What does it mean to be a woman? Every woman you ask will tell you something different. My explanation may be totally opposite of my mom’s, my friends, or my peers, but that’s okay. Luckily, there is no right or wrong answer to this loaded question, but here is my take on it.
Being a woman is a lot. It’s having changing hormones each month that lead to unbelievable mood swings, and then being judged for them, even though they are out of your control. It’s taking birth control to help fix these mood swings and then being looked down on for it. It’s paying an absurd amount of money for quality pads, tampons, menstrual cups and Pamprin, even though these things are necessities, and we can’t live without them.
Being a woman is hard. It’s being told that I am beautiful the way I am and then being bombarded with models on TV, social media and advertisements. It’s wearing an extra cute outfit to feel confident and then being asked who I am dressing up for as if dressing up for myself isn’t enough. It’s wearing a crop top in public and then feeling like you are being judged by everyone around you because of your weight. It’s crying because having a “perfect” body is impossible, but it seems like everyone but me has one.
But besides the struggles we face, being a woman is empowering. It’s rooting for other women and cheering them on when they accomplish something. It’s sliding up on Snapchat stories and telling another girl how wonderful she looks and how her makeup looks amazing. It’s learning to love your body and all of its dimples, scars and stretch marks. It’s feeling beautiful in an outfit that you never thought you could wear. It’s being kind to everyone, no matter their gender, race, weight, style, religion or opinion.
Lastly, being a woman is being a true feminist. According to Dictionary.com, feminism is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.” It’s not hating men, tearing men down, or worse, trying to be better than men. It’s wanting equality for the sexes. We have achieved so much as women over the years including the right to vote, being able to own and run a business, having a whole online magazine dedicated to women *wink wink* and much more. We did not steal these things from men, instead, we worked to make ourselves equal to them in all the ways that matter. That’s what being a feminist is all about.
I want to challenge all women to think about what being a woman means to them. It is important to love yourself, even when it’s hard, and to know that being a woman is an amazing gift that you should be able to enjoy. Does being a woman bring you joy or stress? Does it bring you relief or concern? Whatever being a woman brings you, keep ya head up, because being a woman makes you one of the strongest people alive!