On womanhood
What does it mean to be a woman? What’s unique to the female experience? What’s beyond boobs, vaginas & periods? Beyond traditional roles of caretakers & birthgivers? What does #girlpower really mean?
#bealady by @girls.girls.girls.magazine reveals some universally female experiences. We know the pressure to be beautiful: the experience of someone commenting on our appearance & marital status is not unfamiliar- too fat, too thin, too boyish, too loud, look natural, dress up, dress down, too many boyfriends, no boyfriend. Knowing these insecurities all too well, we’re used to being watched & we ourselves participate in this spectatorship.
In @girltalk.sg’s podcast with @somethingprivate, we shared common fears- walking home alone late at night, taking the longer route to avoid passing a group of men, the pressure to protect our male counterparts when they do us wrong. Why are women more vulnerable? Assault is a gendered issue: 9 out of 10 rape victims are women. The stats are against us, & yet, I‘m grateful we’re pushing to deepen & raise this conversation for women everywhere.
Amidst our insecurities & vulnerabilities, it takes real strength to rise to the occasion & stand up for what‘s important. I think that’s what womanhood is about. We undertake risks that birth fortitude & tenacity- in which many strong women have shown: Anne Frank, Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, Tarana Burke, Chanel Miller, the list goes on.... Women are vulnerable; we see the best in people which makes us doubt ourselves, we are emotional beings who aren’t afraid to show it. Call us crazy, unhinged, dramatic; but that is precisely why we are strong- strong enough to feel deeply & fight fearlessly.
To the Unconventional Woman: ladies with mastectomies, women in the military, in sports, those who’ve had abortions, those who don’t want kids; single mums, sex workers, trans women, queer women, incarcerated women, coloured women, survivors... you‘re important, you‘re worthy, you‘re enough. Women’s day is every day, it’s for us to encourage each other to be fearless in expressing our rights, emotions & needs. We can spark real change, just never stop talking about it.
