Victor Cruz Has The Most Empowering Advice For His Daughter

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has spoken at length about the problematic way we teach girls and boys different things. Perhaps you've heard that famous snippet of her discussing this very subject on Beyoncé's "Flawless." In one of the most memorable lines from that speech Adichie said, "We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller." She went on to add that we instruct girls not to be too ambitious and to always be less than men. Well, Victor Cruz is having none of that for his three-year-old daughter Kennedy. We recently spoke with Cruz during his Hugo Boss "Success Beyond The Game" fragrances event, and he was quick to share that he tells his daughter to "always follow your gut." That may not seem like groundbreaking advice, but it's important for young girls to have that sense of encouragement. It's something that will stay with them well into womanhood. He also tells Kennedy to "follow what instinctually intrigues you and what you think is the right thing to do," he said. "Trust your initial reaction to things and initial judgement about things, because your first judgement is usually the right one." Cruz also wants her to know that she is an embodiment of the strong people who surround her.
"You not only represent yourself, but you represent your parents," Cruz said. "You represent who you work for. You represent everyone that was able to help you get to whatever point you are in your life. Remember that you represent all those people." Here's to raising strong women from day one. Or, at least year three.