"got a picture of her momma in heels & pearls, she's trying to make it in her daddy's world

"cause i'm a woman. phenomenally. phenomenal woman, that's me."

I feel like I'm finally figuring out how to be a woman. I've always been a rule follower and during high school I started to follow "the rules." These rules included "jean friday" & led me to fall in love with high heels, which let's face it, are REALLY a girl's best friend.

But lately I've realized I'm just as happy in sweatpants as I am in dress pants, and I don't always need to dress up on tuesdays. If I wake up late & throw on jeans & a sweatshirt, that doesn't make me any less feminine. & makeup? well, it's great, but my friends here wear a little mascara and look more gorgeous than someone back at school who cakes on layers of makeup. So who makes a rules? & where does feminity fit in?

When I was little, being a woman meant dancing and wearing frilly tutus. & then I progressed to the shoe phase. When I was 11, I bought a pair of lime green dressy sandals even though I had nothing that matched simply because I loved them. This began my shoe obsession. & then at 13, I found the first perfect little black dress...which i consequently was forced to return because my dad thought it was too sexy. alas, this began my preoccupation with fashion.


in high school, I started dating. & then I started doing this and that and the other thing and life got too busy for time with boys. and popularity? well it wasn't exactly there, but i had friends and that was good enough for me. I had school and sports and music and womanhood meant being well-rounded.

College...well it's progressive, but mainly, I'd say being a woman meant being Greek. Leadership, service, loyalty, and involvement. I'll say it once & then a hunded times, my sorority was my world in college. & that's as feminine as you can get, right? & I was popular & busy & happy. But lately I've realized that I defined myself by my titles. I was the President of Alpha Gamma Delta, the President of HSAB, again, this, that, & the other thing. But who did I think I was without all of that?

Well, now I've got the time to figure that out. I like to live by the rules, but I like to break them every once in awhile too. I like to be busy, but I like to have time to myself. Heels will always be my favorite, but I know now that I have to wear sneakers when I go camping. I'm practical and frivolous, and crazy and calm, and phenomenal. Phenomenal woman, that's me.