Made up of experiences and challenges that only a woman can endure and/ or be blessed with..however you’d like to view it.From a young age, girls are faced with societal expectations of woman’s beauty, thank you Barbie for your unrealistic 18” waist and 32DD boobs. Little girls are taught to be kind and giving, while that might seem like the proper thing, it can also teach girls to be passive and to not set healthy boundaries….hello bad relationships. Because our culture over-emphasizes beauty, now a big chunk of the female population is air brushing every image posted to social media, obviously feeling like something is wrong with their body. And when did duck lips and bubble butts become so sexy? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?
And why is it that when sexually active men sleep around they are considered studs, but when woman do it, they are labelled as sluts…unfortunately that has never changed and probably never will. Society has tagged girls as the weaker sex for generations, and therefore they aren’t supposed to be strong, so when a woman is strong, she’s often called a “dyke”, WTF!, as if being strong is the very opposite of being female?
Woman in sports are generally undervalued compared to men, and don’t get me started on Lia Thomas. Our emotions are often scrutinized and as a result, we’re sometimes perceived as being irrational or bitchy. And what about hormonal mood swings or Menopause…Jesus Murphy!, after years of PMS and periods, we get to look forward to menopause… FFS!
And what about women in the workplace, sometimes we face criticism just for being too confident or assertive, unlike our male counterparts where this is seen as an amazing leadership skill….give that man a raise! And what about mothers in the workplace, they are sometimes seen as being less committed to their careers, or judged for failing their children, family and housekeeping responsibilities. Even in North America, there are still many fields where women just don’t earn the same as men, even for the same work. Granite there are jobs out there specific for men, and simply because men are built differently, and that’s ok too, that’s just the biological nature of the male body. But there are important careers traditionally held by women that continue to be underpaid, which doesn’t seem quite fair.
In many parts of the world, women still don’t even have basic rights, like being able to vote or decide what happens to their bodies. While I’d like to believe some of these issues are slowly being resolved, some will always be a “XX” problem.
On top of all our xx related issues, there are all the other eff-ed up things that present itself. Some people seem to handle life’s challenges better than others, and everyone faces different degrees of hardships but essentially we all struggle at some point in our lives AND we all have our stories. But it’s through these experiences that has forced us to grow stronger and more resilient. Resilience isn’t something you’re just born with, it’s built through hardships and moments that ultimately push you to your limits. The more you’ve faced, the more you’ve likely to learn how to keep going, even when things feel impossible.
So if you’ve had to start over from scratch, been in a super shitty relationship, been abused or abandoned, experienced periods of uncertainty, had to rely only on yourself, or experienced loss, BUT have rose above despite it all, then you are a BADASS!
This website was designed as a way for XX to connect and share pictures and stories, sorta like, show and tell meets A-A for crazy fun chicks. The information within are the personal views of the author. This site is NOT meant as a place for medical help, or hate.
Check out the links below for Great Reads, information on Women In Trades and Our Story.
How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life.
Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, blast past your fears so you can take big exciting risks, figure out how to make some damn money already, learn to love yourself and others, set big goals and reach them – it will basically show you how to create a life you totally love, and how to create it NOW.
Life Is Really Very Simple. What We Give Out, We Get Back.
What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us. I believe that everyone, myself included, is responsible for everything in our lives, the best and the worst. Every thought we think is creating our future. Each one of us creates our experiences by our thoughts and our feelings. The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences.
Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for life’s most important things—which actually aren’t things at all.
After a pair of life-changing events, Joshua & Ryan discovered minimalism, allowing them to eliminate their excess material things so they could focus on life’s most important “things”: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution.
I’m a narcissistic abuse survivor who has made it her mission to help others.
Synthia is a Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Mentor with a desire to empower survivors to break free from toxic cycles and become resilient AF. She is a survivor of narcissistic abuse.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn’t you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free.
Mel Robbins—New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can’t control and start focusing on what truly matters: YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.
Maybe you were told you were lucky — chosen even.
But who spoke about what you lost?
This guide explores the often invisible impacts of adoption — from the earliest separation through identity struggles and relationship patterns, to the ongoing journey towards healing. Grounded in contemporary research and lived experience, these pages finally validate what you’ve always felt but struggled to express.
Believe IT shakes your soul and shows you that you, too, have what it takes to believe in yourself, trust yourself, and go from doubting you’re enough to knowing you’re enough.
Jamie takes you on a journey through deeply personal stories of heartbreak and resilience—including accidentally finding out she was adopted when she was in her twenties and the reverberations this has had on all aspects of her life. Jamie also pulls back the curtain on her fight to change the beauty industry’s use of unrealistic images, on behalf of all the little girls who are about to start doubting themselves, and all of the grown women who still do. Spellbinding, riveting, with raw vulnerability and down-to-earth warmth, Believe IT shakes your soul and shows you that you, too, have what it takes to believe in yourself, trust yourself, and go from doubting you’re enough to knowing you’re enough.
How to transform your fear into faith in order to live a divinely guided life with confidence.
These spiritual lessons will help you relinquish the need to control, so you can release anxiety and relax into a sense of certainty and freedom. You’ll learn how to stop chasing life and truly live with a more positive mindset. Making the shift from fear to faith will give you a sense of power in a world that all too often makes us feel utterly powerless.
It’s a little less lonely than it used to be for women entering the trades: Statistics Canada says that in 2022, about 8.7 per cent of trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations, except management” were occupied by women, a number that has increased very slowly but steadily since 1987, when it was 5.9 per cent.
These careers are in high demand, ensuring job security and a steady income. For women who prefer hands-on work and practical learning, the trades provide a dynamic and engaging environment. The financial rewards are also substantial, with competitive salaries and even the possibility of starting your own business.
ARTICLE: We Need More Women- By Royal Bank of Canada
www.rbc.com/newsroom/article/?title=break-through-the-drywall-ceiling-why-we-need-more-women-in-canadas-skilled-trades
Hi, Jillz here!!
I’m the instigator behind the BadassXX brand. Some of you may be wondering how did this all come about, while the other half likely doesn’t give a shit, and that’s OK! For those of you who have a few minutes, this is the gist of my story…
I was born in the great white north, at a time when the neighbourhood kids drank from the garden hose to quench a thirst. When a typical day meant being outside for hours playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. When the Dukes of Hazzard was the best show running and Farrah Fawcett’s hair was far out. I loved getting dirty, playing with dinky cars, making forts in the woods and slapping together mud pies topped with daffodils and weeds. I was a fearless independent little girl with a big heart. I was proud to sport my Levi jean jacket and funky coloured hand me down bell bottoms, no dresses here. I’ve always been seen as that tough, go-getter, with the “I got this shit handled” attitude and multiple irons in the fire. BUT, later on I discovered that maybe this was just a shield and that in fact I’d been in survival mode my whole entire life. Always searching for something and just rolling with the punches. Who knew life was going to be this hard? The journey from high-stress to harmony wasn’t an easy one, but rather decades of hard lessons.
For me, it all started at day 7…yes, one week after entering the world, backwards. While many people look at adoption as something very beautiful, the truth is, most adoptees see this as a deep hurt. Most of us are told “you should be grateful”, “you are lucky you were adopted into such a great family”, which is true but basically it downplays the loss. Personally I was fortunate, I did have an amazing family, but a lot of times I felt misunderstood, lonely and longing for a bond. Being inherently unwanted, abandoned, feeling broken, flawed and lacking identity…and always wondering, “is there something wrong with me?” To fit in, I always felt the need to camouflage who I really was, but as a result I lost pieces of myself along the way. To truly feel understood by someone is to experience a connection that goes well beyond words, and I don’t know if I’ve ever had that. A few years later, my adoptive dad died which forced me to navigate through grief where the permanence of death was not fully understood, but separation and loss were deeply felt once again. As a 5 year old, during the 70’s in Canada, it was custom to be brought up to respect your elders and you trusted pretty much everyone, except for the man in a van handing out candy by the school, times were simpler then. At that point my intuition hadn’t fully developed yet and unfortunately like 1 in 3 girls, my innocence was stolen by a man I was suppose to trust. Alas this doesn’t just effect us for a few weeks, or even a few months. This produces years of hurt, trust and intimacy issues, until you have the courage to speak up and get some serious counselling. These are all things that no child should have to go through. Lots of shit to process and manage but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t that bad… it could have been worse, right!?”
Really though, life was relatively normal most of the time… from the outside anyway. I did all the typical things, went to school, chose to study in a male dominated trade, got married, worked hard, enjoyed creating things, quadding and liked to simply keep busy. Unlike all the other people in our social circle, my partner and I didn’t have children. After years of trying, the inability to conceive hit hard; feeling broken, flawed and a little less feminine was the result. Infertility can bring forth grief, anger, low self esteem, anxiety and depression. The “when are you having a baby?” question, is just a constant reminder of your failure as a woman. Then I was 40…I knew the biological clock was running out and hope had faded, but then low and behold at 41, it happened! I was unsure how to feel…happy, nervous, part of me felt cold, because when you are let down time and time again, and then all of a sudden things are going well, you always seem to be waiting for the ball to drop. Unfortunately at 13 weeks it all came to a abrupt halt and life after that felt quite different but in the same sense, a bit too repetitive. Broken and flawed once again…it was time for a change.
Hello gypsy!…Life in a different geographical area where no one knew me seemed like the right choice, no more charade. Miss strong and independent felt this was the logical thing to do at the time. A fresh start, new job, new surroundings, so that’s what I did, packed up my Jeep and fur kids and drove 5000km across the county for a clean slate. Yup, you bet! I was scared as hell. It was a journey to say the least but I did face some fears and yes that is what you need to do sometimes in order to overcome them, step away from the comfort zone. Shortly after, life lead me to the next harsh lesson. We’ve all heard of them…Narcissists. At first, they’re everything you ever wanted, they make you feel seen, heard, and your friends and family love them. But soon after, the gas-lighting begins, you loose touch with your own reality AND your finances. I often, think that I should have gone with my gut after the first date, but his charm “love bombing” and manipulation was top notch. It was the constant feeling of fear, walking on eggshells, and always being in fight or flight mode, it was like my nervous system was on high alert 24/7. I know now I was placed there, not to loose myself but to find myself. It didn’t happen because I was weak, it happened because something needed to be revealed. This was my wake up call, he was my teacher, he exposed the bad, to a cycle that needed to end. I may be still picking up the financial pieces but at least I’m above ground.
Sometimes the people you want as part of your story, are only meant to be a chapter. When people walk away, let them go, not everyone who enters your live is meant to stay. They come in for a reason, to teach us lessons, share experiences or walk along side of us a while, but when they leave its important to recognize that their role in your story has been fulfilled. Holding on to someone who is meant to leave only delays your growth. Trust the process but most importantly protect your peace.
So jump ahead to today, I prioritize self-compassion and care and “try” to enjoy the now, but that’s not always easy, especially when anxiety rears its ugly head. Despite it all, my experiences have shaped me and lead me to wanting to help others, to celebrate womanhood, and to emphasize the importance of being happy in your original skin. With resilience, a lot of hard work, a support system, a great dog and a fulfilling job, life is good, for the most part. I have accepted that no matter what the hell our uterus is doing, we are NOT less of a woman. Sexual abuse as a child is NOT our fault. Narcissists are master manipulators and some of the STRONGEST women become victims. I am learning and healing every day and I have many people along my journey to be thankful for…as a result, I’ve been called a Badass on more than one occasion, and resistant AF.
I know there are a shit ton of woman that have gone through similar hardships, been met with challenges, or have experienced traumatic events that just doesn’t seem fair. So if you’ve faced failure and kept going, if you’ve had to start over from nothing, if you’ve endured a long period of uncertainty, if you’ve had to rely only on yourself, if you’ve lost someone you truly loved, if you’ve had to step outside your comfort zone or if you’ve learned to keep moving forward, no matter what, in order to overcome your challenges, and heck, maybe you’re working on them right now. This is resilience and you too are a BadassXX!
We heal through other peoples stories…what is your story?
March 10, 2025
