I’m outdoorsy…but

Lately, my Instagram feed has been flooded with the same annoying video trend.

You’ve probably seen it.

A video of a woman hiking, overlaid with text that says things like:

“I’m outdoorsy, but I wear lipstick when I hike.”

“I’m outdoorsy, but I don’t know how to cook on a camp stove.”

“I’m outdoorsy, but I like to wear pink.”

“I’m outdoorsy, but my sleeping bag is 15 years old.”

I get why it started.

As women, we want to prove that we don’t have to look, act, or adhere to stereotypes.

We want to show up as we are, with pink lipstick and all, to claim a spot on the trail.

Of course, I believe all those things to be true.

But every time I start to scroll on Instagram and see these videos, I cringe.

I hate the trend.

And it all comes down to one little word:

“But.”

When we use “but,” we are subconsciously apologizing for being outdoorsy.

We are qualifying our right to be in the outdoors.

It’s like we’re waiting for permission or apologizing for taking up space.

And I get it.

I’ve been in the outdoor online space for almost 15 years, before being outdoorsy was even cool. So at times I felt like I needed to say “I’m outdoorsy but…”

But there are no “buts “about it. We need to step up and change the narrative and stop this ridiculous trend.

Because here’s the truth.

Two things can be true at once.

We don’t need a conjunction to justify our presence in the outdoors.

Let’s set the record straight.

You can be outdoorsy and wear lipstick. Wear the pinkest lipstick you’ve got.

You can be outdoorsy and have no clue how to screw a fuel canister onto a backpacking stove.

You can be outdoorsy and still love your worn-out 15-year-old sleeping bag.

There’s no need to apologize for that.

There’s no need to qualify that.

Own that shit.

My name is Rebecca.

I’m outdoorsy, and most of the time I hike with 90s punk blasting in my earbuds.

I’m outdoorsy, and unless I’m guiding, I rarely carry the 10 Essentials.

I am outdoorsy, period.

Full stop.

End of the story.

And so are you.

And those people we’re trying to impress on Instagram by showing how outdoorsy we really are. They aren’t paying any attention.

So let’s drop the “but.”

Let’s squash the trend.

And let’s go outside.