Being ♀ (Means Being Whatever You Want to Be)

Being a woman means I bleed every month.
Simple, right?

It's more than that, though...

Being a woman means being sexualized before I'm ever objectively analyzed.
Being a woman means being seen as the weaker of the two sexes.
Being a woman means having people tell me I shouldn't be out when the sun is down unless a man is with me.
Being a woman means the majority of people putting me second best to a man.
Being a woman means usually having to do double the work to be able hold my own.
Being a woman means being called a slut for what men are praised for.

Society has these sick, delusional standards/ideas in regards to being a woman, but they've never stopped me before.

Where my mother was very careful to plant these thoughts, my father never enforced them. I knew they were real life, but he didn't raise me to believe I was meant to cater to men.
I was the little girl that ran after him and my brother and was never told I couldn't do something because of my gender. My brother was the first to tell me I could never know too much.

"Everywhere you go, you need to walk in with veni, vidi, vici in mind."

Maybe that's been the gasoline to my fuel.

I've been lucky in that way...

Because being a woman was never an obstacle other than knowing I bled every month and wouldn't be able to play in the pool. It meant I had breasts (big whoop). It meant others would always sexualize my body, but I wouldn't ever be stumped by it.

It all meant that society was weaker than me. I never had to prove anything to anyone; I just had to do me. My foundation was stronger. I knew this. I embodied this.

And I did it all... I never heard a no for being a girl. Childhood and adolescence was good to me in that way. I'm sure other people around me said no, but I never heard it. It never phased me. I came, I saw, I conquered.

I guess I've always had a mentality that a lot of people only expect from men.

I have no need to rely on anyone; I'm strong on my own. I'm like a tsunami you can't escape. My fears don't drive me. I'm not intimidated easily if at all. I'm confident in myself and turn my weaknesses into strengths on instinct. My initiative can't be matched. My aim is unbelievable, and I adapt in a way many people haven't seen before. It doesn't hurt that I'm smart; I'm wiser beyond my years. I never settle, either. I strive for the best and that's driven by ambition... passion. The list could go on, really.

The point is no man or woman has ever made me crack, but I know if they did... I'd get back up. People have always tried to pull me down, but it's never made me even look at them. They don't know just what I have in me... they're too blinded to even look... to really look at me...


Now, I'm surrounded by an even older generation looking at me as nothing but a spoiled little girl who must be looking to bring them down, because that's all they see... it's what they were taught. They don't see me for what I am other than a kid (in their eyes). They see a barely into adulthood girl who thinks she can fill a role which "men are better at." How foolish of me... I couldn't possibly be a leader in any way, right?

They have no clue.

They're the typical societal voice saying that any woman my age is no where near qualified. To them, every accomplishment I've ever had has to be because of my body. I MUST be selling sexual favors. I MUST know someone. I MUST be doing something other than bulldozing with my talent... Not only because I'm young... but I'm a woman. I'm just an image. I'm an empty visual vessel...


Well, being a woman means more than being a show pony.

I love being a woman, and I won't let anyone tell me what the right way to be me is.

Do I enjoy makeup? Yes. Do I enjoy wearing dresses, skirts, etc? Yes. Why can I only be one or the other? I'm both. I'm a strong impressive woman... who also enjoys the more "feminine" aspects of herself. Yes, I'm young, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of success.

I've beat out men my age and older with degrees, and it's been based on my talent. Some people are talented... because I know this may be crazy but a degree is just a paper. A degree means you've put in work, but it doesn't always mean you are able to do the work. Plenty of people out there, men and women, are more qualified for positions than people who have degrees. Do I take advantage of the fact that people do sexualize me, though? Yes. Do I give them a reason to? No. I take opportunities even the ones that are fueled by someone looking at me as just a show pony, and they end up surprised when they see I'm much more than they initially thought... That's the thing... I know how the machine works. I understand it's hard for anyone to see me and believe I'm clever. I'm too kind. I'm too this. I'm too that... but really I'm too woman and too young for anyone to accept me as anything other than a show pony they can all oogle over. A lot of the time respect isn't handed to me like it is to men. I have to commend it, but I'm lucky in the way that I can walk into any room and turn heads. That's half the battle...

I'm the best of "both worlds" and there are so many women like me. I know it. This isn't meant to encourage anyone, because there's nothing to encourage us over. We know what we're capable of. We all know what being a woman is to us. Limitations are for the ignorant, and we're anything but that...

Everyone acts like being a woman is a curse, but it isn't. Is it harder? Sure, but we're all strong here. Will they typically pick the man over us? Sure. Will it be a mistake? If the man wasn't the better option, of course!

That's the thing, though... I'm not here to belittle men. There are plenty of women AND men who are currently more qualified than me. My point is that it's a shame that so many people live in a bubble of these specific limitations towards women.

Anyways, I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be, but most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see.

For me, being a woman has made me stronger, smarter, quicker, more determined, level headed... In many ways defying all odds has made me better than I was ever meant to be, and I can't imagine being anything less than this. I want to do it all, and my gender won't stop me. I want to conquer the world professionally and stand side by side to my counterpart. I want to build a family with him. I want a life with him, and all of that is perfectly fine. I can be anything I want to be, and you can do the same.

Being a woman isn't the curse, being ignorant is.

Feminism, by the way, isn't tearing men down. Women aren't better than men. Men aren't better than women. We all have our struggles, but feminism is an equality issue that affects everyone. We should all be seen and treated as equals.

My brother and I are the product of being raised the same way. We never were stumped by gender roles, and I've never been more proud of our upbringing than I am now. I hope that one day more kids are as lucky as we are, because you might not know us... but I promise you guys we're pretty great.

Xx