The Power of Being Labeled an Outsider History shows us that women who were labeled “outsiders” often became the very women who changed the world. Fr
The Power of Being Labeled an Outsider
History shows us that women who were labeled “outsiders” often became the very women who changed the world. From Sojourner Truth to Anna Julia Cooper, from grassroots organizers to everyday mothers protecting their children, being dismissed as other was never the end of their story—it was the beginning of transformation.
Outsider Is Not an Insult, It’s a Signal
When society calls women “outsiders,” what they really mean is:
You didn’t conform.
You refused to shrink.
That is not failure. That is power.
Being called an outsider has always carried a sting for women—because for centuries, entire systems have tried to convince us that belonging is
the prize we should fight for. But what if we shifted the frame? To be an outsider is often to stand in the very place where truth, vision, and freedom live. Women should be less afraid of the word.
Many of our Black/Afro and Indigenous women foremothers wore it like armor, carving new paths where none existed. Being labeled an outsider can be proof that you refused to conform, that you held your ground, and that you dared to protect your dignity in a world that benefits when you stay silent.
Every group or community that holds a shared belief, worldview, or ideology usually develops names or labels for people who don’t share those beliefs. These names serve different purposes: sometimes they’re neutral identifiers, sometimes playful shorthand, and sometimes outright hostile.
A Few Examples
Religious groups:
Christians might call non-Christians unbelievers or heathens.
Muslims might use the term kafir (literally “one who covers the truth”).
Some Buddhist sects have referred to outsiders as worldlings.
Political groups:
Conservatives and progressives often have nicknames (sometimes mocking) for people on “the other side.”
Movements develop terms like dissidents, nonconformists, or counter-revolutionaries.
Subcultures & fandoms:
Gamers may call non-gamers casuals or normies.
Vegans sometimes refer to non-vegans as omnivores or even carnists.
Even music or fashion communities invent insider/outsider terms.
Why It Happens
Identity-building: Naming outsiders helps insiders feel bonded and distinct.
Boundary-setting: Labels draw a line—“us” versus “them.”
Control of narrative: Groups can shape how outsiders are perceived by choosing the words used for them.
In essence, most of us human beings do it.
Loyalty to Yourself Comes First
Too many systems demand women’s loyalty—families, churches, workplaces, governments. They want us to carry their burdens while forgetting our own worth. But true freedom begins when women turn that loyalty inward:
- Loyal to your own healing.
- Loyal to your own health.
This kind of loyalty is unshakable—and it cannot be taken by anyone.
Almost every group that believes something deeply will, sooner or later, create terms for those who don’t. Sometimes those terms are descriptive and harmless; other times they’re used as tools of exclusion or even dehumanization.
Sisters, the world will always demand our loyalty—to men, to systems, to traditions that feed on our silence. But the first and fiercest loyalty must be to ourselves. To our own dignity.
To the truth that pulses in our bones. When we stand in that loyalty, we do not bow to shame, we do not crumble at labels, and we do not beg for belonging in spaces that were never built for our safety.
Let them call us outsiders if they must—because the greatest betrayal is not what they name us, but what we name ourselves.
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A Call to Courage
Sisters, do not fear the label. Fear only the day you betray yourself. Let them call you outsiders if they must—because we know the truth: outsiders are often the women building the future, brick by brick, prayer by prayer, refusal by refusal. Stay loyal to your dignity. Stay loyal to your freedom.
Being called an outsider can sting, but it can also be a crown. Women who embrace that title stand taller, speak louder, and carve out new sanctuaries of truth.