Being a Tomboy

 Personally, I dislike the word Tomboy from the bottom of my heart.

How would you define a woman? Is she defined by the attention she pays to her clothes? Is she defined by her love for her footwear? Is she defined by the amount of skin she shows? Is she defined by how little of sports and technology she knows? Evidently so.

So femininity does not come from thought or behavior. The society dictates that femininity can only be skin deep. If the exterior is not puffed up in rosy pink, then a woman betrays her tribe-she is thought to possess male tendencies, hence, she is a tomboy.

So what makes a girl a tomboy? Following football, liking cars, gadgets, being informed of the latest technology, not paying too much attention to hair and make-up, laughing at corny romantic movies and books-that’s all you need gal-you’re now officially a guy.

It really beats me that a society that is technologically and scientifically quite advanced, a society that demands freedom, a society that thrives on individuality, still categorizes women. Am I complaining about the average male mind or am I talking about the dynamics of  society? I would say the latter.

I think this issue of defined labels for girls clearly outlines the position of women in society. A woman, even today, despite whatever the media and urban population proudly claim, does not and is not expected to, stand on the same even ground as men. A woman in the same position as a man, earns lesser, an Indian working woman, on an average earns one-third of an Indian working man. Only 10% of senior management positions are given to women. India also ranks pretty low on gender equality that includes pay parity as reported by the Global Gender Gap Report of 2010, as Google kindly informed me.

Femininity does not come from the ability to curl one’s hair, to get one’s face to blush a soft red, to let a breathless giggle escape from glossed lips. Femininity is a character, a way of thinking, a way of taking decisions, a way of living. It is not skin deep.

It's not all hopeless, I convince myself. I do know of people who rise above the stereotyping of women, respect their way of living and proudly call themselves feminists, however terrible that word sounds.

I realize that this post might not ring true with everyone, but it's only frustrating experiences experience that forced my hand. Now that the post is done, I suppose I'll return to being a tomboy, maybe watch Fight Club.