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

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