What's woman

What's woman This project searches for ''a woman'' inside women. I remember the day when my mum said to our neighbour that I got my first period.

I was ashamed and upset that she told her my secret. My mum's girlfriend replied: ''So now, you are a woman!'' as if the blood on my underwear should make me proud. I did not understand what ''being a woman'' truly means and what it in fact implies for my life and the question has haunted me since then. I have then heard the word on multiple occasions, some of them now bring cynical smile to my fa

ce - ''You need to take care of yourself because you are a woman.'' or when I let my hair grow long ''Finally, you look like a woman.'' or from my parents ''This is woman's work so you should know how to do it...if you clean like this, nobody would marry you!'' In many cultures women are expected to be gentle, caring and kinder than man. If taken to extreme, it is the stereotypical expectations that lie at the bedrock of gender inequalities with all its bloody consequences. But in different circles, the idea of a womanhood has another underlying tone - the one connected with unity, sisterhood, empathy and sharing. The word ''woman'' is often pronounced with confidence and eyes shining with determination, soft smile with little wrinkles bringing memories of past achievements and loved ones. Sometimes when pronounced, the word ''woman'' carries a mythical beauty seemingly pointing to deep and strong roots of a flower proudly offering its life energy to the sun. When women in different cultures, time periods, life stages and situations differ as much as they do, does being a ''woman'' after all mean anything? Besides our bodily structures, is there something what would be given to all of us from the NATURE? Or does the concept of a ''woman'' simply describe a human with female sexual reproductive organs struggling through daily inequalites of a patriarchal society? What is it on '' a woman'' that is made by a society and what (if anything) is made by the NATURE? Is there anything what would unite us all? Gender theories have an obvious answer to that. The category hides way too many inequalities and restrictions to be maintained. But theories sometimes pale in the light of a lived experience. We have all been through situations when what stand for intellectually loses all relevance as it offers no solutions and no help. Then, we thought, in order to search for the answer to those questions, we shall listen to the stories and answers of different women before we assert one universal answer; we shall understand what gender means for different creatures before we naively assume what nature is; and we shall understand the possibility of a pluralistic answer that always requests one to think under different context. This project searches for ''a women'' inside women - stay with us and share with us! Send us your photo and your answer!

29/06/2017

Note to readers: I am 32, I am white, I have enough money to have a nanny and my man is a very involved father and a total feminist. But still I am just a woman. Another title that will have detrac…

Dear readers, we are bringing you an uplifting story full of simple wisdom and love from someone who has lived through s...
14/02/2017

Dear readers, we are bringing you an uplifting story full of simple wisdom and love from someone who has lived through some of the most challenging years in the history of modern Europe. Happy St Valentine's Day! Big thanks to our dear friend Kim Bergen for a beautiful picture!

“My problem, my dear, is that I have seen too much. And I remember too much while sometimes I should just forget. Then being a woman is different in different times. When I was growing up, be…

A male gives birth? Yes, we are the seahorses.
02/10/2016

A male gives birth? Yes, we are the seahorses.

Hi, I am a leafy sea dragon, one out of around 50 species of seahorses. Despite my name, I’m not related to horses (though I look a bit like them). Female and male seahorses are very much alike so…

Everything is under the gendered gaze.... But since it is after all cultured, it could always be re-written and re-creat...
05/09/2016

Everything is under the gendered gaze....
But since it is after all cultured, it could always be re-written and re-created.
The future is yours, young student!
( Thank Echo Li for story contribution and Olin Gan for translation.)

“The social imposition of visual preferences upon genders is the element monopolising my mind, since I am a graphic design student who dreams about becoming a competent aesthete, when woman identit…

Science shall not be a field dominated by men. And women can choose not to be confined to the domestic sphere.
19/08/2016

Science shall not be a field dominated by men.
And women can choose not to be confined to the domestic sphere.

‘’Lots of people in my town still believed in the culture…like getting married, have children early…to me, it was different, I wanted to push up my career. I wanted to be somebody else. When I go b…

"Ducks, you are no longer the ducks that I knew!""Quack, quack,quack. But... we are always like this...."
10/08/2016

"Ducks, you are no longer the ducks that I knew!"
"Quack, quack,quack. But... we are always like this...."

Yes, yes, I know. You humans have seen me everywhere- ponds, lakes, rivers and even at the water tank behind your home! We mallards love the waterways you make! We eat everything like you. Usually,…

Dear all, another very special journey of a special woman - this time across two continents! https://whatswomanblog.word...
08/08/2016

Dear all, another very special journey of a special woman - this time across two continents!

https://whatswomanblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/journey-from-russian-far-east-across-china-to-france/

Ten years ago I graduated from a state university in a provincial town in the Russian Far East. At that time many of my girlfriends in their early twenties were getting ready for marriage and motherhood. I was thirsty for knowledge and ambitious about my career so I decided to leave my hometown and continue my studies abroad. Coming from a Russian family with a moderate income, I always wanted to become an independent successful woman. I was working hard and spend my time researching, reading and learning four foreign languages. After graduating, I chose a university in Northeastern China where I obtained a government scholarship for a master’s degree in Chinese. My hard work paid off!

Today, I am 30, unmarried and without children. Five years ago I moved to France where I obtained master’s degree from Science Po Paris. Working for the Women's Forum, I strive to support women globally. Every day I get more inspired by amazing and empowered women from all over the world. I have my loved one who supports me in all my endeavors and encourages me to reach my potential to the fullest.

My message that goes out to the younger generation of women is – do not worry about social norms and customs of traditional societies that expect you to submit to a man, bear the burden of domestic work and child care or suppress your ambitious and dreams! Have courage and trust in yourself, you are as talented and qualified as men around you!

Some of us sit and complain, but some of us stand up and make change. Stacey Li, identified herself as a deaf "pure" le*...
06/08/2016

Some of us sit and complain, but some of us stand up and make change. Stacey Li, identified herself as a deaf "pure" le***an, chooses the latter one.

“I was born in silence and have stayed in silence since then. I have fought against the traditional norms of the Chinese society just to be an ordinary good person. Even though I cannot hear …

Having the opportunity to collect stories for Whatswoman is so rewarding!!!!!! So many colours in women around the world...
02/08/2016

Having the opportunity to collect stories for Whatswoman is so rewarding!!!!!! So many colours in women around the world! :) Today we are sharing one of a very special woman whose voice really empowered us...What do you think, our dear readers?
https://whatswomanblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/a-lifelong-devotion-to-the-advancement-of-women-the-voice-of-an-un-woman-official/

“When feminism became an international buzz word in 1975, my mother was already living it for at least three decades – training her four sons to respect girls and share in reproductive chores; educating her five girls and driving them to non-traditionally female careers; teaching her kids that independence is power; and making sure that people around us breathed the air of self-empowerment. At the age of 11, I understood that being a female was a source of vulnerability while I was fearlessly resisting a r**e attempt by intruders. And as I witnessed other girls dealt with the daily onslaughts of discrimination and sexual harassment, I knew something was seriously wrong in the way females are treated by society. It was not an accident, therefore, that for 35 years, I found myself in the maelstrom of women’s struggle for gender equality. I was so privileged to be in a circle of exceptionally brilliant, brave and distinguished women in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Cambodia who work unceasingly to make life a little bit better for women. Our collective struggles taught me that being a woman is about living to the fullest as a human being, where we need to be sensitive to the oppression that our fellow women and girls experience; build alliances to achieve gender transformative results; and invest in the development of a new breed of young women and men who would sustain our campaign through the next generations. It is about doing what we can to help change norms, perspectives, policies, laws, and practices and helping obtain a fair share of opportunities, resources and voice for women. It is about transcending even the most formidable barriers to demonstrate that we love and care for each other as sisters. It is about providing young women with skills to deconstruct romanticism and become smarter in their own relationships and choices. Most importantly, I see it as a way of demonstrating that self-fulfillment is possible for all, women and men alike, and it comes from a life of equality, empowerment and freedom.”

– Ermelita Valdevilla, 61, has worked for women’s empowerment for her whole professional life. She is a former Executive of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women and stays behind some of its greatest successes, including passage of the legislation on theAnti-Sexual Harassment Law. She later worked in various high-ranking positions in UN Woman Afghanistan and Cambodia.

All the tiniest incidents reflect something grander--the structure. Every change starts small. We are very proud of you ...
31/07/2016

All the tiniest incidents reflect something grander--the structure.
Every change starts small. We are very proud of you Jisoo Park.

”In may, A 23-year-old Korean woman got murdered by a schizophreniac man in the bathroom, at the Gangnam station. The man who got caught insisted that he had been ignored by women. He waited …

In celebration of this cannibalistic cutie, we are presenting you our new blog ( which makes it easier for sharing :p ) ...
28/07/2016

In celebration of this cannibalistic cutie, we are presenting you our new blog ( which makes it easier for sharing :p ) !!
The solitary animal reminds us of how "natural" it is to be "leftover"!

I am a female hamster, born in the breeding centre. I stayed with my mom for milk until 20 days old, after which I was taken to the pet shop with my siblings. We fight all the time since we are sol…

"After my second master's degree, I got admitted to a stable state-owned enterprise. People told me that this is perfect...
27/07/2016

"After my second master's degree, I got admitted to a stable state-owned enterprise. People told me that this is perfect for a woman to have such a stable job. A year later, I resigned and decided to do my start-up company.
'What a fool! There are so many people wanting to get in! As a woman, you shall cherish the stability not to risk, let alone starting your own business!' I was 29 that year, they added, 'you shall get married and have kids. Don't make your life unnecessarily hard. '
There are many dilemmas in our lives named ‘shall’ or ‘for your own sake’. There are many times that we can easily accept what we ‘shall’ become and then become someone stable and comfortable but someone we dislike.
Then, I decide to do simply what I want, without hesitation. After three years, my start-up becomes the best in my field and has remained the best for the subsequent six years.
Because of the toughness of managing the company, I wasn’t ready to have a baby until 36 years old. I exercise every day to remain healthy and finally gave birth to a kid as a middle-aged mother. I insisted in breastfeeding my little angel. When my angel turned 7-month old, I received the PhD offer from my favourite university. I never want to stop learning at any stage of my life.
Regardless of gender, everyone is like a seed which wishes to sprout. Why shall a seed be subjected to any other will? As long as there is still the hope of life in the seed, even though it might be covered by snow deep under the soil, once the time arrives, the seed would come out under the sun, growing to thrive." - Linlin, 37, Chinese, founder of 羚羊早安 Morning Antelope / Ph.D. student in Sociology

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