The Iron Butterfly

What is an Iron Butterfly?

The term Iron Butterfly can mean many things. It’s an investment strategy, a band, and a person. But perhaps the earliest version of the term came from a description of a woman from the Southern United States.

In an article by Ronda Rich for M&M, she said: “Southern women are often called iron butterflies or steel magnolias because a hurricane of hurt or a tornado of emotional havoc cannot harm these indestructible females. Why? Simple. We Southern women can throw a shield of impenetrable protection around our soft hearts quicker than Tennessee Williams could down a bottle of wine.”

And in an article on the same topic by Dr. Birute Regine, after interviewing 60 successful women, she identified this as a common trait across all of them:

“They don’t let themselves turn into victims. Rather they have become kinder, stronger, and wiser.”

Participants in Women’s sports today must become iron butterflies. They must be strong, shut out the outside noise, and persevere.