it's not necessarily what I want. But I might just stop apologizing quite so much - and that in and of itself is reason to thank these strong women who also never felt the need to apologize for just being their badass selves.
Book cover rating: 3/5
(But 5/5 for the individual portraits included of each featured woman inside.)
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