...or to be better at BEING a woman. I do believe there is a difference.
Yes, it is that time of year at which I reflect on myself as a female and as a human being. Perhaps my "celebration" of Valentine's Day last week helped to bring about this introspective post.
The outfit I am modeling is what I wore to dinner with my partner on Valentine's Day. I'm not fond of surprises, so I was given at least three days notice. This notice consisted of the following: (a) being told to pick something out, (b) being assured that it was not necessary to be super dressed up and (c) being reminded that no matter what I wear, I am a sight for sore eyes. So, armed with these little tidbits, I put together the outfit that is before you. It's partly masculine, partly feminine and 100% yours truly.
There are several new things I want to point out. First, I'm wearing an amazing thrifted blazer that I got last month. I love any and every excuse to wear it. Underneath that is a thrifted menswear inspired black vest which I also adore. Next up are my charcoal grey high waisted shorts that I bought late last year, but never had a good enough reason to wear (it takes a lot of motivation for me to put shorts on, yeah I'm weird). Finally, below that are my thrifted, super thick/comfy over-the-knee leg warmers.
So, I find myself wondering whether it would have been more appropriate to wear a dress. It seems like Valentine's Day is a dress wearing occasion, no? This leads me to wonder why I don't care much for dresses. From there, I find myself wondering why I don't think about marriage or the "perfect" wedding or white picket fences. I wish that I liked to sew and that I was crafty, because then I could share cool DIY projects. This could make me better at being a woman (and more interesting heh). I wish I liked to bake, because then I could post cute/colorful photos of cupcakes and neat-o recipes. That could make me better at being a woman. It would be a step in that direction. So, why don't I care?
Should I care?
Maybe, it's just not that important to me. Perhaps, I should worry more about being a better woman..at being a better PERSON, than about being good at doing things that women are normally expected to do (with earnest joy). I suppose that I have chosen not to commit to a way of life that is based purely on my gender, but instead I am committed to being the best person, the best woman I can possibly be.
I certainly don't mean to suggest that there's anything wrong with taking part in and getting joy out of any of the above. I'm not a fan of judging other people or of telling other people what to do and how to behave. I do, however, love to criticize and question myself. It is a worth while exercise and that is all this is: just an intellectual exercise designed to draw me closer to that which defines me as a person.
So, I guess it's OK that I don't like to sew or cook or make crafts or bake or iron. It's OK that I wear a dress once in awhile, but not every chance I can possibly get. As long as I continually endeavor to be good and help others whenever I can, then it's OK. That being said, I suppose you can keep your arrows, Cupid. You don't want to be wasting them on me. I don't believe in girly fairy tales, either. ;P
I do, however, believe in eating half of a cheese pizza and three halves of three different flavors of cupcakes with chocolate ice cream. ;) Basically, this is my partner's way of trying to cheer me up on February 13 when Cotton stole my grand prize and gave it to my losing competitor.
Thrifted - Black Touque (Seoul), Wool Blazer (Swap Group), Vest, Tights & Legwarmers (Swap Group)
ModCloth - Typewriter T-Shirt, Wrist Wamers (Sale) & Black Gloves (Sale)
Forever21 - Heather Grey High Waisted Shorts
TIL Darling - Gold Vintage Bicycle Pendant
VJ Style - Gold Studded Barrel Bag
UrbanOG - Black Lace-up Boots