Womanhood.

Womanhood. 

It's a weird word to say and it's a weird concept to think about. It comes at different ages for women and it can mean different things. To me, womanhood is embracing your gender, your ideals, your sexuality and really being comfortable with who you are and who you are becoming. 

In my Mexican culture, a girl becomes a women on her 15th birthday. After that it's ok to wear makeup and high heels and paint your nails. And you know what else is allowed? Boyfriends. It didn't occur to me that at fifteen we are allowed all the new changes in appearance so that the male gender could know that we are no longer little girls. I guess in the olden days women married young, so that was relevant. But why now? For tradition I assume. But I did not feel like a woman at 15. Maybe it's because I didnt have the blowout party, aka: quinceañera? Or maybe it's because thats such a young age. I felt so self conscious and vulnerable at that age that womanhood was far from my mind. Just like 15 is the age for Mexicans, in America it's 16. It's a different culture and a different age but still too young to be referred to as a "woman."

I've heard grown women say that they felt at one with womanhood once they experienced motherhood. Others, once they got married. It's never anything like, "I got my masters degree! I definitely feel like a woman now." 

But why does there have to be a milestone to embrace your womanhood? Why do some women need to be moms? Need to be married? Need to be this age or that age? Why is it that most women don't feel comfortable in there own skin until they are in there late 40's? Why can't a young women embrace her sexuality without being looked down upon? Why can't a woman have a right to speak her own beliefs? 

I am 21 years old and I embrace my womanhood now! Not when my culture decided. Not because I have a baby. Not because I'm married. But because I'm comfortable with who I am. I'm not saying I don't have insecurities. Insecurities are human nature. Hell! Im at a great university with a not so clear head on my future. But I'm not stressed because I know my decision will be what I want. Not something someone chose for me. Being a woman in any society has it's setbacks but once you learn to not ignore, but analyze the media and your culture and read into society, it gets easier. 

Easier only because you figure out the media is just playing a disturbing role in your womanhood. It is trying to tell you how to look, how to act, how to talk. But you dont need a new dress or a new pair of boobs or a new hairstyle to feel like a woman. Every single female in this planet is their own person and only they can decide when and how they feel like a woman. And that should never be put down by any source of media or any culture or any society. 

We just have to stand tall, stay educated and remember that everything in our lives is decided by us. We get to choose what makes us feel like women and we get to decide when that time comes. Its nobody else's choice, just ours.