Reminder: “Real Women” Come In All Different Forms

Reminder: “Real Women” Come In All Different Forms ©iStock/wundervisuals

The term “real woman” gets thrown around all the time. Even though it’s meant to be an empowering phrase, it always ends up insulting one group or another. That’s why it’s time to learn what being a woman is all about. After all, “real women” come in all different forms:

  1. Heavy or skinny. Drop the phrase “real women have curves.” Girls that are skinny as a rail are just as womanly as girls with thick thighs and hips.
  2. Businesswomen or housewives. As long as you’re doing what makes you happy, don’t let anyone tell you that you should be living your life differently. Feminism is all about doing what you want, regardless of what society pressures you to do.
  3. Confident or insecure. Women who think poorly of themselves aren’t any less valuable than women who strut their stuff. Eventually you’ll learn to embrace your natural beauty, but until you do, you’re still a “real woman.”
  4. Independent or dependent. Yes, independence is all the rage nowadays. However, you’re still a “real woman,” even if you’re still depending on your parents or your partner to pay the rent.
  5. Feminine or butch. It doesn’t matter if you wear sparkly dresses or if you prefer slacks and bow ties. It doesn’t matter if you like to cook or if you prefer to work on cars, either.
  6. Nurturing or self-centered. Despite what you’ve been taught, not all women are meant to be mothers. If you’re not the nurturing type, there’s nothing wrong with you.
  7. Single or married. Your relationship status doesn’t define you as a person, or as a woman. All it does is define whether or not you’re allowed to sleep around.
  8. Submissive or dominant. I doesn’t matter if you’re the bossy type, or if you prefer to be told what to do. Different people have different personalities, regardless of their gender.
  9. Sensitive or stoic. Your job isn’t to cry over chick flicks. If you don’t wear your heart on your sleeve, it doesn’t make you any less of a woman.
  10. Born male or born female. If you identify as a woman, then you’re a “real woman.” It’s as simple as that.
Holly Riordan is a writer from Long Island, New York who has authored several science fiction and horror books. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she has spent nearly a decade writing for publications including Thought Catalog, Huffington Post, Teen Vogue, and more. You can find her on Instagram @hollyrio and Twitter @hollyyrio.
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