On Being a Woman
Image courtesy: Strike Magazine Tallahassee
Being a woman is beautiful.
It’s putting blush on your nose to feel pretty and
Making your friends feel your smooth, freshly shaved legs.
It’s feeling emotions so deeply it hurts.
It’s dancing in the rain,
Holding hands platonically, and
Being the “mom” of the group.
It’s planning outfits days in advance.
It’s journaling to try to make sense of your thoughts.
It’s braiding your teammates’ hair and
Telling your friend to keep the shirt she borrowed because it looks better on her.
It’s getting coffee in your pajamas and debriefing the night before.
It’s giving the girl who’s mean to you your last tampon.
It’s watching Gilmore Girls,
Playing dress up, and
Drinking kombucha out of a wine glass.
It’s buying yourself flowers.
It’s being gentle and bold; edgy and elegant.
It’s watching a couple leave the bar to make sure the girl is safe, and
Befriending strangers in the bathroom.
It’s instinctively knowing how to hold a baby.
It’s skinny dipping in the ocean, and
Giggling at a sleepover.
It’s believing the woman when men won’t.
It’s enjoying bubble baths,
Reading poetry, and
Spending years finding your signature scent.
It’s driving with the windows down as a form of therapy.
It’s syncing cycles with your roommates and
Sending long voice memos to your best friend.
It’s being a mother.
It’s communicating with the raise of an eyebrow,
Playing jazz while you're making coffee, and
Feeling at peace in nature.
Being a woman is beautiful.
Being a woman is exhausting.
It’s only having your jokes laughed at when they’re retold by a man, and
Being spoken over in class.
It’s being asked your body count.
It’s growing up too quickly.
It’s having your autonomy at the liberty of politicians, and
Losing the last name you grew up with.
It’s changing into oversized gym clothes because your tank top is distracting.
It’s being expected to break the glass ceiling.
It’s coercion.
It’s being told you’re a “tease” if you change your mind.
It’s having anxiety being at the gas station alone, and
Holding your keys between your fingers in the parking lot.
It’s dimming your light so that you aren’t too much for other people.
It’s being told to look pretty but to not try too hard.
It’s being put into boxes, and
Having to explain why you aren’t interested.
It’s being told to smile more.
It’s checking your backseat before getting in the car, and
Pretending to be on the phone if you hear footsteps behind you.
It’s being identified as your father’s daughter or husband’s wife, and
Feeling valued only when helping others.
It’s being angry all the time.
It’s hearing that insecurity is unattractive but
Being “too confident” is too.
It’s being asked what you were wearing when it happened.
It’s worrying about bringing a daughter into this world who will have to experience all of this for herself.
Being a woman is exhausting.
Strike Out,
Writer: Sarah Gibson
Editor: Jayna O
Graphic Designer: Kelly Hammer
Tallahassee