Women, we have a lot of ideas thrown at us about what we should be or how we should act. They are all filled with "yes, but..." statements. This world is constantly trying to fit people into little categories, but this just doesn't work. The world isn't full of one or the other, its actually quite a lot of a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Here are some contradictions that most women have encountered in their life.

Emotions

Ah, yes, the classic case of why women weren't allowed to do anything for the longest time. We apparently had no control of our emotions, or maybe we were just too delicate about our emotions. It's hard to know which one is actually true, but regardless, we were deemed inappropriate to make any decisions in our lives or have any actual say in what was going on in society.

Notice how I use the past-tense in describing this, such as it were the early 1700s and we are all colonial women. But this is still happening. Women are told that if we get a little bit emotional, that it must be "our time of the month." But then, we are also told that if we show limited emotion, especially when it comes to the possibility of creating a family, that these women are just freaks of nature and trying to disturb the natural order. I don't know about y'all, but I feel like I should be able to be however emotional I want to be. Yes, sometimes emotions get the best of me, but don't they to everyone, regardless of gender?

Athletics

Here's an interesting one for you. Women should be able to do what they want, because we are all created equal, or something, right? However, as soon as women start to take the opportunities that are now presented to them, more and more societal rules are thrown at them.

Go out and join a sports team! You have shown that you are capable in the athletic department, if you so choose. But there's a catch: only go out for the sports that are previously designated as "girls sports," otherwise people will label you as being a lesbian (I'm looking at you, softball). Oh, of course you can get past this labeling system by presenting yourself as a little bit more feminine, such as always wearing bows in your hair for your game, and you have to make sure that all the girls on your team have the same ribbons or else the world just might end.

Now, you can be good at your sport, but don't get too good, you wouldn't want to scare any potential mates off because you might be stronger or better than them at something. Also, don't expect the same treatment that your equivalent male team might get. You're going to be doused in pink when you start off young, in the sports world. Trying to find equipment that wasn't covered in this color was incredibly difficult, and it seemed to be the only color, besides from the regular browns or blacks, for young women. Whereas the boys had blues, greens, reds, and whatever other color you could think of. Your team will not just be called whatever your mascot is named, such as the Cardinals. No, we wouldn't want to make it seem like all of our teams have the equal chance to be fierce and show off our skills, so we need to be demoted to being called the "Lady Cards/Cardinals" Yes, we are ladies, but I'm still a part of this school and I don't need to be labeled differently.

Appearance

This is something that seems to be heavily debated, especially when the warmer months come along.

Let's just say that dress codes are a little bit more difficult then we make them out to be. Yes, women should have control of their bodies and wear whatever they feel like wearing. But at the same time, there is a time and place for certain outfits or articles of clothing. It's not an easy line to distinguish from and I have a really hard time trying to discern how I feel in the countless stories I have come across that depict that some young woman was kicked out of school for wearing a shirt that showed her shoulder blades or some cleavage, or for wearing shorts that were deemed too short by some school official.

With that being said, women have been told to dress modestly, for the sole purpose of either: being in a professional environment or, here's my favorite, because we need to leave a little mystery for our male companions that we might want to become sexual with. Again, it's not an easy line to draw, but none of this really is, so let's just say that women should wear what they want.

Makeup has also become a bit of an issue in our society. We see those memes were it is like "bring your girl swimming on the first date so you can see how fake she is." I want to get this across right now: Women are dressing and doing their makeup however they want, because it's what they want to do and it's how they want to look. This is not about you. We put on however much makeup we want, because we think we look good with it on, and it makes us feel good! I love a good red lipstick, but I don't need to wear makeup on a regular basis, but when I do throw on that lipstick or some eyeliner or maybe "put on" my whole face, it's because I want to look good and I want to feel a little better about myself. It's not about my friends or the guy that I'm interested in, it's about me.

These are just a couple of examples that I have found when I look at my own life and consider what I'm being told, from all angles. I might come off as the "crazy feminist" for these views, but just add that to the list of how a women should be.