Lesson Eleven: Celebrate Being A Strong Woman - Colin Mathura-Jeffree.

I am from a lineage of strong independent women. Both my Grandmothers were strong, my own Mother and all three sisters, Michelle, Krystle and Dana. Also my many good friends who personify strong women; Teresa Patterson, Summer Wharekawa; Mereana Hawthorne and Angela Ashworth to name just a few.

I'm a very strong woman, however in the past few years I've tried to become more "lady-like"because I have often been told I'm too "hard-looking" and serious as a result.  Plus I do kick-boxing which does nothing to soften the image. 

When it comes to dating men, strong women don’t feature high on a lot of men’s lists. We’re considered too high maintenance, stroppy, bossy and ‘hard to read’.  I think some men are just too afraid that a strong woman isn’t going to take their shit or accept second best. However, not all men think that way.

Colin Mathura-Jeffree. I met Colin last year when we MC’d a Child Cancer fundraising event. He is stunning – both visually and internally and I liked him instantly. Colin attracts attention not just because he’s on television and in magazines, it’s because he’s so goddamn gorgeous and has great mana about him.

Colin makes you feel fabulous and sexy just being around him. I’m naturally shy person but even more so when I have to perform with and in front of someone I enjoy watching on TV.  I was feeling self-conscious about what I was wearing, how fat my arse looked from behind, how my hair was and as a result of the anxiety, I started sweating a lot.  I sucked it up, pushed it aside and thankfully my strong will took over and we sat down to chat over a coffee before starting the gig. The conversation was easy and I discovered pretty quickly that I had nothing to worry about because before too long we were talking about his love life and my inability to have one, plus my slight concern about being "too hard". 

Colin celebrates strong women. He likes woman who control their own lives, who don’t allow themselves to be walked all over and who, “Don’t dumb themselves down for a guy". Amen to that. If we could all have a Colin in our lives to push us through and make us appreciate who we are, what we look like and help us feel fabulous, we'd all be so much better off. 

So for all the Teresa’s, Angela’s, Summer’s and Mereana’s who are strong woman that I admire, who I call friends and who I hold in the highest regard – I celebrate you. And to Colin Mathura-Jeffree in all your fabulousness, thank you and all our other men who celebrate the strength of a woman.