What I Want Men To Know About Women

William Golding said, "I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men; they are far superior and always have been." This quote gives me a sense of female power and I personally love it.

But honestly, I would not be a true feminist if I said one gender is superior to another. What I do believe is that men and women have their differences, and we most likely will never understand the other gender's point of view, unless we become them. Women face a lot of issues that men might sometimes overlook because they are not subjected to the same struggles/issues. And with every word I write, I am quite aware that I am in an age where every word I say will be picked apart, ensuring that I give complete fairness to every gender. I do not want to belittle any genders, but I believe men and women do have differences to deal with. And since I am a woman, I can only tell you my side.

Dear men, I wish you knew what kind of struggles women have to face. You might not be able to empathize, but please try to sympathize with some of our struggles.

I want to be the woman who does not shave her armpits and throws leg hair to the wind when I am out in my shorts. Believe me, sometimes I do go out with unshaven armpits and hairy legs, but every time I do that, it feels like I am doing something rebellious. I wish men understood there is some pressure of only exposing hairless skin. People might not complain about it, but it has been ingrained as part of a woman's beauty regimen. Men might not even be aware that shaving is an actual struggle since it is not a societal norm for them to shave their bodies. Just think of how frequently it must be done: the time and money put into shaving is not so nice.

There are other, more serious struggles that women handle. Something about mother nature's lovely reminders that we are not pregnant. Surprise surprise, it's full of misery.

Periods are painful excretions that throw our mood, makes us eat differently, gives us extra pimples and much more. Please do not view this blood-shed as taboo. It's as natural as my heartbeat. I do not ask for my heart to beat, it just does, and I don't control the rhythm. I do not control the severity of my period and I do not control when it happens. Let me complain about the side effects without the shy looks and rude comments. It's not an easy time, but it will keep on happening for a long time. The faster we establish its existence and side effects, the faster we can move on to more important things, like eating.

Then there are the times, the countless times, where men will stare at you and make you feel like today might be the day you get sexually harassed or raped. Sure, I work out, I have some tricks up my sleeve for counter attacks if a man tries to harass me. But can I be sure that these things will work? When I walk alone I feel naked. Men will stare and I will look away pretending I don't see the sexual glances, but inside I am fearful that this time, he or they, will hurt me. If we are sensitive to the looks or approaches, it's because we fear unwanted touches and might not have the strength to stop it.

Then there are the societal pressures women today seem to be facing. There is a transition in the role that women play in society and how active they are in the workforce.

The pressures to be superwoman are growing today. Women have taken on some of the most powerful roles in the work-world, our mental capabilities are human like those of men (surprise). But society wants us to inherit extra roles with the same power we do with our jobs. The role of being a sex goddess, the role of being the home-chef, the role of being the perfect mother and please do not forget pampering the husband. If a woman falters in one or another, she is put under a microscope. It's not wrong to be superwoman, it's ideal. Just please, for the sake of sanity, don't expect us to perfect all of these things and pass judgment when one role fails.

There are many more issues women face that men might not understand. Honestly, these are just a few key points that come to mind that I think most women want men to understand. And if you already understand these things, then I commend you. Go on and learn about something else.