Saturday 6 July 2013

What Is Femininity?

Last week I asked myself the question what is femininity? Another question I asked myself is am I feminine? When I think about someone who is feminine I generally think about someone who is dainty, pretty, gentle... that's my perception. When I think about all these things I feel that I myself don't fit that mold. I desperately want to feel feminine but lately I feel out of place, uncomfortable and awkward, especially when in front of people, and generally im in front of people. I work with the public and I perform on a regular basis which makes shrinking into the back ground (the thing i feel most comfortable doing lately) very difficult. I was at work last week and my coworker was sitting at the desk (diligently working) and i noticed that the way she was sitting with her legs crossed, perfect posture, she looked so feminine, and it made me look at myself slumped on the couch trying to sink as far into it as humanly possible so i could cover parts of myself that i want to keep hidden. I feel like i have turned into some kind of androgynous person who tries to pretend they are a woman but dosn't quite believe it when they look into a mirror. Ahhhhhh I had no idea how depressing this posting was going to be! So I guess what i'm trying to ask is what do you see as femininity. And please write me back and tell me what you think whether on facebook, twitter, or the actual blog site. I would like to hear from all of you (men or women... not that i think many men read this blog besides bill, and i make him read it!) I pride myself on being a feminist. I have feminist values, work in a feminist environment, and believe that the fact I am a woman shouldn't hold me back from any thing in life, but that's not the same thing as being feminine... at all. I'm finding myself being very nervous about the actual surgery right now, the closer it gets to the fall the more nervous I get. But with that I have the dual emotion of feeling anxious that it is never going to get here. I have decided not to buy any more clothes because if feels like a waste when in a few months i'm going to be shrinking at a quick rate, but this leaves me with the problem that I have absolutely no clothes to wear for the summer. Its a very complex situation! I also find myself doing what I promised myself I wouldn't do anymore, living for after surgery and not living in the now. Its difficult to do that though when surgery is getting close and I know I don't have a whole lot longer to wait. Feels like im constantly in limbo. Oh the dilema! Me and bill have also written this summer off as a working summer so we can get as many shifts in as possible during our busy time, this makes the rest of the year manageable for us, which means my boys are having the time of their lives with the grandparents... lucky little guys. But missing them is so painful that it actually physically hurts. I get a dull ache in my chest when I see the pics of families spending time together and enjoying the best months of the year. (ok off topic AND depressing). But that's where I am honestly right now. lets hope that my next blog post is more inspiring... but I do want you to let me know what you think femininity is or even if you feel feminine... maybe 'not the only one. Here is a Pic of the best little things in my life and by far the best part of my summer sorry again for the lack of paragraphs... I swear they are there when I compose the blog!

4 comments:

  1. I think femininity has been skewed over the ages - as you say, the dainty, pretty little things that seem to float on lavender breezes seem to be the height of femininity. However; being a person who feels more comfy in jeans and a t-shirt (and usually men's jeans since I have long legs) and who wouldn't know how to be a girly girl if my life depended on it, I think femininity is more to do with integrity, modesty, graciousness, and compassion than it does with "looking" feminine. Of course, my hubby calls me a "50's housewife" to be funny and so i'm the furthest thing from a feminist, but i think that loving your family and doing what God has set before you to do is the most important thing - when I was a kid I always liked my mom's hands... that was what made her feminine to me.

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  2. thank you monica... what a beautiful description of what feminism means... love the mention of your moms hands...

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  3. Hi Amanda,
    I think that being feminine is an attitude. You FEEL pretty, you FEEL sexy and you hold your head up high. A woman that smiles, that is always kind with her words and that will always be there for the important people in her life, also transmits confidence. Yes, a confident woman, with the right attitude is a feminine woman. It has nothing to do with how one looks physically and everything to do with how one behaves.....

    Love reading your blog!
    SSW :)

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  4. Thank you ssw! Love your definition of femininity :)

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