11 Numbers That Don't Define You

​1. The age you lost your virginity. Some people have sex for the first time in their teens and some people wait until they're 40 (hi, Steve Carell!).  It's all good! It doesn't matter and has no effect on any other aspect of your life other than... um, I can't think of anything, actually.

2. Your exam scores. These just don't matter outside of (some) college applications. This might be a bummer to some people because many of us wasted days of our lives worrying about these stupid tests, but that's just a fact. And, tbh, people who use their scores as bragging rights past the age of 18 just seem kinda sad? 

3. Your GPA. You know what they call a doctor who got straight Cs? A doctor. (Although one I probably don't want to trust my life with. Just sayin'.) Lots of people don't perform well at school but kick ass in the real world, so don't stress too hard that you're not Magna Cum Summa Laude Cum Magna, or whatever; it doesn't really matter.  

4. Your weight. This is probably the hardest thing for women to accept, but it's necessary to living a life not beholden to some dumb bathroom scale. Say it with me a million times: "I am not my weight. It's just a number and has nothing to do with my worth as a human being. Also, my hair looks amazing today and now I'm gonna go enjoy a cookie." Mmm... cookies.

5. The number of guys you've slept with. This is so tired and sexist and ridiculous, I hate to even waste space on the Internet writing about it so I'm going to stop soon. And if anyone ever tries to make you feel like your worth is associated with this, kick them to the curb. Perhaps literally. 

6. Your salary. ​The value of your work doesn't correlate directly to a number. Some people who do the most valuable jobs on Earth (hello, teachers!) don't earn nearly enough, while others are paid actual billions to sit in board rooms and twiddle their thumbs/crash the economy. (Caveat: Women earn 77-cents on every dollar a man earns, so make sure you're getting what is rightfully yours.)

7. Your age. ​Don't ever feel like your age should stop you from doing anything. If you're 21 and ready to take over the world, believe in yourself. Young people accomplish wildly impressive feats every day! On the flip side: Don't be nervous if you think you're too old to start over at a new career; my old landlord worked in retail until she was 40 and then decided to go to medical school. Seriously, don't let your age define you, no matter what your goals.

8. Your shoe size. Seriously, some people want women to feel bad about the size of their freaking feet. No. I refuse. And you should, too. I would rather walk around on feet made of actual garbage held together with old bubble gum than ever think about this again. 

9. Your daily caloric intake. Real Talk: If women redirected the energy they use worrying about how many calories they eat daily to something useful, we'd already be living on Mars. 

10. Your bra size. Boobs are boobs! And people who love boobs aren't usually very picky when it comes to size, shape, or even skin elasticity​. They're just like: ZOMG BOOBS. 

11. How much money you grew up with. Class anxiety is real and this is something that a lot of us will have to delve into during ~real therapy~ but your self-worth is not attached to money: past, present, or future. 

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