Embrace YOUR Inner Girl

During a particular lecture in my Gender Communication course, a scholar defined “Queer” as “breaking gender rules,” a very different take on what I’ve known queer to be. Who says women can't take part in male-dominated fields? Who says boys are not supposed to like the color pink? Nowadays, women are the ones who are earning more than their husbands and male counterparts (mostly because the majority of the jobs lost in the recession belonged to men). But this has also created an increase of males taking over the household duties while women work. This is exactly what "breaking the gender roles" means. When one gender does something unexpected or unnatural to society, we look at that and automatically think that's not right. When it was put into perspective with this particular lecture and course, “queer” fits perfectly because we're trying to change the gender norms that often times places restrictions on us. I think that when gender rules are broken, the person who broke those rules are automatically out casted; it’s been that way for thousands of years because it’s human nature. Biology LOVES diversity—society HATES it. There was even a women’s holocaust that very few are aware of, myself included.

Women were slaughtered because of their knowledge in the medical field. So in order to take away their potential power, the church decided to have them executed. It seems like people, especially at that time, were afraid of the power women can hold. I’ll never forget the poem, Eve Ensler wrote about being a woman, and the powers that come with it. She argues that being a girl is so powerful, that we have to teach everyone how NOT to be that. Her lecture is very powerful, and makes a lot of sense. She even recites the excerpt I have inserted at the end of this blog post. I highly recommend checking out her video on embracing your inner girl.

I found it really moving, and shared it with a few of my girlfriends. I remember writing it down for myself, just so the words would stick in my head. It’s a very powerful piece, and it’s accurate. I think even women forget about the power they actually hold themselves, and Ensler’s poem put into perspective the things we never really focused on and things we didn't really know was actually there.

I never thought I would actually admit that I am an emotional creature, because society always forces women to be strong and hide feelings in the back of the closet. But this piece allowed me to agree with that phrase, because it’s true. I AM an emotional creature, but I like it. You can’t be afraid of what you feel, and you definitely cannot be afraid of the power you potentially hold.

Give it a read, and see what you think:

I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE

I love being a girl.
I can feel what you're feeling
as you're feeling it inside
the feeling
before.
I am an emotional creature.
Things do not come to me
as intellectual theories or hard-shaped ideas.
They pulse through my organs and legs
and burn up my ears.
I know when your girlfriend's really pissed off
even though she appears to give you what
you want.
I know when a storm is coming.
I can feel the invisible stirrings in the air.
I can tell you he won't call back.
It's a vibe I share.

I am an emotional creature.
I love that I do not take things lightly.
Everything is intense to me.
The way I walk in the street.
The way my mother wakes me up.
The way I hear bad news.
The way it's unbearable when I lose.

I am an emotional creature.
I am connected to everything and everyone.
I was born like that.
Don't you dare say all negative that it's a
teenage thing
or it's only only because I'm a girl.
These feelings make me better.
They make me ready.
They make me present.
They make me strong.

I am an emotional creature.
There is a particular way of knowing.
It's like the older women somehow forgot.
I rejoice that it's still in my body.

I know when the coconut's about to fall.
I know that we've pushed the earth too far.
I know my father isn't coming back.
That no one's prepared for the fire.
I know that lipstick means
more than show.
I know that boys feel super-insecure
and so-called terrorists are made, not born.
I know that one kiss can take
away all my decision-making ability
and sometimes, you know, it should.

This is not extreme.
It's a girl thing.
What we would all be
if the big door inside us flew open.
Don't tell me not to cry.
To calm it down
Not to be so extreme
To be reasonable.
I am an emotional creature.
It's how the earth got made.
How the wind continues to pollinate.
You don't tell the Atlantic ocean
to behave.

I am an emotional creature.
Why would you want to shut me down
or turn me off?
I am your remaining memory.
I am connecting you to your source.
Nothing's been diluted.
Nothing's leaked out.
I can take you back.

I love that I can feel the inside
of the feelings in you,
even if it stops my life
even if it hurts too much
or takes me off track
even if it breaks my heart.
It makes me responsible.
I am an emotional
I am an emotional, devotional,
incandotional, creature.
And I love, hear me,
love love love
being a girl.