Oh, how I love being a woman!
This proclamation breeds joy and pride in the embodiment of womanhood. It celebrates the female identity in such a positive way, no wonder it’s going viral on TikTok. Part of the reason it’s going viral is because women all over the world connect with the universal joy that this phrase brings. This trend allows for an opportunity to create unity between women despite their culture, age, or socio-economic background.
The year 2023 has been filled with many celebrations of the female identity, especially this summer. Celebrations of girlhood are seen prominently through trendsetter Taylor Swift. The world famous female singer and songwriter began The Era’s Tour this spring, inspiring girls from all over the world to celebrate the highs and lows of being a woman by wearing friendship bracelets as they sang in solidarity with Swift.
One song in particular that strikes a cord with me is a song called “You’re On You’re Own, Kid” off her latest album “Midnights”. The lyrics go as follows:
“So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.
You’ve got no reason to be afraid. You’re on your own kid
Yeah, you can face this. You’re on your own kid. You always have been.”
Swift so gently reminds us that in order to celebrate the fullness of being a woman, we must make time to do the things that nourish us. To be where our feet are. To learn how to enjoy the moment. To face our fears. Because it is so true, we are on our own in this crazy thing called life, but embracing the small moments is how we learn to take it day by day and celebrate our girlhood.
Being a woman can often feel like a busy cycle of constantly doing; many women are chasing the dream of “doing it all,” but it can be a good reminder to hear how we can find balance in being a woman so we can truly live out the words, “Oh I love being a woman.” Author Brianna Wiest touches on this subject and reminds us how to be present amidst a time of constant productivity. It can feel oftentimes as if we are in a constant cycle:
going,
doing,
going,
doing,
going.
When we get in these cycles, we are yearning to just be done already! But Brianna Wiest helps us navigate these seasons of life in her book: “This is How you Heal”. She sheds some much needed light on this topic in chapter 16. She says,
“If I just accomplish one thing today, that is enough.
While the world has certainly instilled a culture and social structure that makes these fears more common, it’s important that we redirect the blame here and put the onus back on ourselves.
We can change the narrative by approaching productivity in a more realistic way. Some days you’ll get it all done. Some days you need to rest. Some days, just getting one thing checked off the list is reason enough to feel proud of yourself.
You don’t need to do it all in order to be safe.”
*mic drop*
So true, queen. This snippet demonstrates that in order to fall in love with life as a woman we don’t have to do it all in order to be safe or successful. Finding small ways to be productive is equally as important as accomplishing a lot in one day. It’s important that as women when we are going, doing, going, and doing, we live with authentic grit and grace. Because that makes all the difference in how we learn to love life and ourselves.
“Oh, how I love being a woman!” is truly an awe-inspiring phrase that radically changes the way we approach daily life as a woman. Learning how to use the big scary word “No!” is actually one of our greatest tools in our toolbox because constant productivity is a recipe for disaster. Taylor Swift reminds us to live in the moment through her oh-so-beautiful melodies and Wiest reminds us that our worth is not tied to our productivity level. As a woman, these are two very important lessons I think we can add to our back pockets. The next time you’re with your female friends, sisters, or family members cherish the moments you have together so you can really accept and express the duality and fullness of the phrase:
“Oh, how I love being a woman!”