Being a woman has its highs and lows. We are expected to meet certain criteria to be considered “womanly” at times and it’s easy for that “title” to be attained. Unfortunately, such is life in the average life of women in our society.

Wearing makeup, dressing feminine, eating neatly, playing sports that are not too masculine and just acting feminine in general is something that a lot of women struggle to meet when they want to be considered “womanly”. Unfortunately, for many women, failure to adhere to these ideals make them feel less of a woman. I am one of those women.

I always viewed that dressing comfortably was far more favorable than dressing stylishly. Makeup is exhausting and time-consuming to put on. Also, it’s expensive AF.

I’ve been known to put a couple of men in their place when it came to eating chicken wings and I’m a proud rugby player. All of these things made it easier for me to gain men as friends and also made me “one of the guys”. While I greatly enjoyed becoming “one of the guys”, there was a small tinge of sadness inside me that reminded me that I was a straight woman and it was far easier for men to view me as a friend than someone they would date.

So I say to any woman who is questioning if they are enough of a woman for a man to want to date them, don’t question it. The right man will come along and view all those qualities as strengths and maybe even favor them over the more feminine ladies anyways.

So to all women who think that they aren’t woman enough, one quality of a strong woman is someone who isn’t afraid to be a little more masculine. If women weren’t made to break barriers and beat stereotypes, we’d still all be enslaved into forced marriages, doing what were told and only speaking when spoken to.