"Being" a Woman in the US

The #YesAllWomen posts from last week made me reflect on "being" a woman.

It’s very challenging being a woman in the US, because there’s so much “being” to it. Men just seem to “be” without working so hard at “being.” The messages from our society, filtered in large part by the media, are so mixed for women. Be sexual but don’t be a slut—or a virgin. Be beautiful but don’t focus on your looks. Be brilliant but not too much. Be kind but not a push over. Be strong, but don’t be a bitch, never mind, don’t be strong, you’ll be a bitch. Embrace who you are, but don’t look over 30 doing it. And on and on…

Men just seem to be able to be without any judgment, or far less of it.

Or so it seems right now.