Solange's Words On Strong Women Are So Important

When I think about the idea of girl power, I first think of the Spice Girls. But then, I immediately think of Beyoncé — and now, it's time those words start summoning up her sister, Solange, too. For the latest edition of Interview magazine, Beyoncé interviewed Solange, mainly about her career, and a lot of what she had to say was incredibly inspiring. In fact, Solange's words about being a strong woman are an important reminder about how important it is to own your worth, whether that's in the workplace or not.

During the interview, Beyoncé asked Solange about what misconceptions she's faced in her career as a HBIC, and so much of what she said will ring true for anyone who has ever accomplished something and then, for whatever reason, felt like they should downplay the pride they feel in taking credit for their accomplishment.

Solange said,

"One thing that I constantly have to fight against is not feeling arrogant when I say I wrote every lyric on this album. I still have not been able to say that. That's the first time I've actually ever said it, because of the challenges that we go through when we celebrate our work and our achievements."

For me, this absolutely hits home. There are plenty of times in the past where I've felt uncomfortable accepting a compliment or sharing something I've achieved with people outside of my closest friends and family, but I've never seen any of the men in my life suffer from this phenomenon. It's not fair, and it's a habit that we as women should try to break.

Speaking to her sister, Solange continued,

"It's something I've learned so much about from you, getting to be in control of your own narrative. And, at this point, it should be an expectation, not something that you're asking permission for. I feel like I'm getting closer to that, not taking on all the baggage when I have to just stand up for myself and say, 'No, I'm uncomfortable with that.' And I really appreciate you and mom being examples of that, being able to speak about our achievements, these things that deserve to be celebrated, without feeling bashful about it."

She's right — there's nothing wrong with celebrating yourself or taking control of your own story, so we should all stop feeling like there is. Stars like Beyoncé and Solange are easy to cheer on when they do something awesome like release a killer album or win an award, so we should be cheering ourselves on, too, completely without shame.

Earlier in the interview, Solange also discussed how she's seen her mother and sister "have a hand in" every project they've created; they don't leave any part of an idea they've had up to chance. This can be another tricky thing for women to navigate. From personal experience, I know that the "bossy" label is quick to be handed out if you try to show authority, especially if you're a young woman and especially if you're trying to show that authority over a man. But like Bey herself says, "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss," and Solange seems to echo that sentiment in her interview.

She explained,

"Society labels that a control freak, an obsessive woman, or someone who has an inability to trust her team or to empower other people to do the work, which is completely untrue. There's no way to succeed without having a team and all of the moving parts that help bring it into life."

She's so right, and I plan to take her advice to heart. You're not a control freak if you do want to take control of your story and your own ideas, and I'm so glad that someone with Solange's power is speaking these words into the atmosphere for me and everyone else to absorb.

Basically, if you're not already in love with Solange, be prepared to fall in love after reading this interview — and it's definitely worth a thorough read. She isn't just Beyoncé's little sis, she's a talented, successful woman and musician in her own right. And now more than ever, I think she's someone we should all be learning from.