We are living in a day and age where people’s thoughts, opinions, experiences, documentation can be found within mere minutes via social media. We are surrounded by images and mottos of what we should do, what we shouldn’t do, what others feel is right and wrong, and everything in between. As a woman living in 2018, it can be difficult to navigate what womanhood should look like. This isn’t a sob blog post nor is it a scolding one. It’s food for thought and a means to honor and celebrate the very essence of what it means to be a woman.

I’m going to throw out a super radical notion for women—what would you feel like if society celebrated and appreciated all aspects of womanhood and not just some?

I am a woman…

And I will never breastfeed a baby at home or in public or wherever. And that is just fine.

I am a woman…

And even in a society who so greatly celebrates men (specifically white men), I still would choose to be a woman any day.

I am a woman…

And I wasn’t even sure that I wanted children (biologically, adopted, etc.) until I was in my 30s. And guess what, some days relinquishing control over my life to children still scares the shit out of me.

I am a woman…

And I am in a career that is still female dominated but my salary is still less than that of a man.

I am a woman…

And I will not carry on my bloodline. My children will not have my freckles across their nose or my slight features. And I’m fine with that, but I appreciate how hard it will be on my future children and for society to accept our differences.

I am a woman…

And I won’t experience a colicky baby or staying up all night due to feedings and infant cries.

I am a woman…

And I love to celebrate, communicate with, and embrace the strong women in my life.

I am a woman…

And my body isn’t and won’t be a “vessel” for human life and it is still worthy and a miracle.

I am a woman…

And although I’m choosing not to have biological children, I don’t have to feel sad about it. Although society really can’t seem to understand that.

I am a woman…

And I recognize that although being a woman is hard, it is that much more difficult for a woman of color and women of color deserve to be acknowledged, celebrated, and embraced for their womanhood as well.

I am a woman…

And I am tired that sometimes the only acknowledgement women get is through motherhood or marriage. This takes away from the women who have poured their heart and soul into a career they have always dreamt of. It takes away from the woman whose world is her playground and for her, children or a husband don’t fit into a life of travel. It takes away from the woman who desperately wants biological children but can’t have them and the woman who desperately would love to find her soul mate but hasn’t yet. It takes away from women who aren’t apart of the “club” of motherhood or marriage.

I am a woman…

And I believe motherhood can look many different ways. I believe it’s okay for a woman to: breastfeed, formula feed, become a mother via embryo adoption, become a mother via adoption, wear a baby in a carrier, feed only organic food, feed the best food one can afford, and do whatever she deems necessary and in the best interest of her family.

I AM A WOMAN…

And it is about damn time that we start to include all women in this “sisterhood” of womanhood.

Bottom line, I’m proud to be a woman. And I plan to celebrate my womanhood by embracing other women for all the wonderful things that make them a woman—for motherhood, for marriage, for their intelligence, for their courageousness, for their ability to dominate male dominated careers, for their willingness to stay home and raise their children, for their ability to stand in their own fierceness, for traveling the world and experiencing other cultures, for being them.

 

Being a woman is simplex.

~Chelsea