As I slid into my Honda this morning draped in my computer bag and purse and trying not to spill my coffee, my purse handle caught on the door and very nearly strangled me to death like it had a life of its own and a vendetta against me. Well, slight exaggeration, I was never in any true peril and my purse is rather fond of me. But it occurred to me there are a multitude of ways we women sabotage ourselves while going about the ordinary maneuverings of our days. As a feminist, I ask myself the following questions:
- Why am I constantly apologizing for things that aren’t my fault?
- Why do I hold myself and other women to a double standard?
- Why do I slip into traditionally female tasks without question?
- Why do I feel like people have to like me all the time?
It dawned on me that perhaps it has to do with the path of least resistance. Life is much easier when we take on the roles that people expect of us. People like me with rainbow sprinkles and powdered sugar. They are uncomfortable with me when I’m assertive. Heck, I’m not always comfortable with that.
What I would tell myself if I were younger and had it all to do over?
If they want you to be feminine but you feel ferocious, be a lioness.
If they want you to be delicate but you have a fire in your belly, be an inferno.
If they want you to be soft but you feel like steel, be a skyscraper.
If they want you to be quiet but you feel like screaming, be a sonic boom.
SuzyQZ Writer 
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