What Does it Mean to be a Woman?
Do You Know What it Means to be a Woman?
Recently, a young man told me he was a woman. I have known him since he was a toddler and I never got the impression that he was a girl or in the wrong body. He was a rough and tumble kind of kid with that devilish look in his eye. Not that there aren’t girls like that, but I never thought of him as a girl. He is in college now and still gives me the impression of being a man. There is nothing about him, except for his words, that would lead me to believe that he is a woman.
I asked him a question: “What is a woman? How do you know you’re a woman?”
His response was, “I feel like a woman.”
To which I replied, “What does it mean to be a woman or to feel like a woman?”
He didn’t have another answer. Then I tried to answer that question myself. And I couldn’t. I don’t know what it means to be a woman.
So now I’m asking you, readers.
What does it mean to be a woman?
I’m more interested in a woman’s point of view, but if you’re a man and you want to answer, I’m listening. I’ll be asking you soon what it means to you to be a man.
I know it’s an odd question, and I’ve asked many of my friends, but I have not found anyone so far who can give me a satisfying answer. Most of them stare into space and shrug their shoulders. The following is a list of responses I’ve gotten so far.
Biology
· I have breasts and a vagina
· I have curves
· I have a womb, ovaries, and a uterus
· I menstruate
· I went/going through menopause
· I am/have been pregnant
· I gave birth to children
Nature
· I am maternal
· I am nurturing
· I feel feminine (and what does that mean?)
· I like dressing as a woman (fashion)
External Feedback
· I was raised as a girl
· I feel powerless in the world
· I don’t make as much money as a man
· That’s what I am told
· That’s how men treat me
· I have a husband
· My children call me mom
To further help you, here is an article that might (or might not) help:
What Does it Mean to be a Woman? by Bri Seeley of The Huffington Post
Please respond in the comments section. You can use the answers in the lists or add your own. Feel free to share this with other people. I will be posting my results.
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