By Alyssa Crutcher

What does it mean to be a woman?

Does it mean staying quiet? Sitting in the back? Twirling your hair between your fingers aimlessly not to come off as anything but ditzy? Does it mean sitting with your legs crossed? Maintaining a perfect image of femininity loud enough to get a man’s attention but not loud enough to take the attention away from him? 

Women are made to feel that their worth hinges upon their ability to blend seamlessly into the background, their voices a mere whisper in the cacophony of life. This is a paradigm that diminishes a woman’s worth and unique set of talents. 

From birth, women are conditioned to be perfect. Be kind. Be attentive. Be soft. Be homemakers. Be mothers. Be submissive. 

Be quiet. 

We train ourselves to stop talking when a man starts; to always move out of their way when walking toward each other on a sidewalk. We learn to subconsciously make ourselves appear smaller by crossing our legs so as not to take up too much space.

These stereotypes and words emit a sense of womanhood that is belittling rather than empowering. They are bars on our cage that we are learning to bend and break.

Through collective empowerment, we are finding our voice after so many years of having it silenced, our opinions snatched from us to uplift our male counterparts.

We are learning to speak loudly, sit in the front, carry ourselves with confidence and maintain whatever image we deem “good enough.”

We are ethereal and strong. Quiet and loud. Intelligent and worthy. We are not content occupying a minuscule corner of existence; we take up space, and lots of it. Our souls are the repositories of desires that reach far beyond the molds a patriarchal society attempts to impose upon us. We are a paradoxical symphony, taking up space not in whispers, but in bold declarations.

Reaching the point in your life where you come to know your own femininity is like breaking the water’s surface and realizing you can breathe again. It’s like sitting in the middle of a flower-ridden field, rich with the blossoms of individuality, where the whispers of authenticity call like a siren’s song.

In this revelation, women begin to look at the world with new eyes. We see beauty in our own uniqueness, and a profound sense of empowerment surges within us. There is an innate desire to protect and uplift our sisters in womanhood, recognizing that each woman’s journey is an array of courage, resilience and beauty. 

This is the moment we break free of the chains placed upon us by society. We are all strands of thread woven into the same tapestry. We have been given this by our mothers. We will pass this down to our daughters, and they to their daughters. 

If our souls were split open, all that would fall out is everything we have ever wanted to be; a display of beauty and a myriad of capabilities that we have always had deeply rooted within us.

We are painters, brushing our stories onto the same canvas — some vibrant in color and some gray. We pass the paintbrush back and forth, leaving our marks on the stem.

We are architects, building up the strength to say “Don’t interrupt me, I wasn’t finished.” We are refusing to be silenced.

We are doctors. With compassion, empathy and a collective effort, we mend the emotional and societal scars left by those who seek to diminish us.

We are carpenters, carving our way through a life that seems to be so adamantly against us.

We are poets, our walk a graceful dance and our voice a powerful sonnet. With every step we take and every word we utter, we create vivid imagery that tells the story of our strength, resilience and determination.

We are mothers, warriors in our own right. Our days may be marked by exhaustion, knots in our hair and tear-stained faces, but we rise with unwavering determination and strength to try again. In raising our children, we instill in them the values of equality, respect and empathy, ensuring that the future holds a promise of progress and inclusivity.

We do not conform to the stereotypes society has imposed upon us, nor do we adhere to the labels assigned by the patriarchy. We encompass all these facets and so much more. We hold immense power and we are determined to reclaim the narrative that has been marginalized for far too long.

We stand together as a testament to the immoveable, unmatchable power of femininity. 

So I ask again, what does it mean to be a woman?

Does it mean standing tall? Speaking loud and often? Prioritizing your own femininity without fear of compromising a man’s comfort? Does it mean feeling confident? Creating your own definition of perfection and adhering to the standards you set for yourself, rather than the ones forced upon you? 

It is time we encourage women to treat one another as sisters. Let’s embrace tenderness and honesty in our interactions while also finding our voices and taking care of each other. Now, more than ever, we must foster a strong sisterhood. Our community strength is what we need to make a difference. We deserve respect and it is our shared determination that will secure it. Together, we are unstoppable.

We stand tall, not in defiance, but in confidence, celebrating our womanhood, individuality and all the beautiful chaos that comes with it.