I am proud to be a woman. I appreciate the ‘girly’ things there are in life. I love clothes, flowers, talking, shopping, etc. These are stereotypes that fit some women, not all, but there is so much more to being a woman. You have to be a girl first. Innocent, hopeful, happy, and excited for the future. You see the beauty in anything whether it’s your pet, flowers, clothes, or your friends. I think part of femininity is having your own individual kind of charm. I believe this is built on how/where you grew up and your interests which you find over time. I think gender norms help refine our interests and there is such a vast universe of hobbies. This isn’t necessarily about feminism but rather femininity. I am proud to be a woman and I’ll tell you exactly why.

Women have been undermined pretty much our whole existence, even to this day. Though we have accomplished so much as a gender, we were considered simple minded and weak. As society has developed, women have stood up for themselves because it isn’t hard to recognize our potential. We have had to work as a team and as individuals to prove our potential in school or the workplace, and sometimes while taking care of children at the same time. I think it’s so impressive that women are passionate enough to prove their capabilities by working so hard. And that, my friends, is one of the reasons I am a feminist. I work hard to prove my worthiness in the workplace,

I think something that makes women special is the way we are able to find beauty in everything. We look for the best in people, the details in bouquets, the different colors in a sunset, our own beauty (inside or out) and so much more. I think this attribute allows us to discover our own definition of femininity and how it applies to us. But I appreciate our ability to discover the beauty in whatever we want to. I see beauty in my mother, music, dogs, artwork, nature, people, new cultures and more.  

Men have masculinity, of course. But I see that as something completely different than femininity. There’s a boys club and a girls club, but what differentiates them? I’ll give you my understanding of both. In my mind, the boys club is where ‘boys can be boys.’ This phrase can be taken in a couple different ways. Growing up, boys are seen as chaotic, destructive, and discovering their interest in sports and more. Another way this phrase can be interpreted, is that you shouldn’t be surprised when they do something inappropriate or wrong, even into adulthood. Masculinity can be interpreted in many different ways. Femininity has been associated with being polite, sweet and nurturing. Nowadays, femininity has broken its barriers and can be seen beyond the original stereotypes. But what I think is interesting about these two terms, is how opposite they are. One is surrounded by the idea of being physically and emotionally tough, whereas the counter is seen as softer and kind. These ‘gender norms’ helped me understand the idea of ‘social constructions’. I started thinking about these stereotypes and how they were developed. Who defined women as one and men as the other rather than everyone being a combination of everything? I just think it’s interesting to think about.

I recently watched a video on the differences in relationships between men and women. The trend in male friendships is that there’s a lot of competition and tends to be very surface level. Something I will always appreciate about being a woman is the ability to process our emotions. We are able to emote how we feel maturely and effectively. This video discussed the different ways males and females react to information from friends. Men don’t tell their friends all the exciting things going on in their lives because they don’t think their friends would care or they would be teased. Women on the other hand love to tell their friends news because they know they will be excited and supportive. The comparison of these two relationships were interesting to me and made me thankful to be a woman. It made me realize that I really am excited about all of my friends' successes and whatever’s going on in their lives. You should want to celebrate your friends' victories rather than being jealous or knocking them down. Female friendships are one of the most beautiful things in the world.

Women aren’t perfect. Obviously. I know I’m hyping us up a lot in this (well deserved after how long men have been praised) but I know we have our flaws. I’ve had my fair share of mean girls and b*tches throughout my life and acknowledge the bitterness that some girls hold. But there is also so much beauty in being a woman. We are able to doll ourselves up and present our most confident selves. You can have a picnic with friends on a lovely day, dance parties alone in your room, a spa night after telling your friends you can’t go out cause you’re sick, or a craft night with the whole group chat and so so much more! It’s a beautiful thing to be a woman. I wouldn't want to be anyone else rather than me.