Empowerment is a word we've all been hearing. It's meant be positive — a way of making teen girls feel confidence, powerful, and in control of their own lives. What really happens too often, though, is the word "empowerment" gets mixed up with high expectations and the expectation to be perfect.

Instead of the feeling like freedom, it can start to become more of a demand, a task: you have to be a great student, get it all done, be positive, and never ever fail. When empowerment is more of a to-do list than a choice, it is unhelpful and even becomes overwhelming.

For many teen girls, this kind of pressure leads to burnout. We’re told to be ambitious and unstoppable, but rarely given permission to rest, fail, or take a break. The result?

A constant push to meet impossible standards disguised as liberation. This isn’t what empowerment should look like. It shouldn’t make us tired or anxious — it should give us space to be ourselves, flaws and all.

Image Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters from Unsplash

When Empowerment Becomes Just Another Expectation

Empowerment is supposed to be about choice — the power to be able to choose who you are and which path you want to take. But the way it's being presented now feels more like a checklist rather than choice. You're told to go out and reach for the stars, work hard, and never give up. But those lessons are never given with the permission to take a break, to mess up, or to say "no" without feeling guilty.

Instead of this, empowerment is another standard to meet — be perfect at school, be a leader, be assertive and confident, be present and paying attention. And if you're not doing all those things, then you can really end up wondering if you're actually empowered or not.

It has nothing to do with ambition. It has to do with the fear of thinking your value is based on perpetual achievement.

Let us take an example of a student who is expected to get straight A's, be in clubs, volunteer, and have an active social life. While all these are good desires, all the pressure that comes with these expectations will lead to anxiety and self-doubt. If you fall behind in one thing, you will feel like you are failing overall.

Image Credit: Polina from Pexels

Take the Quiz: What’s Your Perfect Skincare Product for the 'Clean Girl' Look?

Take this quiz to discover the perfect skincare product for your “clean girl” routine!

The Hidden Burnout Behind "That Girl" Energy

You’ve probably heard the phrase “That Girl” — a kind of stereotype of teen girl success that’s all about being driven, organized, healthy, and ambitious. On the surface, it sounds empowering. Who wouldn’t want to be productive and confident?

But there's a catch: when that energy turns into something everybody feels like they need to do, it loses its essence as freedom and becomes pressure. It becomes a standard in which slowing down or even struggling is failure

Most teenage girls end up stretched thin, chasing after this idealized notion of success, believing empowerment equals never getting anything wrong. No surprise that results in burnout — chronic exhaustion that happens from trying to live up to unrealistic expectations.

Burnout is not just about being tired. It's also losing energy and motivation, feeling overwhelmed, and sometimes doubting your own worth. When the message conveyed is "You can do it all" but your body and mind say otherwise, it creates a confusing and painful paradox.

Image Credit: Anna Tarazevich from Pexels

Why We Need to Rethink Empowerment

True empowerment doesn't mean being perfect or attempting to be perpetually on your best behavior. It means understanding you can live your way, which is getting exhausted, messing up, and choosing what matters most.

This new myth gets that wrong. It does not emphasize balance or self-acceptance, but instead celebrates the idea of if you work hard enough, you will be invincible. There is very little room for the messy, imperfection of growing up in that.

Think about it: no one is perfect all the time. Everyone will make mistakes, get exhausted, and experience setbacks. But if this term means that you must suppress them or fix them right away, then it's a lie.

We need to redefine empowerment in a manner that works for well-being and not accomplishment.

Image Credit: Lisa from Pexels from Pexels

What Empowerment Should Look Like for Teen Girls

Empowerment should feel like permission — permission not to be perfect, to choose rest, and to say no without guilt. It should be that your worth isn't tied to how many wins you have, but rather to who you are as a human being.

That would be celebrating:

• Effort over perfection: Trying your best and learning is more than never trying it at all due to fear of not doing it quite right.
• Personal development over comparison: Everyone has their own path. Empowerment is about keeping your eyes on your own way, not on someone else's highlight reel.
• Mental health over constant productivity: Taking care of your mind is as important as any objective on a resume.
• Authenticity over image: Being honest and genuine, even if being honest means admitting your struggles, is real strength.

When empowerment lines up with these values, then it is freedom. Otherwise, it is another form of pressure.

Image Credit: Anna Piacquadio from Pexels

How We Can Change the Narrative

Changing how we talk about empowerment isn't just up to adults or organizations — we can change it ourselves.

• Discuss pressure and burnout freely. Discussing how overwhelming it can be helps break the silence and stigma.
• Support each other beyond achievements. Celebrate rest days and moments of self-care; not just trophies or grades.
• Set realistic expectations. Empowerment is about setting boundaries, being able to say no, and keeping your number one things first.
• Value balance. It's good to work hard, but equally fine to have relaxation time and enjoyment too.

By shifting the framework of empowerment, we can create a healthier and more realistic vision of what exactly it really does take to be a powerful teen girl.

Final Thoughts

"Empowerment" is meant to be a powerful word — and it needs to be. But when it is turned into a pressure to always do, always accomplish, and always be perfect, it loses its power.

To empower teenage girls, we need to challenge the idea that this word equalling overachieving. Let's instead celebrate the freedom of being human — all the flaws, the struggles, and the slack that come with it.

Because true empowerment is not about chasing a dream. It's about liking who you are and being okay with that.