How do you 'feel like a woman' today?

[hypernormal]

The question of how it's possible for someone to 'feel like a woman' is usually answered by those who 'identify as female' with sexist stereotypes - things such as liking barbie as a child, playing with girls, liking makeup and dresses etc. I'm interested to hear how biological women would answer this question.

This morning I woke up early with period pains, so I took some paracetamol. Then, when I changed my menstrual cup it was so full that it spilled on my trousers that I'd just put on, so I had to wash them and find something else to wear that will fit my massively, hormonally bloated stomach. This is not something that happens to transwomen, yet this is the only way in which I 'feel like a woman' so far today.

How do you 'feel like a woman' today?

I've worked at home all day in a technical job and I don't think it was a particularly gendered experience. DH did housework and cooked tea and dragged teenagers out of bed. I had one of my headaches I guess!

I felt like a woman getting dressed in my scrubs this morning. These are surely garments designed by men for men. I have to carefully choose the right underwear to minimise the chance of idiots perving down my top all day. My male colleagues have no such scruples. Chest hair and pants on display to the world. If I exposed similar things there would be comments.

Yes... if you are a woman, you don't have to always be 'feeling like a woman'. Just being yourself, getting on with adult human stuff.

@ChewtonRoad I know exactly how you feel regarding your job , I've worked in a male environment for over 15 years, I am 55 and customers still walk in and look at the closest male to address their questions to .
I just know I can do all their jobs but they can't do mine as I also do the majority of the office type work and know where everything is .
It usually falls apart when i go away

@ErrolTheDragon I agree with you on that point , it's like men don't have to explain themselves so why do women ?

Achy pre menstrual boobs. Ditto feeling bloated and so frickin hungry.

So womanly.

I first felt like a woman this morning by waking up to still having really sore breasts, even though they're normally better by this point in my period, and having the usual panic that maybe I have breast cancer and should talk to my GP.

Then I got up and changed my period pants before an online meeting in which I raised my workplace's lack of family-friendly policies by frequently holding governance meetings in the evenings and out of hours etc., to be publicly reminded by my manager that "most people" in the organisation (nearly all childless men) have a "job to do" during working hours so they all majority voted to have meetings out of hours, and I would just have to put up with it. (Heavy implication that I don't do a "proper" job compared to said male colleagues.)

Then I had to leave the meeting to calm down my tantrumming child who wanted some lunch early and was upset at not being helped with a school task. Because I'm expected to work my normal hours with no accommodation around also having a child at home.

It's only just past lunchtime, and I'm looking forward to all the womanly tasks for me this afternoon

ChewtonRoad I feel you. I noticed a very sharp change in men's attitudes to me in the workplace as soon as I had a child (which entailed me putting weight on, stopping wearing makeup and no longer looking perky and fckable). They suddenly dropped any pretence at hiding the sexism. I get mansplained and ignored near-constantly by men who have far less experience or knowledge than me and who often are simply bullshitting about stuff they don't really know.Christ, the mediocre men who populate most organisations! I'm starting to feel too old to put up with it, frankly. Gah. And it's everywhere. A friend of mine who's Asian and a female consultant in the NHS in her forties tells me she frequently enters rooms and has patients, and* what's worse, colleagues, ignore her and instead talk to her male medical students because they assume the male student is the consultant. She's close to leaving the NHS over it.

I have felt so very feminine and womanly today.
My reusable pad was caked to my pubes by an overnight flood, which was extremely painful to rip off, as I don't really 'landscape.'
Meanwhile, my toddler shouted "what's wrong mummy?!" Repeatedly through the bathroom door, whilst my husband snored - as he does every morning - because I'm the one who does the childcare, being the woman and all.
Pull up my big girl pants, (literally, they're large, high waisted as I can't wear anything against my csection scar, it hurts.) Grabbed some paracetamol for the cramps, and had black coffee for breakfast, because of calories of course! and I'm trying to lose that now 3-year-old baby weight that isn't particularly acceptable, surely I should have bounced-back by now??
Checked out the odd, growing red patch on my stretched and saggy breast, the antibiotics haven't touched, I mean I knew they wouldn't, as I'm sure this isn't a residual infection from breastfeeding over two years ago. Wondering if I need to send another photo of my tits to the GP since they still won't actually let me go in for an appointment.
Message my husbands family member happy birthday, get a thanks for card and present etc. Which obviously my husband is completely oblivious to, because woman work.
I then let myself stress over how I'm going to find a job - mix of COVID and being a SAHM for several years - and if my child's nursery will be open for September. Google how to apply for free 15hrs.

Angry.

Brilliant. Made me laugh, floral

Nope...not feeling particularly specifically womanly today...again.
Just ticking along.
Working - trad male environment but I never have any issues with my male colleagues.
Went for a run - no issues.

I did mention fathers day to my son.

@Starbonnet123 - that wasn't exactly the point I was trying to make, but what you say is also true.

The stabbing pains in my breasts feel pretty womanly.

Running round after my DD trying to sort out the prescription the Dr didn't write, guess who has done 100% of the care of a child with kidney failure over the years. Guess who had to give up their own life when she required repeated hospitalizations in hospital 50 miles from home and then couldn't go to school for 2 terms due to having no immune system.

I don't know that I have. I've just got on with my day. We're both working from home, so no encounters with any fuckwits. No hormonally things. Comfortable clothes.

I'm womaning wrong, aren't I? Dammit.

I'm womaning wrong, aren't I? Dammit.

No, you're not! Because for most of us, unless our bodies are doing one of the various woman-specific things, and no-one is imposing sexist shit on us that's exactly what real women are like... just being themselves, not 'feeling like a woman'.

That's the point really.

Period pains.

I've just read a thread all about MLM. Every since I had "maternity leave" on my LI I get a ridiculous number of stupid messages from motivational consultants to personal trainers - all feels like a scam. I just don't think this shit happens to men.

My pelvis was so unstable in pregnancy I couldn't walk from 32 weeks. Before that I was a fit young woman. It's taken me a year and a half to be able to move around without pain. Breastfeeding hurt. I have terrible periods. (Which started 8 weeks PP!!!) My shoulders constantly ache from holding my son. I've ruined my lower back. So for me.... Being a woman over the past two years has been pain.

Before having my son, I would say I was shouted at by men in the street or had lewd remarks said to me almost daily. Not wanting to travel by myself at night. Always being conscious of surroundings.

On postive notes - the kindest, most compassionate people I know are women. I believe I'm a good sister, daughter and friend. I hope I offer good advice and cheer people up. (Not that you'd know what from this post!)

Lots of ramblings sorry! (Another female thing... Constantly apologising)

I feel reassured that if I experience feelings of confusion about my gender I can shop from one of the eBay sellers that sell clothes to help me feel really feminine

Because nothing says "I am woman!" like truly feminine clothing

www.ebay.co.uk/sch/zeeas.kha/m.html?item=132993425785&hash=item1ef706a179%3Ag%3AUA0AAOSwYXVcj1SX&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Well, I just finished my period a few days ago so I definitely felt like a woman while rinsing blood out of my reserved for those days black pants (in cold water cause it gets the blood out better, as my mum, also a woman, taught me) I also felt like a woman while putting on my bra (not because giggles bras are so sexy but because my boobs are too big to make not wearing one an option), and as the weather gets hotter I most definitely get that womanly feeling when I notice men exercising shirtless and can't do the same because I'd get harassed and then arrested.

Just girly thing TM!

Angry because of misogyny.

My womanly feelings today have been:

plucking out the post-menopausal growth of really dark thick hairs on my chin (whaaa?I'm blonde, how did tis happen ?)

worrying on & off about what I'm eating. counting calories, and beating myself up for the fat on my hips

getting angry at the fuckers who think that being female is a "feeling"

then thinking "oh those poor dysphoric menz. Maybe I should be kind"

The beating myself up for giving in to my conditioning into being feminine.

Grrrrrrrrr

I have a painful health condition that is triggered by high oestrogen levels. I'm ovulating so I didn't sleep much and have had to take horrible painkillers today. Joy.

I’m sympathy-depressed with my eight year old who can’t go back to school yet. He’s lost interest, moves around the house slowly and sighs a lot and hasn’t smiled much. It’s very likely a man will pick up on that too, I’m fact my husband has, but since I have this child’s blood cells in my bone marrow I think I might physically feel it more.

I was wondering whether it should bother me that my armpit hair is longer than my head hair (head currently at a Grade 1).

Then I thought no, fuck it. I doubt that would ever occur to a bloke.

Hair length is such a womanly worry.. I'm worried as my hair is now so long because of lockdown and I actually quite like it but worry it's inappropriate for a woman of my age.