I listened to a podcast this week that said something to the effect that some people think colleges have become too feminized.  Huh? The interviewer explained, the majority of students are now female (60%) and colleges are too liberal, too politically-correct, etc. Again, huh?

Want to insult a man? Call him a sissy or girly or a pussy.

Even me.  I grew up identifying as a “tomboy.”  I was proud not to be a “girly-girl.”  I still feel that way right now, to be honest.

What is it about femininity that’s so bad?  I am feeling some resistance, so I looked up the word  “feminine” in the dictionary:  traits pertaining to women, females, etc.  But down in definition two is where I found what most people think of with that word, “the embodiment or conception of a timeless or idealized feminine nature.”  

The dictionary doesn’t tell us this, but it may be what we have unconsciously decided.:  I think: soft, pink, weak, submissive, attention on appearance rather than substance, superficial, doesn’t want to get dirty, and vulnerable.  These traits are all comparisons to our conception of the standard as masculinity. Wow! Have I been acculturated.

The more I examine my own beliefs, the more I realize how limiting they have been.  I re-read my own post from a few years back, “You Can’t be a Hero-You’re a Girl!” and I realized my argument (while valid, yes, women can do a Hero’s Journey) was based on not being feminine, but by leveraging our masculine traits.  So, the tomboy women can Journey, but probably not the little princess.  Yikes!

I apologize.  To all the girls and women I judged and looked down upon, I’m sorry.

Photo by Etienne Marais: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-statuette-during-golden-hour-194040/