ESSAY:
BEING A WOMAN
SUBJECT: LANGUAGE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION IV
STUDENT: Quesada, Norma Nieves
E-MAIL: nor.que@live.com.ar
TEACHER: Saubidet, Stella Maris
ISFD Nº 41 – ALTE BROWN

NORMA NIEVES QUESADA
ISFD Nº 41- ALTE BROWN
INGLÉS – 4º AÑO
BEING A WOMAN
"One is not born a woman; one becomes one."
(Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex)
Since an early age, girls are instructed for being future women. Both parents – but
especially mothers – are in charge of teaching them the musts for becoming a good
woman. Social roles are also taught at school from the Kindergarten to the election of a
career which will accompany them throughout life. After that, men will show the young
girlfriends and wives what they want from them. It is undeniable that being a woman
has its advantages. Nevertheless, being a woman is not an easy task by any means.
The characteristic things which will differentiate girls from boys are present since
early childhood. The moment girls have hair to be tied up, colourful bows and ribbons
will appear above their heads, it does not matter how tight their hair is tied or how
painful it could be, they are told they look beautiful so the beauties are going to endure
it stoically – first sign of how much they will have to suffer along their lives in order to
look pretty. Moreover, clothes colours are divided into two categories, those that should
be used by girls and those who are more masculine, although this is not as strict as it
used to be long ago – pink for girls and sky-blue for boys – the remnants still float in the
air. Something similar occurs with sports, free time activities and games, among which
some are considered more appropriate for girls – volleyball, handball, skating, ballet,
painting and drawing, playing dolls. All those differences establish the roles that future
women are going to play in the game of life.
As time passes, young girls are reached by adolescence, with all its consequences.
Their bodies began to change, menstruation is there to accompany then for most of their
lives, corporal hair appears everywhere and breasts become larger – this includes the
mocking of their male peers and the looks which adult men cannot hide. In addition,
the dreaded acne spreads all over their faces forcing them to become skilled in the art of
makeup – what also makes the problem worse – to hide what is so common at that age,
but only allowed to men. They are as well fighting a battle against their bodies, trying
to be the thinner enough for male glances to be directed elsewhere than their faces, as a
‘good appearance’ is being imposed from the society and the media. With so many
physical and hormonal alterations, it is not strange that this stage is also characterized
by emotional changes. Of course, it is also during adolescence that these females are
expected to develop some virtues in order to become future good women, for instance,
selflessness, modesty, politeness, caring, sweetness and lovingness, among others.
Awaited merits and the ideal look are part of their striving for acceptance and a direct
path to a low self esteem.
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Regarding the choice of a career, women also have some difficulties to face as the
professional world has it own rules. Women are supposed to chose careers as teachers,
counsellors, social workers, librarians, laboratory technicians, stewardesses, secretaries,
models, fashion designers, missionaries, writers. The list is not short, of course, but
limited. Nevertheless, the most typical female role is to stay at home cleaning, cooking,
making beds and raising children. She is free to choose house decorations, clothes – for
her and all her family – appliances and supermarkets. Her husband will never
understand why his wife feels empty, incomplete, as if she does not exist; she does not
realize how lucky she is, being her own boss and not having to fight to keep her job –
who will want it, anyway? – Women opportunities and choices are not as wide as
men’s, and when they choose a typical male career they are sure to be hired and paid
below the standard for males. There's sometimes a point in career planning when
women are discouraged from following their dreams because their career choice does
not fit in with traditional gender roles.
Another issue that has to do with men is to try to understand what they really
want from women. This is not as easy to answer as it seems. Men need fun and
excitement, great sex – consistent, frequent and passionate –, a woman who knows how
to cook, who is supportive, a good listener, respectful, and who looks great – if possible,
she should be able to keep the body of her twenties all her life long. The perfect woman
should be intelligent but not brainy, wear attractive sexy underwear – and fancy dresses
for intimacy from time to time – and have a smooth relationship with his mother. This
often leads women to be someone they really are not to capture a man, who will
invariably discover it in the course of time and have sufficient reason to leave her for
someone more authentic. In spite of that, a lot of women continue to be gulled by the
fairy-tale version of life, in which Prince Charming comes along in a white horse, kisses
them and live together for ever. Women are programmed to believe that they need a
man in their lives when it is the other way round.
Nonetheless, not everything is bad in a woman’s life. Due to all the struggles she
has to confront and to all the instruction she receives till the moment she becomes a
woman, she manages to be a good worker, she possesses firmness, industry, sensibility,
charity, patience, loyalty and she gains the necessary trustworthiness to be a good friend
as well as a mother. Do not forget the fact that she is the only one who can collaborate
with God in giving life, and she receives her award for that every time her children give
her a smile or a kiss or put their arms round her neck, when they sleep peacefully on her
arms or when they claim for their tears to be wiped. A woman can cry in public, eat
chocolate to comfort herself, require protection, appeal for help and request a hug
without feeling ashamed. Not only as women, but also as mothers, they can enjoy the
privileges of belonging to the female gender.
In conclusion, being a woman has its advantages and disadvantages and it is not
easy. Nevertheless, it is a condition that cannot be changed whether you like it or not; if
you were born a female that is part of your identity, of your life map. Whatever
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education, or society, or culture, or men have made you think or do in the past may have
influenced the kind of woman you are today; however, the power of a woman lies in
how much she loves herself to use all that she has learned to be a better human being
and have more strength to battle and enjoy life in the future without aiming for
perfection.
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