5 Things To Stop Apologizing For This Summer

If there's one thing we're really, really good at, it's apologizing when we didn't do anything wrong.

And who can blame us? As women, we grow up learning to go to great lengths to ensure that the people around us remain comfortable, unoffended, and happy — often with little or no regard to the state of our own well-being.

Then, one day, you're walking down a busy street and a dude on his phone bumps right into you. And before you know it, you've hit him with a frantic "SORRY!" before you realize that he's not even going to look up from the text he's writing.

When interactions like this occur — and they occur a lot — it shakes us out of our apologetic trance and forces us to stop and re-examine how utterly unnecessary a solid 95 percent of our "I'm sorry"s actually are.

In an effort to break this endless cycle and encourage women to never apologize for who they are, how they feel, and what they love, we teamed up with RITAS to create a roundup of all the things we're pledging to stop being sorry for this summer — and beyond.

1. Talking about money

Contrary to what we've been told our entire lives, it's *not* rude to bring up money, especially when it pertains to getting what's yours.

So whether you're debating asking for a raise at work, or agonizing about following up on a loan you gave to a friend, stop thinking about it and just do it, no apologies necessary.

2. The labels people throw at you

As women, we're constantly treading the line between aloof and desperate, complicated and basic, aggressive and meek. We're encouraged to be independent, but not so much so that we become intimidating. We're told that being feminine is a positive but being ditzy is a turnoff.

Instead of internalizing the shame associated with these words, we've decided it's time to drain these labels of their power. Whether you choose to own or reject the labels thrown at you, do it while loving yourself first.

So if you like someone, send the "good morning" message, even though he might tell his friends you seem "thirsty." If you're being disrespected at work, speak up, even if you know you'll be branded "difficult." Once you start treating labels like what they are — just words — you'll be surprised by how quickly they lose their hold on you.

3. Your grooming habits

For whatever reason, women's hair habits are a hotly discussed topic of today, with different opinions, mindsets, and norms put forth by women AND men.

Here's the thing, though: Your grooming routine should be what YOU want, not what a commercial, a partner, or an entire industry tells you. So swear off apologizing for your style, whether it's going au naturale, or splurging monthly on your beloved waxes.

4. What you order

We know that the idea that women shouldn't order certain things at restaurants and bars is totally antiquated, and yet, it somehow still seeps into our awareness and informs our choices.

Whether you're craving nachos at a fancy work dinner, dreaming about dessert all through a date, or not in the mood for any drink but a RITAS, make the conscious choice to order what you want, with no shame and no fear of judgement.

5. Your dating life

When someone asks about your romantic life, it's easy to fall into the trap of over-explaining WHY you're single or WHY you have three dates planned in one week with three different people. After all, who wants to be on the receiving end of judgement, or worse — pity?

In reality, though, the only opinion that *actually* matters is yours. Regardless of which side of the dating spectrum you fall on, just do your thing and remember, you don't need to justify the state of your love life to anyone.

For more inspo on doing what you want, when you want, check out this video to see how RITAS is celebrating the summer of #NeverApologize:

This post is sponsored by RITAS.