In Honor of Blog Against Sexism Day & International Women's Day

Thank you to verbify and bijal for reminding me. This is a companion piece. Your words are far more eloquent. This was originally posted on March 8th, 2006, in my old blog.


I am a woman. I live in a world that grants me fewer rights. I live in a world that tortures my sisters. I live in a world where a woman is less than a man.

I am a woman. My President believes that I do not have the right to decide whether or not life will be brought forth from my own uterus. If I live in South Dakota, my Governor has just taken that right away.

I am a woman. I work as hard as any man, achieve excellence in my career, and am asked why I don't have a boyfriend.

I am a woman. I am paid less than what I deserve. I will not receive that promotion for another five years. I must wear uncomfortable shoes in order to appear professional.

I am a woman. I am oppressed in 90% of the world. I am expected to defer, renounce, and remain silent because I do not have a penis.

I am a woman. I must have the perfect body, whether thin as a stick with voluptuous breasts or large-hipped with a pretty face.

I am a woman. I am told to smile to be more aesthetically pleasing to men on the street. I am expected to paint my face and part my hair. I cannot expose my skin or cover it up without labels and logos defining me.

I am a woman. My worth is still judged by my vagina. If I choose to let someone inside, it is the act of a whore or the embrace of a sacred lover. My entire sexual history equals my value as a human being.

Today, none of that matters.

I am a woman. I am proud to be a woman. I feel honored every morning when I wake up, knowing that I exist in this body, this being. I understand that I am judged, belittled, talked down to, harassed, and second-guessed for being a woman.

I am a woman. I am lucky to have the rare privilege to vote and have my say. I recognize those who fought to give me this right. I continue to fight and rally because I know that I will not be silenced.

I am a woman. I achieve excellence every day. I do not have a boyfriend. And I'm not interested.

I am a woman. I work hard. I will earn my due, and I will persevere because I choose to spit on the obstacles with which the world attempts to imprison me. I see the glass ceiling, and I'm holding a very large rock.

I am a woman in the United States of America. It is my responsibility to scream twice as loud for those who cannot be heard. It is my responsibility to never accept less when others do not have options. I am grateful for the random luck that allowed me to born in a small corner of the world where these words will not get me slaughtered. For now.

I am not ashamed of the size of my breasts. I am not ashamed of the bump on my nose, only that I notice it exists. I am not going to judge the length of my legs or the shape of my ass.

I am a woman. I smile when I am happy. I cry when I am devastated and broken. I do so because I am an evolved, thoughtful, emotionally connected human being. I will not paint my face today. I will not part my hair. I will cry tonight because it is my right.

I am a woman. I have sex when I want to, and I do not need a license to do so. I place value on my life's work, my love, my honesty, my friends, my family, and my sincerity. Sex is not who I am.

I am a woman. I have a voice. I matter.

Every day.