Ode to being a woman
So proud
I was always proud of being a woman. Ever since I remember myself, a very young girl in my little white dress, which I loved so much. It made me look like a princess. It made me feel like a queen. Beautiful. And strong.
I always loved being a girl, even in difficult times and situations. I also always felt I was born in the wrong place in the wrong present — too early. Many things I liked and wanted to do, weren’t available to girls, or if they were, they weren’t encouraged. My parents, very much ahead of their time, never imposed any limitations and did encourage me to become independent, with my own life and profession.
But being a girl wasn’t always easy. Many times I suffered with words and actions from others, mainly from boys and later from men. I also suffered because of my introversion and shyness, which impaired my self-confidence.
I became aware of the burdens of being a girl when boys began to harass me at school, either because I was ugly, skinny, a nerd, or had hair on my upper lip. Later, when my teenage years brought some more grace to my features, men began to harass me on the street, on the train, on the bus. Everywhere. Even later in life, and to my amazement, when I moved to a Western European country, it continued, this time in the workplace. Words mostly. Profoundly painful. Almost surreal.
My reaction was always to ignore. Neglect. That’s how I defended and protected myself — my mom’s advice when unpleasant things happened or were said. “Just pretend you didn’t hear it, pretend you didn’t understand it” she used to say — she never knew I was harassed. And so I did, I let the words pass undisturbed as if carried away by a friendly breeze. Gone with the wind. And then, I kept going.
Now, I can see how many things have changed… and some haven’t. Yet.
I’m so proud, not only of being a woman, but especially of all the women who are fighting in the front lines, claiming their rights as human beings, as ends not as means, namely in places where such “daring” is severely punished. So proud.
Pictures: Reichswald (Germany)
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