“Sugar and spice and everything nice.”
That was a needlepoint in my friend’s room when I was young. Yes, I am old enough that we all had needlepoints for decoration. I’ve even done a few myself. 🙂

It’s been 96 years since we won the right to vote, and we are still working on equal pay. So much of the time, I feel like we are each other’s worst enemies. No man can tear a woman down as effectively as other women. We criticize each other for things that matter and things that are insignificant.

After 40 years circling the sun, I have learned ONE UNIVERSAL TRUTH:
No matter what you do, you’re wrong.

You’re wearing too much make up, or not enough.
You don’t want to be a mother? What’s wrong with you?
You want more than two children? What’s wrong with you?
You don’t want to take your husband’s last name?! You don’t believe in marriage.
You take your husband’s last name?! You’re an anti-feminist.

I would love to believe that the time of enlightened thinking is here now. I really would.

But even I am not Pollyanna enough to believe it.

A woman should be defined by any damn thing she chooses –
she can be a girly girl
she can be opinionated
a CEO
or a SAHM
she can be a poet
and an activist
and a fixer of scraped knees
she can be comedienne
and doctor
and wearer of a thousand simultaneous hats

So let us DEFINE OURSELVES.

Not according to heroin chic and airbrushing.
Not according to what divides us.

Let’s take a page from worldwide, peaceful marches and seek unity.

In unity, we can effect change for ALL women, no matter where they may be and no matter what their circumstances. I would say we could take back our power, but we’ve never really laid claim to that power before, all together.

Isn’t it time?