This week’s blog is gears towards the men of the world. This blog’s purpose is not to say that the female sex is superior sex but instead to shine light on what it means to be a woman into day’s world.
In some of my African America Women & Their Image blogs I looked at what it was meant to be an African American woman in America. However, simply being a woman is worth talking about.
What is it like to wake up every morning and do your hair?
What about doing your make up?
Or how about how does it feeling to have almost every inch of your body sexualized?
How is it to experience the wonder of birth of life? Or receive those lovely monthly gifts that we receive like clockwork?
These are all things that men won’t ever be able to experience. Some would say they are lucky while others would say they are missing out on some of life’s treasures. Who knows?! I say that men should at least have a seek preview into the life if a woman. So I wrote a short letter to the men of the world telling them just a tiny bit about what it means to be a woman.
~~~
Dear men-
So I’m am a woman! What a shocker! I happen to have shoulder length hair and wear light makeup during the week. It usually takes me about an 30-45 minutes to get dressed each morning. I spend about 10 minutes on my hair and 15 on my makeup. The other time goes into showering and picking out clothes.
On the days that nature has delivered her lovely monthly gift I promise I don’t mean to be so irritable but when I tell you it’s the hormones… IT’S THE HORMONES!!! I CAN’T HELP IT! You can only image what the infamous cramps that you here us talking about actually feel like. Image a constant knife in your lower stomach just chilling out there. No matter what way you stand or sit its stays in the same spot with the same streaking pain.
Despite that we still try to put a smile on our face. We still try to be the nurturing, loving, and caring beings we truly are.
Sometimes we feeling great and think we are the best thing since sliced bread then other times we can’t really seem to figure out why everything we put on is too big or too small or simply not right.
What about how we view you guys?
Some of us love you. Some of us can’t stand you. Some of us could care less either way. As for those of us who have a love hate feeling towards you male beings it is so hard for us to articulate what it is about you all that makes us fall in love and get all crazy while wanting to drive you up a wall.
Though this isn’t the story for every female but this does apply to many of us. It’s still probably difficult for you guys to understand what it’s like to be a female but this is a sneak preview.
Just remember IT’S THE HORMONES!!!
Yours truly,
The females of the world
Interesting concept. As a woman myself, however, I have a small issue with some of the generalizations. As much as I understand your disclaimer that this is not a description of every woman, it seems excessively one-sided. I think it is important to constantly promote the idea of each group of people being diverse and thus hard to understand as a whole; the group contains individuals that each have their own problems.
For example, while I appreciate the compassion those around me, both male and female, have for my hormones, I do not believe that my actions are independent of my responsibility because of heightened emotions. Just because I am more annoyed with my friends for a week, does not mean I have the right to snap at them. Also, hormones can still reflect actual, genuine feelings. It is important not to dismiss something one is upset about just because one is more upset than they usually would be.
Also, many women do not wear makeup, and that is important to address. I rarely put on any makeup. And I cut my hair short for the express purpose of being able to run a hand through it as I leave my building.
Understanding uncontrollable physical symptoms of periods is helpful. It is also important to point out that it varies woman to woman. I have been fortunate to have few cramps, and those that I do have are not searing pain. However, I have had friends who stayed home from school because they couldn’t leave their beds. (By the way, there is medicine that can sometimes help with that that is totally worth looking into)
It is ever important to remind the opposite sex that women are a complex group of people. Not better, not worse, not the all the same, and certainly not “too confusing for men to understand.”
Every individual human being is complex. That is why it is important that we communicate these complexities.