Why My Femininity is Not Synonymous With Weakness
Why My Femininity is Not Synonymous With Weakness
I love the color pink, sundresses, painting my nails, smelling like a walking marshmallow, and watching “The Bachelor.” I am the epitome of what is classified as a “girly girl.” But in addition to my myriad of girly attributes and behaviors, I love organizing and planning events, taking charge, learning in my chemistry class, reading and analyzing literature, and speaking my mind. The latter list of things can come as a surprise, but I cannot emphasize enough that being a strong, smart woman and being feminine are not mutually exclusive entities.
I’m tired of hearing “You’re so girly for a feminist!”or “You’re too pretty to be smart!” or “You’re so opinionated for a woman, especially an Asian one!” Why has our society instilled the belief that one’s physical traits will be an indicator for everything else? Surface level characteristics don’t dictate who I am or how I act; my preference in color, movie genre, clothing, etc. does not detract from my strength.
Who I am should not and will not act as a limit to my potential or confine who I can be. Why? Because my strength is not defined by how close to the stereotype of a man I come to. I don’t need to like the color blue, wear a suit, or have short hair in order to be “strong” or a “leader” (not to say that if I wanted to I couldn’t, because I definitely could.) If someone has characteristics that fall outside of the idealized “norm,” that does not make him/her less than or less valuable or less qualified.
We need to end and stop these stereotypes about what type of person is able to be something and what type of person isn’t. Enough with fictitious criterias that society has created to limit our own lives. I’m tired of hearing about what a Christian, Asian American, feminist is supposed to be. It’s time that we break from these stereotypes and realize that various groups of people can be different, and still be equal-- this is why my femininity is not synonymous with weakness.