Kirstie Maldonado: What Girl Power Means To Me
To me, girl power is about having an amazing confidence in yourself and your abilities, a confidence that turns heads and positively influences you to better yourself and your surroundings every day. 
The confidence comes from believing in all your qualities and knowing you don't have to fit some cookie cutter mold to do amazing things. If you set your mind to it and work hard, your girl power has endless possibilities. The first thing I think of is the "We Can Do It" Rosie the Riveter poster from World War II. That was pretty much the first time women reached out to each other saying,"Hey. Let's show everyone that the world won't crumble just because our men are gone. We can do it too." It is the mother symbol of female empowerment.
Young girls need a constant reminder of how beautiful, powerful, and important they are. With social media being so prevalent in kids' lives nowadays, it's hard to not get brainwashed and lost in media ideals that aren't actually important. I think it brings out a lot of insecurity and a lot of doubt on girls' abilities. Girls should not strive to fit into some media mold, or turn into something that the media has labeled as attractive and desirable. They should be reminded how great they are individually and that they should not be afraid to work hard for their goals whatever they may be.
Honestly, it's just a simple reminder to have self-confidence. A lot of times I'm too worried about what people think to express my own opinions or I'm just lacking confidence in general, so I let my peers lead while I sit back and conform. I led that life completely for a while, content with mediocrity, until I had a moment of inspiration. I asked myself where all my motivation and hard work had gone, and why I'd become this silent, fearful girl that would just let things happen and follow along. While I still have moments of doubt at times, I didn't want that to rule my life. So I reminded myself that I am so blessed with opportunity and have so much to give back, so why settle with mediocrity when I can work hard and turn every situation into the best it can be.
I recently just watched Part of Me and I think Katy Perry is an excellent example of girl power. She's in this crazy, competitive industry killing it while staying true to herself and still prioritizing what is important to her. She's not letting herself get swept away. After watching that movie, I had SO much respect for her as an artist, but mostly as a human in general. Beyoncé is the definition of girl power. She doesn't let anything get in her way of her creative visions and goals for herself, and she's transformed herself into the most iconic female artist of this time period. Other female powerhouses that scream girl power to me by killing it in their respective workplaces are Oprah and Ellen, who have built up these amazing reputations for themselves, yet still always give back and help out when they can.
Believe in yourself and your abilities! That sounds so cliché, but it's incredible what a little confidence in yourself can do! Don't settle for anything less than your best. Work hard, but know yourself and your limits. Do something that inspires and motivates you every day. Know that individually you are incredible. No one is better at being you than yourself. Don't let media, peers, or anyone else influence you to change, because that can make you develop a bad image of yourself. And you're worth so much more than that! And most of all, look around every day and see all the amazing blessings around you. I believe happiness is a giant key to success, and there are reasons to be happy every day, even if you don't see it sometimes.
Kirstie Maldonado is one fifth of the a cappella group Pentonix, which took first place on the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off before becoming one of most successful groups on YouTube. For more on Kirstie, check out our interview with her here!