Woman

To be a woman
A working woman
A "strong" woman

To go to work anyway
Even if it means taking an ibuprofen an hour
Because missing work every single month is a sign of weakness
And your excuse is one no man can understand

To run further, lift more often, work out longer than the guys
Even if it takes you twice as long
And your sports bra is too tight
And your hair is in your face because there will never be enough clips to keep it back
And to walk away and hear them say
"That took her so long,
She must be out of shape"

NEVER to complain that something is "because you're a girl"
Even when it is
Because prejudice is no excuse for work that only mostly exceeds expectations

And never ever only to reach expectations
Because any shortcoming will be noted

To buy pants that emphasize the "right" parts
And shirts that hide the "wrong" parts
God forbid you have a body
To buy cute scarves and belts and earrings
And put your mascara on just right
But never, ever, let the guys know
That you were
Shopping
Because shopping is mindless, frivolous
Even though it takes so much effort
And they would never respect you if dressed any differently

To avoid going to a Liberal Arts College
Because liberal arts are "feminine"
And therefore frivolous
Even if your major is political science or neuroscience
Which it very well could be

To have no qualms with romance,
Only qualms with romantic guys
Who try to help you
Physically or emotionally
Because this might give them the impression that you need help
And you do not
You are stable and competent
Even if, just once in a while,
It would be really nice
To be allowed to need
And not be the weaker for it

To avoid mentioning that you are a poet, a singer, a cook
Although you dedicate your every waking moment to those
Because they are only hobbies
And they are for domestic people
And you are not domestic
But to work your butt off to be good at them anyway
So that if someone does find out
Maybe
They will still respect you
As a person, not a woman

To be a woman
To be told "you're quite a feminist"
By men and women alike
And to maintain as friendly a tone as possible while saying
"No, I am a woman"
And wonder if they will ever get it