For Every Woman...

For ages, women have been complaining about sexism, masochism, discrimination, abuse - all because, and in the name of our gender. We claim that men have always had the easier time of it. Which is true, to a certain extent.

But what of men? I got an inkling as to the other side of the coin when I came across this one:


For Every Woman...
by Nancy R. Smith.

For every woman who is tired of acting weak when she knows she is strong;
There is a man who is tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

For every woman who is tired of acting dumb;
There is a man who is burdened with the responsibility of ‘knowing everything’.

For every women who is tired of being called an ‘emotional female’;
There is a man who is denied the right to weep and be gentle.

For every woman who is called unfeminine when she competes;
There is a man for whom competition is the only way to prove he is masculine.

For every woman who is tired of being a sex object;
There is a man who must worry about his potency.

For every woman who feels ‘tied down’ by her children;
There is a man who is denied the full pleasure of parenthood.

For every woman who is denied meaningful employment and equal pay;
There is a man who must bear the financial responsibility for another human being.

For every woman who was not taught the intricacies of an automobile;
There is a man who was not taught the satisfaction of cooking.

For every woman who takes a step towards her own liberation;
There is a man who finds that the way to freedom has been made a little easier.

What Women Want (or the story of my first Mylot-inspired trance)

My friend, reezluv posted a discussion on Mylot, and in response, the words emerging from my typing fingers brought back memories of the rabid feminist stronghold that used to be yours truly.

How odd. It seemed almost as if I were weaving back and forth in an ouija board-inspired trance. Have I sublimated all those sentiments which just that very moment, chose to prance staccato-like off the keyboard? Doubly odd, since this is the happiest I have ever been, in what I fondly call my post-feminist era.

reezluv asked: "What do women really want?" And this is what I answered:

As a woman I want to be:

1) Respected for my mind and not for my body and its capacity to do housework.

2) Taken seriously for my work and my ability to lead, and not because I'm a pretty face.

3) Loved and cherished as a wife, partner and co-decision maker, and not because I keep a reasonably clean and organized household.

4) Desired as a passionate lover, and not because I am a hole to fill, whenever, wherever.

5) Adored as a mother who does the best for her children despite stress and exhaustion, lack of sleep and lack of money.

6) Looked up to as a good example of compassion and kindness, honesty and fairplay, proper grammar and good table manners.

7) Accepted if not loved, as a daughter, sister, friend and neighbor, despite my quirks, temper and inherent weirdness.

8) Above all, I want to continue to do my best to be a child of God's heart.

I think I must've come back into myself at the last four numbers.

Triple odd.