I’M A GIRL AND THAT’S OKAY TOO

The international day of the girl child just passed (the 11^th of October) and while I had something to share, I’ve been struggling with writing or posting on social media majorly cause my best time to post on social media is during the day (thanks to instagram analytics and UNUM) and I get busy at work, when I’m not busy with work, I’m lazying about, but I guess better late than never. That been said, I really wanted to say something that day cause you know, I’m a girl and I was so happy to learn there’s a day that celebrates us.

I grew up in a typical Igbo home where “not having a male child” was an issue and I was constantly reminded that being a girl wasn’t enough and having female children was equal to a not very peaceful home. So I always tried to prove I was equal if not better than a male child. My life had to make sense, training me wasn’t going to be a waste of time, I said to myself.

I remember then when I was about to enter Uni, people will ask what I wanted to study, I’ll say Chemical Engineering and they’ll go, “Engineering is for boys”. That right there was why I was really convinced I’ll prove them wrong. I turned out not liking it, not because I’m a girl and girls naturally wouldn’t cope (because I did better than many other boys and two girls finished with a first class in my set and quite a number had really good results too) but because I was in it for the wrong reasons. At first it was like living like I was constantly in competition with somebody, trying to prove my worth till I got to a point where I started to ask myself if it was worth it.

The male gender is special likewise the female, God gave the man and woman specific roles. Can I now say it’s cause men are trying to be like women and women like men, there’s so much confusion in the world today? (I’m sure y’all know where I’m headed).

I didn’t need anybody’s validation, God choose to bring another girl into the world through my birth and I’m sure He had His reasons. I came to realize that since God thought I was worth bringing into this world, that was all that mattered. I was going to live life the best way I knew how with His help, chasing my dreams and learning to be happy with who I was, love who I am and appreciate the woman I’m becoming. So yeah, a day that celebrates me isn’t such bad idea (flips hair)..lol.

I’m a Feminist but I’ll like to share more light on what that word means:

“Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social equality of sexes. This includes seeking to establish educational and professional opportunities for women that are equal to such opportunities for men.

Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women’s rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to earn fair wages or equal pay, to own property, to receive education, to enter contracts, to have equal rights within marriage, and to have maternity leave. Feminists have also worked to promote bodily autonomy and integrity, and to protect women and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence.” (Gotten from Wikipedia)

I felt like a couple of us might have needed the little information because saying I’m a feminist doesn’t mean when you ask me out on a date, you’ll be less of a gentleman and expect me to handle the bills or split the bills with you..lol. I hope you get the drift.

It makes me really happy to see women excelling in whatever field/ path they’ve chosen, not because they want to outshine men but because they are concentrating on living their best life and not letting the society put them in a box.

I’ll like to end this by saying, shout out to all the girls (women) living their best lives, doing their best, smiling through the hard times and hoping for a better tomorrow. Don’t let anybody ever put you in a corner or box or dictate how you should live your life or treat you like you’re not enough, cause YOU ARE! Don’t feel like you have to live up to the standards they’ve set for you and even if you make mistakes it’s okay, you’re not perfect! Get back up and keep moving. Celebrate your journey not just once in a year but every damn time.

You’re not a man, you’ll never be a man. You’re a girl and that’s okay too. For the men out there that recognize our uniqueness and treat us like Queens, God bless you.

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