Happy Friday! It's been a crazy exciting week here at FBrides HQ (Eeek! More on that soon!), and it's been a privilege to work amongst some of the best creative females in the wedding world, so it seemed entirely appropriate to theme today's 10 Ways with Girl Power!

We're gonna be checking out some of the coolest ways to represent yo' girls, be it wearing, decorating or even inking yourself, as well as some incredible resources for strong women doing their thang, and talking about some of the mindsets we can help change to make this world a whole lot lovelier for everyone, man cubs included!

So psyched to share all this girl-inspired goodness with y'all so let's get into it!

First up, the t-shirt that inspired this post!

Created by the incredible girl squad that is Meringue Girls and a seriously rad mompreneur, Mére Soeur, their 'Girl Gang' tshirt is all kinds of badass!

We love the influx of statement girl power tshirts that are permeating the market right now, it's great to see so many brands advocating girls building each other up and women feeling empowered in their bodies! This is a world where us girls need to all be on the same side, and a statement tee is a great way to show you're on the team!

Here's just a handful of our favourites (click to shop!)

So, I don't know about you guys, but if I'm in a work rut, or just experiencing a little lag in my girl power, there's nothing like a good quote to empower me (well, that, and smashing out a Beyoncé tune at full volume!)

But for those moments in your communal office, or when you're sat in a quiet café trying to get work that last bit of work done, those moments when you just need a little boost of power, here's some of our favourite quotes to add fuel to your fire and to remind us that equality is the end goal.

Print it and stick it on your mirror to remind yourself every morning, set it as your phone wall paper, but just make sure you're being encouraged everyday (even if that means encouraging yourself) that you're one strong, badass woman! 'Cause if you know it, and you're sure of it; ain't nobody gonna tell you otherwise!

Podcasts. We LOVE them and they're quickly becoming the most incredible platform for women to talk! So whether it's...

Former CEO of Nasty Gal, Sophia Amoruso, chatting on #GirlBoss Radio with fellow girl bosses such as Charlize Theron or nail artist, Madeline Poole,about their careers and the lessons they've learned on the way to success...

Call Your Girlfriend, whereAnn Friedman and Aminatou Sow call each other to discuss the intricacies of pop culture and the latest in politics. They're highbrow and lowbrow, unapologetically feminist, and not afraid to realtalk each other about everything from menstrual cycles to workplace dramas...

The incredible Lena Dunham and Buzzfeed's Women of the Hour; a platform that allows Dunham to interview influential women such as Janet Mock, Zadie Smith, and Emma Stone, where they candidly discuss their relationships, careers, sex and more...

Stuff Mom Never Told You, a podcast that "gets down to the business of being women from every imaginable angle", this show delves into a myriad of topics related to women, including transgender representation on television, baby bumps, and pinup girls...

The incredible Cheryl Strayed (author of Wild) and co-host, Steve Almond, serve up their hard-earned wisdom in Dear Sugar, no listener-generated question is too difficult or risque for this pair to answer-always in an unexpected, thought-provoking way...

...Because why shouldn't your home decor celebrate the awesomeness of women?!

And no I'm talking about a load of nude art all over the walls, unless that's your thing (if so, power to you!), but I am talking about some pretty rad kitsch boob rugs, some super badass embroidery hoops (there's a sentence I never thought I'd say), as well as a whole host of other feminist adornments for your home!

Get involved and click to shop!

Now, I could go on for a million years about the sea of different linguistic pitfalls and misogynistic attitudes that unfortunately permeate our society, but it's Friday and this is a post about the lovelier side of life, so here's just three things that we can all (men, women, the children we raise) begin to change in our language and our attitudes to bring about equality between sexes. First up...

Language + Stereotypes

I'm sure you've all seen those awesome Always #likeagirl adverts, but I still hear this phrase (and any other variations on this theme) so frequently, from both men and women. Stereotypes that we've all too often joked about: women nagging their significant others, the supposed female inability to read a map, or that men can drive better... We need to stop just laughing along. Coined as 'microaggressions' these seemingly everyday assumptions all add up to an unequal society.

Even little turns of phrase such as 'mankind', the preferred use of the pronoun 'he' when gender is actually unknown, or the use of the word 'pussy' to insult or imply weakness... Language is important, it fuels (consciously or unconsciously) attitudes; the way females see themselves and the way the rest of society sees us!

Secondly...

Let's Talk Taboos

Let's not only talk about them, but let's talk about them openly.

Over half the world's population are female, and yet we still live in a society where women can't leave a table at a restaurant, obviously and unreservedly holding a tampon in their hand to visit the bathroom. Where many women sadly still feel the need to refer to 'that time of the month' when in company, and where we still see images of menstruation and nipples censored on social media...

I could go on (and I'm only talking about periods here! There are a whole host of other taboos that need quashing!), but, if you feel comfortable to, making a stand by using accurate terminology, without euphemisms, and being more open about these taboo subjects can and will help to shape our society and the next generation!

And finally...

Tone Policing

I just wanna encourage you ladies on this last one.

We're talking about to assertive females, those taking on a leadership roles perhaps, and the inequalities they face in terms of fellow co-workers or their peer's reaction and attitude.

Sadly, strong females, especially in the workplace, are still so often labelled (or find that they're police themselves for fear of being labelled) 'bitchy' 'shrill' 'aggressive' 'pushy' or 'bossy', while men who behave in these same manner are viewed as competent leaders.

Girl, that's not ok. Have confidence. Do your thing. And if you hear such labels/reactions call people out for it or have it addressed with your management. Sexism is still very much alive, but we can take it down.

Haha, so those of you that know me, know that I'm now the proud owner of two feminist tattoos.

I love them both, and they mean the world to me. One reminds me of the incredible marriage I have and the equality we treasure within that (read more on that tatt here!) and the other is my personal reminder of what it means to be a strong female.

So if y'all are dedicated to the cause and wanna make one hella bold statement, whether it's a symbol of your womanhood, a symbol of equality or a iconic female figure like the Egyptian goddess, Isis, (à la Rihanna and Jourdan Dunn) girl power ink is the way to go!

There's a wealth of girl power on the internet right now and it's gotta be my favourite way to procrastinate! Ha! Here's a few different site and articles we've been loving, from serious #girlboss articles, to fun articles about Jane Austen gals who were waaay ahead of their time

Design Sponge - I absolutely love the blog's Biz Ladies series! From their profile articles, interviewing strong women doing their business thang, to their super helpful free lancing articles... There's just so much goodness to be absorbed!

Stylist - from keeping up with current affairs for women (that ridiculously archaic high heel escapade this week? Ergh!) to introducing an awesomely illustrated period mag, or discussing the sexism of emojis. All so interesting!

Bustle - oh how I love Bustle! For fun articles looking back at Jane Austen's feminist characters, to some awesome body positive illustrators, to surprisingly feminist baby names from the 1900s ... It permeates my Facebook news feed on the daily and I love it!

So, just in case a girl power t-shirt, an artistic boob rug and a venus symbol tattoo aren't enough ways to adorn yourself and your home with girl power...

Accessories. And my goodness, are they cute?!

Awesome Parisian brand, Coucousuzette, create the most amazing socks (the boob socks, oh the boob socks!), pin badges and iron on patches for you to embellish your entire wardrobe with a little girl love!

Check it out!

If you're new to the world of feminism, or just fancy a little light read to remind you of the history and foundations of all that you believe, the ever-wonderful ASOS sent over this awesome Little Book of Feminism to us, and I gotta say, I love it!

Taking you right through from first wave feminism to today's society, including a load of statistics, some super badass quotes, a great little 'further reading' list and even a mini feminist dictionary, this is a little pocket sized treasure trove!

And finally, just in case y'all missed Emma Watson's incredible speech for the UN Women's HeForShe campaign, here it is, all 13 minutes of utterly awesome girl power...

We love what this movement is about. And it's so key to remember that making life lovelier isn't about girl power over men, it's not about putting guys down or women being preferred necessarily; it's about equality, it's about standing together.

Check out HeForShe's website for ways to support the cause and further education, and be sure to give their rad Instagram follow, it's such a great feed that's constantly challenging societal 'norms' and gender stereotypes.

We absolutely loved their Live #BeyondLabels campaign...

And there we have it!

Power to you ladies! Let's change this world and make it a much lovelier place for everyone!

Have a gorgeous weekend and we'll see you on the flip side.

Peace + Love

Clare XO