I am a woman. That means I am put into a box of stereotypes that I feel forced to conform to. But I am also the kind of person that doesn’t give a damn about what other people think of me. My motto is if you don’t like me when I’m wearing sweatpants and an XL tee shirt with a hole in the left sleeve while singlehandedly consuming an entire family-sized bag of Doritos and binge-watching Parks and Rec, then we probably won’t get along. If I need to dress up, I can totally pull through and look hot when I want to. But forgive me if I don’t want to spend two hours getting pretty every morning to sit in a room full of people that should be focused on the class material, anyway.
I am a woman. That means that when I tell people I have a black belt in karate or that I played softball in high school, they automatically make assumptions about my sexuality. Excuse me, but since when do the sports you play deem what type of person you’re supposed to be attracted to? I played softball, and I was good at it. But I also like guys…a lot. Why can’t these things go hand in hand without feeling like I’m breaking some rule? Also, my sexuality has nothing to do with my skill level on the field or during karate class, so why do you even care?
I am a woman. That means that above all else, my job is to make the world know that my gender is not something to be ashamed of, but something to embrace. It means I have a job to destroy the current stereotypes of femininity and create new “labels” to be proud of; strong, independent, and capable. I do this not through actions fueled by anger and spite, but by exemplifying and embodying these traits every day.
I am a woman, but that doesn’t mean I can do everything a man can do. It means I should have the opportunity to do whatever a man can do. I should be held to the same standard as everyone else and given the chance to perform at the level required of me. It means I shouldn’t have to compare myself to the opposite gender to seek validation for my successes. It means whatever we, as woman, want it to mean. And as women, we have a job to stand up against the people that are trying to put us down, and be the example of positive and powerful change to inspire the next generation. I am a woman. Are you?