Assigned females at birth are told many odd things. Firstly, we are told:

“Where’s that smile, love?” 

But then again, we get: “you smiled at me, you were asking for it”.

We’re told to “look hot”, but of course we need to “look innocent” otherwise, again, we’re “asking for it”.

We need to come off as a “smart young lady", but of course if we show that we are smart then we are being “arrogant” or “too confident”.

We are told to “use your voice,” but when we do use our voice we are “loud” and “too much”.

The reality of the world that we live in is that we are judged for what we do; we are judged for what we don’t do; and we are judged for absolutely everything in between. 

We are judged for putting on make-up, for not putting on make-up, for being academic, for not being academic, for having children, for not having children, for being in a relationship or for not being in a relationship. We’re judged for not being skinny, but also for being skinny. We’re judged for not being stereotypically pretty, but if you’re pretty then, once again, you’re “asking for it”.

The truth is that no matter what we do, we are going to be judged by one person or another. While this hurts us, we need to understand that we cannot control what people say about us, nor what people think about us, and we also need to remember that it is absolutely impossible to be perfect. This is why we want to preach the “stuff it” mindset.

We want you to hear these judgements and think to yourself “stuff that”.

With everything you do, we want you to do it with pride, dignity and without regrets. Because even the bad experiences, and even our mistakes, make us grow - they teach us a new perspective on life, and they build our empathy for others. 

Yes, you are going to make mistakes. You are going to mess up and you are most likely going to be the “toxic friend” at one point or another. You are going to say things you’ll wish you didn’t, you’re going to mess up at least one SAC and probably even an exam. But guess what? We are all human beings. We are not angels sent here to be perfect. 

Which is why it is so important to never judge - that includes never judging YOURSELF.

The 2021 Prefect Team believes that in society, those who are assigned female at birth need to be empowered to allow themselves to be confident in everything they do. This is why we chose the motto “Let’s Own It”. 

There are very few things that we are guaranteed control over in life: one of those is our attitude.

So whatever judgement is thrown at you, or whatever mistakes you make - learn from it and own it. Let’s all own it. Every time you own it, you are telling the person next to you to own it too. When you’re being confident, you’re telling the person next to you that it’s a great thing to be confident. 

Ignore the mindset that suggests that when we are confident we are being “arrogant”. We are not being arrogant, nor narcissistic. 

We have talent, we have important things to say, we are all different in the best way, and that is a fact that no amount of judgement is going to change. When we make a mistake, or when we’re worried about what people will think, seriously - Let’s Own It.

Mia
Year 12
Year Level Liaison Prefect

• Editor's Note: In her speech to the School Assembly, Mia used the phrase AFAB, meaning "Assigned Female At Birth". We respect her use of this language, and while unfamiliar to some, we believe it encompasses the wide range of student experiences at Ivanhoe Girls'.