We are going there today.
More on the girlier topics this time around, and what a topic it is!
This one is going to feel different for each one of us, depending on our unique life paths but I wanted to talk about evolving from girlhood to womanhood, and how it plays out in our 20s; both from my personal experience and those I’ve heard of online.
I love talking about blogging, and how to make money online, but I know we are community here of girlies in our 20s who also prioritise balance, fun and wellness in their lives. So, this one is for the personal girl chats that hit us on a deeper, more self-growth level.
the difference
You may have heard of this trend on a podcast, as I on “A Better You” by Fernanda Ramirez (love her!!), or simply just know of the concept from tiktoks, books or from talking to people you know.
my own take on the difference of this is:
girlhood : is when you are still in your self-discovery era, you don’t really know who your true authentic self is, you may still lack the confidence to show your true self. More seen as the innocence or lack of knowing, and confidence-in-progress type of phase of a woman’s young adulthood.
womanhood : is when have discovered that inner confidence, you embrace who you are without filter, you allow yourself the opportunities to nurture your authentic self and experiences a matured sense of self that is not so chaotic, but more sure of themselves.
When I researched for this blog post, the physiological or hormonal changes were mentioned also, but my personal main focus on this topic is about the discovering and:
- feeling at home with your true sense of self
- embracing who you are
- accepting and loving yourself in all of its raw beauty, inside and out
at what age?
When does it happen, you may ask? Well I don’t think there’s a set time or age, but I think it more so depends on the life experiences you’ve had and how rapidly or not they have led you to self-discover.
For some girlies it’s 22, for others it’s 28 or beyond.
For me, I feel like it’s 25.
I feel like I’ve felt a massive shift from 24 to 25, and I can’t even put into words how much self-growth I feel like I have become aware of, so rapidly also.
Not too sound obnoxious, or like the most mature woman on this earth; that’s not what I’m trying to go with ahaha. It’s more about really noticing the who I am, what I like, what I stand for, and building the confidence to back-up the person I am in the process of it all.
It’s like, at 25, I’ve started looking at life differently.
I mean, I know it’s known that at 25 is apparently when you have your prefrontal cortex fully developed, so who knows if that plays a factor, but it’s curious to feel it, and slightly strange at the same time.
Some ways you may notice this shift manifest for yourself:
- You no longer have the same type of hobbies
- You feel more confident in a different type of fashion style
- You feel more connected with other ways of using your free time
- You process life experiences through a slightly different lens to as you would before
- You feel the emotions of nostalgia in your sense of self flutter, which can sometimes make you feel anxious or not knowing how to react
- But you also feel incredibly more at-home and more sure of who you are
- You live life more intentionally, being more grounded in what you know sits right with you and gives you joy
- You seek things in your life that reflect your core values more
- You realise, even more, the importance of making your inner child happy
I could go on, but I think you get it.
It’s that sudden realisation that things feel different, like you can feel like you have experienced a shift, a change, a transition in your being over the recent times in your 20s.
missing girlhood
Feeling this matured sense of self, and self-love doesn’t mean you won’t look back on your younger years, and feel like you miss that version of you.
No one prepares you to feel that, but I’m here to give you that disclaimer, in the most loving way possible!
But you need to remember that that version of you still exists, and will always exist within you. We will all have that inner child who lives within us, and our core personality will always be there. It’s just more of an at-home feeling ON TOP of all the good stuff, that comes with womanhood.
It should be a celebratory feeling, but also the understanding that you will always feel a sense of nostalgia alongside it. And honestly, I am still trying to figure it out myself, but it’s almost weird to be old enough to now be feeling nostalgia. It could set me off on a spiral of racing thoughts about just life, but that’s not what we are going to do.
Just know, these emotions are normal, and even though they’re not really spoken about, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
It’s okay, you’re not the only one, and feeling shifts in your womanhood, or transitioning from girlhood is part of growth, it’s part of life.
embracing womanhood
Stepping into this new era of your life can feel very mixed, and confusing, and almost like you don’t know how to feel about it, but embrace it!
It’s a beautifully amazing transition that embodies the nature of growth, and of life.
In fact, it shouldn’t be seen as a phase to mourn or dwell or be sad, even though you should allow yourself to feel those emotions but not sit in it for too long. It should be more-so seen as an adventurous era, waiting for you to seize control of however you want to embrace it.
Embracing your womanhood signifies coming to life in your most authentic, happiest and bestest self to the world, and rebranding yourself in whichever way feels good.
Maybe you want to:
- Change up your fashion sense, and start experimenting with different lengths and textures of clothes
- Cut your hair in a new style and be playful with your looks
- Try some hobbies you used to do when you were a child
- Seek inspiration online from influencers who demonstrate stepping into their womanhood in a fun and empowering way
- Ask advice to other women in your life, that you look up to
- Make vision boards (one of my personal faves!) to romanticise this evolution
These prime examples really highlight what I’m going to be talking about next which is asserting your self-identity, and expressing your femininity, and I know, this topic gets thrown around a lot but as women it’s one that I can’t help but feel super attracted to and invested in.
self-identity
The core essence of who you are is still there, and will always be there regardless. Your values, your beliefs, your authentic personality, your unique energy, your feminine stance. None of that will ever change because there is no one like you, and that’s what makes you special and beautiful in your own way.
Knowing this, allows us to feel potentially less intimidated transitioning into our womanhood, but also allows us to place more of our focus on our self-identity and nurturing our self.
There’s a lot of self talk in this blog post, but we are all about promoting filling your own cup. I saw this influencer on Instagram the other day say something that really struck me about this, which was something like: I’m going to fill my cup because once I do, my cup will be overflowing and all those around me will get to drink from it.
Looking after our self and making sure we are happy and living life in our truest form, is what will make our cups overflow, and our lives overjoyed, as well as anyone that surrounds us.
This, to say, that when we transition into womanhood, it can be almost automatic to step into this era with certain self-concepts that we feel stuck in, from our girlhood. For example, self-identifying as someone:
- who isn’t capable of certain tasks or responsibilities because they’re just a girl
- doesn’t know the way and needs someone to show them
- can’t handle a situation on their own because it’s too tough
You get the vibe.
However, even when we have maybe gone on multiple solo dates, done super cool things like trying out new fitness classes or restaurants on our own, or done proper adulting tasks and responsibilities like figuring out bills and chores, it can still feel like we are the girl everyone has seen us as.
This perception that has been placed on us, can limit how much we embrace our womanhood, maybe this actually makes you feel like you are not capable of multiple things, like:
- making friends in your 20s
- going out on a solo date
- booking tickets
- taking care of yourself
- doing life!!!
At the end of the day, you need to let go of the limiting beliefs others may have placed on you, and you need to come home to self. You need to reassure yourself that you are capable, and that womanhood is an era like any other you’ve come across, and figured out in the most fulfilling way that resonates with you.
the answer
Doing can be way harder than the knowing, and saying.
However, the answer on how to navigate your evolution from girlhood to womanhood, is to not know or have the answer…
You need to enter this evolved version of you with open arms and with an open mind to what great things womanhood can bring you!
This is something we only figure out, as we go, and sometimes even then we don’t!
The main point is to feel a warm heart of acceptance towards it and to feel the gratitude of being able to experience such beautiful growth in your self, and those around you. Change can feel strange and sometimes has some ‘downsides’ but the most important is that we set the intention that embracing our womanhood is seen as an opportunity to be more assertive in our selves, in our feminine energy, to feel more confident, to live life more abundantly with the choices we make, to feel more internally nourished with the lives we choose to live, to rebrand and reinvent your aesthetic however and whenever you want, and have the girl boss independence to create your life.
As for me, I feel a 50/50 of at-ease / no idea whatsoever of what this new era holds for me, but that this feels more like who I truly am, and that can only make me even happier as I move forward! So, I feel excited and even more alive than ever!
I feel like it’s a chance to live life more intentionally aligned to who my unique self is, and how I make space in the world.
So, there we have it girlies!
I hope it’s been a comforting one to anyone else feeling that transition into womanhood, and if not, come back to this post if you ever do come across that feeling arise in your 20s. I hope it helps you feel at-peace with the normalcy that is going through such a transition of growth, as girlies in our 20s, and feel excited for how much fuller life is about to feel here onwards!
Thank you for staying, and check out my other blog posts on all things blogging, making money, and being a girl in our 20s here. ♡