LITERARY
March 2021 Issue
How does it feel to be a woman written by Queenie Mauhay
As I’ve navigated through my life, I’ve witnessed different events that commemorated a girl’s transition into womanhood. From sweet sixteens and debuts to marriage and childbirth, I’ve seen my family come together and celebrate these life-changing experiences. Through it all, I’ve asked myself - is this what it means to be a woman?
Dressing up is everyone’s right. If men can groom themselves without fear, why are women subject to catcalls and violation of safety? Women don't dress themselves up for men to savour. They wear the clothes they are comfortable with for them to express themselves, expound their beauty, and feel confident to present themselves in front of people. Whether the clothes are revealing, I’m telling you, NO. These things are just the baggy, ragged, too short, too long, covers all events in a woman’s life that only value her or shows all of her skin a woman dresses for for her ability to reproduce. This is just how herself first and foremost. society depicts a woman must turn out to be not what a woman should be. A woman has Having a family, a child and even a relationthe capacity to shape her own path, but it has ship is a choice. If one woman decides to build also been a point of ridicule when one claims a family of her own, but the other decides to her power. pursue her career, it’s OKAY. If one agrees to bear a child to take care of and the other deHaving menstruation is a natural process in cides to adopt dogs and cats to treat as her a woman’s body that reshapes her human own child, it’s OKAY. If you enter a relationanatomy. However, periods have been a sub- ship with someone you love, but the other deject for criticism and instigation to degrade cides to focus on herself and grow individualwomen. These hormonal changes are natu- ly without a partner, it’s OKAY. Women can ral, and affect women differently from acne, think for themselves and others just as a man skin discoloration, stretchmarks and fat gain, can. She is not someone people can manipuyet society tells us these effects are anything late in whatever they want nor in what they but. No one has a perfect body. These scars think. people deem as flaws are marks of our beauty ever changing. Beyond the grandiose celebrations for women’s milestones, I have also seen how women A woman having sex is okay. When both par- are made to feel unsafe and helpless when ties are able to give consent, it is not a point these celebrations are over. We need to conof shame. Sex is a need that everyone will ex- tinuously fight for a world where a woman perience at some point of their lives. A wom- can freely decide on her path and be whoever an choosing to have sex at any point in her life she wants without the dictation from others. is not reason for ridicule, yet people always She is not just someone’s shadow. She can raise negative opinion about women who do be strong, she can be delicate, and she can instead of the people who violate the rules of be powerful.A woman is a person and no one consent. can take her humanity away.
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