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'm feeling good! Period over, moon cup sterilised, feeling up for sex again, and I haven't got my indescribably painful mid cycle/ovulation pain yet. Mood much better than the alternately manic raging/can't be arsed state of the last week as well, can lower my dose of psychiatric meds accordingly.
Constant niggling worry about my dd8s signs of early puberty - it's too soon to have to worry about this stuff surely! Might start my first ever thread on here for some advice...?

As a side note, @FromMarch2020 have you been checked for adenomyosis? Causes long and heavy bleeding.

I'm on day three of my first period in six weeks (yay perimenopause) and feeling bloated and in pain.

I'm having to wear a bra despite living on my own just in case my boss video calls. Big boobs are unprofessional, apparently.

And I've read this morning some dippy idiot describing feminism as a franchise that should now benefit men. So I'm angry.

I got looked over in a meeting this morning. Not just because I'm a woman but because I'm an older woman. I also had to stock up on some tena because everyone is cutting their grass so I'm suffering sneezures. I got called a stupid bitch yesterday for alerting a reversing male driver that he was about to hit my car. That just filled me with womanly feelings.

Weak pelvic floor after two pregnancies not something a TW will experience. Job hunting after taking time off to look after young children, constantly tidying up after everyone and keeping on top of constant laundry - unlikely a TW would identify themselves into these 'female' roles.

I’ve no idea. But in a minute I’m going to put oil in the car and drive to the tip, and I’ll still feel like a woman, not a man.

@AliasGrape - by the way, thank you so much for that comment. This thread was kind of getting to me a little bit with the emphasis on womanhood = motherhood. Your comment made me feel a lot better, especially the last bit.

I've no idea how someone "feels like a woman". I've never been anything else, so I have no idea which thoughts/feelings stem from being female, and which come from other aspects of my life.

There are obviously biological differences. I have awful morning sickness that just won't shift - is that feeling like a woman? I sometimes notice different treatment I get because of being female. There are inequalities in our household. Do those make me feel like a woman?

FWIW, although I had a barbie as a child, I also had a tonne of dinosaurs and was always better at Maths/Science. I prefer wearing dresses because trousers never fit me well (huge bum!). My mum did washing/ironing, my dad cooked and cleaned the kitchen.

I tend to think that many that talk about "feeling like a woman" cause a lot of damaging stereotypes to be perpetuated.

I’ve unpacked all the sodding shopping yet again.

I don't have a sense of "feeling like a woman". But I know that mine and my DP's start to the day was a different experience due to our differing biology. I have been breastfeeding my 5 month old whilst my DP looks after our toddler. I will then breastfeed said toddler (the joys of tandem feeding!). I'll get round to getting dressed whilst trying to ignore the fact I'm still in my maternity clothes due to a completely changed body shape following pregnancy. DP's day will then consist of WFH whilst I look after the 2 kids. This was partly choice, and partly the thing that made most sense given I want to breastfeed. Both of us will have tiring days in different ways. I might struggle a bit physically (with a demanding toddler and baby needing to be in a sling for naps) due to still experiencing some pain from an emergency c-section and consequent bladder surgery.

When changing my tampon.

When injecting my IVF stims.

Erm - that's it I think. I'll see if I feel like one at some point later today and report back.

End of the day here in NZ. Most womanly moment of the day - someone (a man who is not a parent) told me (a single mum) that it's easier for a woman to be a single parent because they are better at looking after children and enjoy it. I said "I don't think that's true" and they said "yes, it is".

I’m going to do some DIY, put together some flat pack furniture, I’m planning on doing some gaming this afternoon and I still feel like a woman because I was born one.
Woman, adult human female.

I’m angry too.

I don’t feel like a woman at all today, or any other day.

I know how I feel, but I have no idea if any of it is a “womanly” way to feel, or just me.

Currently in the midst of an Ovarian Cancer scare - that's making me feel pretty womanly.

I feel like shit today because my baby has decided she doesn't like breastfeeding any more and she gets upset every time I have to force her to feed.

The pmt symptoms are creeping in once again . moody , painful boobs , gone from a flat stomach to looking 5 months pregnant Again due to bloating , you know how it is .

As a crone I'm feeling slightly left out of all the bloody stuff, but today I've plucked some chin hairs and wondered why I have to do this every couple of days in order to maintain a vaguely publicly presentable appearance when my male employees can go days without shaving and still be deemed acceptable-looking.

I had to see a young GP a few weeks ago. It was all a bit last-minute and I was surprised to find her asking me about depression and my mental health, which weren't why I'd gone. Came home and looked in the mirror and yes, I had some chin hairs waving around. And of course, no make-up and no nail polish and Einstein hair. I may even have been sporting a slightly hairy ankle that day (she's lucky she didn't see me in my shorts). She's been trained to equate lack of feminine grooming with mental health problems.

I have no idea how to feel like a man so my version of being me is all woman.

I was born female, developed as woman, have two DCs. I wake up, live, sleep, go to sleep as a woman. I cannot 'unfeel' being female. I could change my clothes, take male hormones, but my mind is female.

This is one statement that I genuinely don't understand. I don't 'feel' like anything other than me.

I am a woman because of my biology.
My life experiences are because I'm a woman - growing up knowing that simply because of my biology I was a target for flashers, sexual predators, being stereotyped and, (having spoken to a few close friends and family who agree) with the constant (albeit 99% of the time way at the back of my mind) fear of potential male violence and, more specifically, rape. (I, thankfully, have never been a victim of rape, sexual assault or anything serious but as a school child was frequently flashed at, etc. but we found them laughable and depraved at that age.)

For example, DH and I walked past a group of 5-7 young adult males in the park when it was dark. As we passed them there was a change in tone how they were speaking along with some grunting type noises. DH walked on with a vague awareness of them. I explained that as soon as the noises started I was on high alert, straining to hear what they were saying, if they were moving, if the voices were getting nearer and with that 'threat' of rape hanging in the air.
It lasted all of 3-5 minutes and it was clear that nothing was going to happen and it could have simply been coincidence that we walked past at a particular point in the conversation and it had nothing to with our presence.

DH's reaction was WTF? Why do you see every male as a threat? I said I don't. It takes up a small proportion of my thinking space for the majority of my waking day but it's always there in some form or other.

That's one aspect of being a woman.

I've never really considered what makes me feel like a woman, just what makes me me. I do feel very motherly, if that's the right word, when i breastfeed. But I'm just as motherly to my ff baby.

My PMT is bloody awful, boobs are heavy and very sore, felt sick when I woke up. Took paracetamol, took Menopace tablet because otherwise I would not be responsible for my moods! And I'm bloody starving, the toast and coffee didn't touch the sides. Apart from that I'm doing really well. Thanks for asking 😉👍

@CaraDune I think you're bang on here:
"But the only "feeling female" feelings I have are to do with the physical sensations of my sexed body. The rest are just a variety of "being human" feelings, as mixed and varied a bag, and with as little or as much overlap with the person next door, as any other human on the planet."

I feel a bit anxious about work, a bit concerned that I'm getting fat, but these are just "human feelings". The only specifically "womanly" feelings are related to the fact that I'm pregnant - sore boobs, funny tummy, and worrying that I've missed some fundamental pregnancy rule that everyone else knows and am going to damage this baby.

I’ve got quite a sore rash under my left boob - but perhaps men sometimes get similar depending on their build, I couldn’t say.

I think for me, though, my main womanly thing at the moment is the feeling of impending doom that strikes just before a hot flush comes. Would be difficult for someone who isn’t a woman who’s gone through the menopause to appreciate what that feels like imho.