If there's one phrase guaranteed to piss me off, it's that one. Really, "real women" catch-phrases, period. Since when is a "real woman" any one thing?
Are female athletes not "real women"? How about hyperthyridic women? Or women with breast cancer, emaciated from chemo-induced nausea? Are women suffering from anorexia or bulimia nervosa not real women?
Real women do not have curves, or ribs they can count, or blond hair or brown hair or red hair or blue hair, or dark skin or fair skin or freckles, or long legs or short legs or big asses or thin hips, or anything else that can be summed up on a t-shirt. And any woman who DOES need to be validated by a catch phrase, probably ISN'T a real woman, but a scared little girl who can't find it within herself to be safe and comfortable in her own skin.
Real women are strong and waifs, short and tall, fat and skinny, thick and thin, dark and fair, elegant and tomboyish, refined and redneck, smart and sporty, flat and busty. They are passionate and demure, loving and spiteful, joyful and angry, hurt and strong, mysterious and transparent, generous and needy, wise and foolish, and any combination thereof -- and never the same combination twice.
It might not fit on a bumper sticker, but at least it's the God's honest truth.
Comments (632)
You are absolutely right! Thank you for your post!
Real women give me fake phone numbers . . .
@shadowsofthought -
Quick tip: If there are only six digits, she's not that into you.
@GermanWrench - :D
You're right.
I made a post about my frustration with clothes shopping a couple of weeks ago, complaining about not being able to find anything to fit my body. I did state that women have curves. I realized later that not all women do, and everyone has a hard time finding things that fit sometimes. It just seems like those of us who do carry a little extra weight on our hips and thighs have a harder time lately...
P.S. - Not all women with eating disorders are thin. I just thought I should point that out and save us from another dangerous generalization.
Amen! Excellent post!
HAHA, THANK YOU.
This is a link to a preview of Mo'Nique's book Skinny Women are Evil. Read the first few pages that they let you. It pissed me off so much the first time I read it. As one customer review said, why is it okay to put down one type of person to make another feel better? http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0743464710/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link
real women have vaginas and don't undergo testosterone injections
Female Simpsons characters are what I consider real women.
Your basic premise is something I definitely agree with, for sure. But I'm curvy, and I'm definitely a woman
@FreeeVerse - Yeah, me too. I have great curves.. But i don't need these to be a real woman. :] I'm a real woman, that much is for sure... Yey to real women!!!
Right on. :)
@FreeeVerse -
me too! I think I'm going to lose mine when I start running again :( but I'll still have the same chromosomes
@adifferentkindofbeautiful - LOLOLOL
Not sure how I got here...but amen to this.
Well put.
Well said. ~ L
Right on.
it's interesting - when people try to escape the trappings that come with being labeled one way (i.e. women should look one way or the next), they run to the trappings of another label ("real women" really have curves, etc.) instead of rejecting labels altogether. its all about not trying to fit women or into a category or label - and embracing each woman for what they are - a real individual.
That was awesome.
"Real [blank] are this" tends to exclude people - and who likes to be excluded or told what they are or aren't? As for "real women have curves" I'd point out that many things have curves - are those really women? Thank you for standing against stigmas and stereotypes.