Think like a Man? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Think like a Man... pfft....
When did Feminism become a secret society? Either you're in, or you're out. You either are, or aren't. You're either a Feminist, or a Chauvinist.
Wait. First, do we even know what the hell we're talking about? Let's check the dictionary.
Feminist: advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men.
Chauvinist: a person who believes one gender is superior to the other.
(Let it be stated for the record that according to the definition, Feminists can also be Chauvinists. For now, we'll just put that little tidbit on the side.)
So a Feminist wants equality with men. It's no secret that in America, women are not equal with men. In fact, in America, the perfect person is a white male (again, so as not to ruffle any feathers and start a different debate, let's just put this comment over on the side with the Feminist Chauvinists). Women get paid less for the same work. We have fewer opportunities or have to work extra hard for the same opportunities. With all of this, we are expected to bear and raise children and run households just like our ancestors.
If you don't believe this is true, then you've become an expert at turning a blind eye. If you don't want to believe this is true, stop reading.
Women really are the superior sex. Yes, I am biased because I am woman. If you need to ask why (hint: do so with caution), my main point is that we can bleed for a week straight, once a month, and not die. We have the ability to grow another human being. ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. That comes from us. Not only that, but we can then nourish said human being with nothing but our own bodies in the form of milk. I, for one, am willing to take a pay cut in order to have those facts on my resume. You may take my salary, but you'll never take my biological awesomeness.
Does this make me a Feminist? Ha! I'm a Midwestern housewife. I spend my time raising my three babies, cooking, and cleaning. I've been barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen more than a few times. Does this make me the opposite of a Feminist? Is anyone else sick of hearing that word?
Almost every young woman, in the course of her life, will have to make a choice. Either children and family or career. I had to make the choice. I'd like to say that's why I'm not a doctor, but the truth behind that is that I'm not smart enough, dedicated enough or focused enough for a career like that. However, I knew that I wanted a family and that I couldn't have the best of both worlds, so I made a choice.
Now before I get any more eye rolls, I made a choice. This is not to say that every single woman has to either be a housewife or have a career. Most women have the career and children and do it all (I'd say this is another reason for us being the superior sex, but most men do this too). I knew that I couldn't do it all and have it all. It just wasn't in me. I have limited focus, and I had to choose where to put that focus.
When I was working, the statement that started this whole little ditty was my motto. And I got a lot of flack for it but never really understood why. After working in a field where the upper tiers were primarily composed of men, here is my defense.
Dress like a Woman. Marilyn Monroe is quoted as saying "You're clothes should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to show you're a lady." How a person dresses says a lot about them. I like myself, so I want to dress myself to look nice. It just turns out that I also have hips and boobs and calf muscles that look awesome in heels. I'm a woman, so I'm going to dress like a woman and not have any shame in it. If a woman - scratch that - if a Person walks into a board meeting in sweat pants, no one will take them seriously. Put that person in business attire and people pay attention. Appearances matter, people, whether you have ovaries or not.
Act like a Lady. A lady is refined, polite and well spoken. She is quiet and knows how to get her point across without raising her voice. Being a lady is an art form. It doesn't mean you take any crap just because of your gender. It means you can give the crap back in tenfold and leave the other person wondering what just happened. Winston Churchill once said "Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip." Being a lady is being chock full of tact.
Think like a Man. This is the one that gets all the Feminists our there blazing. Think like a Man. What the... No really. Think like a man. Try it. It's liberating. Why? They don't care about emotions. Okay, they care, just not in the same way women do. Scientifically, men and women are different when it comes to emotions. This isn't society talking, it's brain structure and chemicals. The statement simply means to take the emotion out of an equation. Look at the facts. When making a decision, a woman will take another persons emotions into consideration. Men generally don't, at least not to the extent that women do. I was best at my management job when I wasn't pregnant. I was able to take an unbiased approach and look at situations without crying. When I was pregnant and surging with hormones, everything was based on feeling. Not good.
Work like a Boss. Now we've all had that kind of boss that doesn't seem to do much work. These aren't the bosses we're talking about. We're talking about the kind of bosses that lead by example, that have worked their way into their position and not forgotten the journey. The ones that are first to roll up their sleeves and get to work. That is the type of boss we all should strive to be. Work like a boss means to work the hardest because you have the biggest plate of anyone to fill.
Women really are the superior sex. Maybe not in the corporate world or the political world or the financial world. Yes, we have to work twice as hard sometimes and make sacrifices. And that is why we are superior. We work twice as hard, we make the sacrifices, we take the pay cut and we keep going. We are women. We are resilient. We keep going.
Marilyn Monroe also said that "Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." Such a true statement on so many levels. We are not equal with men. We have the ability for so much more, and we show that in so many ways on a daily basis.
Am I a Feminist? A Chauvinist? Are they the same thing?
I am woman.
Now here me roar.
