Women Get Told

Blondes have more fun… Smile more… From an early age women are exposed to statements and clichés, masked as advice, that dictate how we should look if we want to be accepted.

We’re showing the world that the only rules we live by are our own. Will you join us?

#WomenGetTold Well, you must feel like you're a woman because you're wearing a dress... – I have been open about being intersex, and some people have felt they could then comment on what I should or shouldn’t wear in order to be perceived as a woman. But I don't care. I love trousers and loafers and that has nothing to do with gender. – Susannah, 24

#WomenGetTold You should wear something that flatters your figure more – I refuse to wear anything overly girly – I would say my dress is tomboy-ish. I haven’t worn an actual dress in over 15 years. – Leslie

#WomenGetTold Where’s your girlfriend? – Well, my husband wouldn't approve of that! People sometimes express confusion at my sexuality, especially since I have short hair. They are not aware that I have been with my husband for 27 years and have two teenagers. – Misha, 51

#WomenGetTold Gingers have no soul – Society told everyone that having red hair isn’t desirable. I damaged my hair for years with trying to go blonde, but once I decided to embrace my red roots for all their worth, I couldn't be happier. – Sarah, 24

#WomenGetTold Motherhood or career, you can’t have both – "Actually you can. The older I get the more I realize that confidence in yourself can carry you anywhere. And where did I get that confidence? Becoming a mum of six and realizing I didn’t have to live up to anyone else's expectations but mine was refreshing. Beauty comes from within and it’s that feeling that’s carried me to where I am today." – Bella, 52

#WomenGetTold You look so…different – "As a child, all I wanted was to be like everyone else, but as an adult I've become so much more interested in being unique. I stopped wearing a wig and started to feel confident about who I was. I'm very recognisable, but these days I feel positive about that." – Christa, 42

#WomenGetTold Where are you really from? – I am half Chinese and often get exoticised. As a child I wanted to be blonde like my Mom, but eventually I realised there was more than the blue-eyed, blonde-haired western model for beauty. – Victoria

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