To be a woman
When asked the question “what does it mean to be a woman” there are a million possible answers that seem to change every day, so while it is practically impossible to really define what womanhood means to all women, I would like to share what I believe being a woman means.
Being a woman often comes with the regrettable downside of gender-based discrimination, which is worsened by things like race, class, and sexuality but something as amazing as being a woman should never be traded for anything.
When you are a woman, it means you are a part of a community that I believe is and should always be ready to protect each other. To know that as a woman, no matter where you are, you can rely on other women to support you is really a wonderful thing.
Womanhood is strength, it’s wearing heels, and dresses but it is also wearing sweatpants and sneakers. Being a woman is not defined by relationships or jobs, it is when you are not defined by anyone or anything but yourself.
Being a woman means being unapologetically yourself, following your gut, and trusting your intuition. It means having the ability to love fully and to care for and nurture things and people around you, using whatever privilege that you are privy to in order to support others in a way that only women are able to.
To me, being a woman means assertiveness, being powerful as well as kind, being compassionate and vulnerable towards those in our lives without feeling weak for doing so. It means pushing forward to achieve your goals despite any adversity you might encounter along the way, it is questioning what you have been told as a woman are your limits by society.
It means standing up for the right to have an opinion or different opinions, standing up for all women from all walks of life. Being a woman is being able to make decisions for yourself, living true to your morals and values, and being empowered enough to create change.
To be a woman means saying no to the status quo of what society thinks beauty is or what others feel is the way you should act; it is refusing to bow down to the forced double standards on women, basically, it is taking charge over your own story and speaking your own truth.
Loving yourself despite your flaws or insecurities and accepting yourself for the person that you are, because a woman who does not seek validation from anybody is someone who should be respected.
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