Saturday, November 10, 2007

I enjoy being a girl

In another forum, the question was recently raised as to what traits you have that are masculine and what traits are feminine?

MASCULINE

  • Shop with purpose
  • Hate asking strangers for directions
  • Money cannot buy my happiness
  • Independent
  • Ambitious, daring
  • Love the outdoors
  • Good at science and math
  • Dress for comfort more than fashion
  • Prefer honesty
  • Enjoy action, drama, and intellectual films
  • Logical
  • Prefer clean and neat over floral and frilly
  • Enjoy science-fiction
  • Prefer backpacks/messenger bags to purses
  • Enjoy sports
FEMININE

  • Nurturing
  • Love hair and makeup
  • Teacher
  • Love the arts
  • Love dressing up on occasion
  • Shoes
  • Fairies, butterflies, fantasy
  • Hate stupid humor
  • Love romantic comedies and escapism
  • Cook
  • Clean
  • Romantic
  • Potentially giggly
  • Enjoy fragant bath and body products
  • Move like a woman

I'm actually reluctant to answer the question. I do consider myself a woman, and a feminist (not a militant feminist, mind you), but I don't feel it necessary to delineate my traits as one thing or another. I understand studying the history of gender identity, but the future is that we're all parts of both. I am more interested in what makes a person a person, not a guy or a girl. If we're trying to get past stereotypes and generalizations, not answering questions like this is a good place to start. As I've discussed before, we are all so unique that we should be more concerned about that person, not a whole group of people that may or may not be like that person. There is some scientific evidence that we are both with certain gender traits, and a study of that I can support. But looking at stereotypes and trying to fit ourselves in them seems backwards to me.

It's okay with live within those stereotypes, but they shouldn't define us. I'm a woman. I cry. I don't cry because I'm a woman, I cry because something has made sad, angry, or blissfully happy. Everyone else, male or female, should be allowed to do the same, in any situation.

Now I am a librarian, and I do try to organize materials into specific categories which they may or may not fit in. But people? It just doesn't sit well with me. We are living, breathing, ever-changing things, and trying to categorize us is an exercise in futility.

Comments are welcome. I may not agree with you, but I'll certainly listen to your opinion.

2 comments:

Emily said...

I agree with most of that. To be honest though, I do sometimes define myself as being girly. It kind of helps me to understand who more about me when I embrace the fact that some of my qualities really are uniquely feminine.

AmandaStretch said...

That's totally okay! I do the same thing. There's no problem with embracing that and making it part of you. What I don't agree with is doing something just because you're a girl, or not allowing yourself or whatever. Make sense?