Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a member
of the opposite sex for a day? What do you think life
would be like?
Of course I've wondered what it's be like to be a man! What girl hasn't? Especially after you get your period; imagine not having to worry about being early and ill-prepared, the worst during the summer, or heaven-forbid being late! Often I lamented as a teenage girl about how easy and carefree the boys had it. They didn't have to pick out a different expensive gown for each school dance, just rent a tux or suit that you don't even have to dry-clean or store! They didn't have to wait for their crush to ask them to the dance, they just did it and asked. When I was a sophomore in high school, a girlfriend of mine and I decided to go to a dance together, just to push the envelope and stick it to whomever we were fighting that day. We had a blast not having to worry about whether our breath was ok, what our date was thinking of us, and other crazy things. It helped that we were both in drama, but still smart enough to be in honors, and generally accepted when we did weird things, instead of being bullied or taunted as some may have been. At least, not that I knew of.
I have never felt comfortable in the roles that are generally defined for females, though I did work as a secretary/receptionist for much longer than I ever expected, and to high-level males to boot. As a child, whenever we played house with friends, I always took on the role of the father, or brother. What was it about my childhood that made me want to fill the father role? I'm guessing it was because I lost my father at a young age. I was only 6 when he died, and though it wasn't a big shock when he did (he'd been sick for years, and as a child you don't really understand the impact of death anyway), and my brother was nearly an adult at that point, I still grew up with a hole where a father should have been. Sure, my brother took me to a father-daughter dance or two, as did my uncle and grandfather, but it's never the same, is it?
In all families and relationships there's those who take care of the cooking and housework, those who take care of the bills and administrative duties, those who do the maintenance, etc. Sometimes, they're all one person, in many single parent cases. In my family, my mother worked, my retired grandmother took care of me and the home, and so the role of administrator came down to me, especially since I was the only one who was a native English speaker. I tend to get things done. I have no problem taking on administrative roles, calling out or on authorities as needed. And these tend to be seen as male roles, aren't they? Especially within families. Or is it?
The only way I know how to organize something like this, is to create a list of my attributes and where I think they fit.
- Jumps in to serve - female
- Takes on leadership roles - male
- Determines discipline ("just wait till mom/dad comes home") - male
- Feels sexy in her own body - female (male?)
- Wears her hair super short - male
- Mother - female
- Often defers to men - female
- Feels her emotions - female
- Takes control in crisis situations - male(?)
So how about you? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a member of the opposite sex for a day? What do you think life would be like?
