By Ariel Robbins

Staff Writer

Thought #1: It’s good to be alive in a time and a place where a woman’s thoughts can be taken seriously.

Thought #2: However, being a woman is complicated. The dictionary definition of a woman is: an adult human female—but that’s just as helpful as defining the ocean as “a lot of water.” They’re more than that, both of them. The problem is that we try to define things that are indefinable. To put it simply, a woman cannot be put into words because that would limit her. There are no bounds on what a woman can be. Her genitalia does not define her. Her ability to bare children, or menstruate, does not define her. Her character does not define her.

It’s common in contemporary society to want to see women as strong, as independent, as selfless, as someone inspiring. However, the second we give one label to women is the second that all of the women who aren’t strong, who still need to depend on someone, who are selfish, are exempt. We can have our ideals, but we cannot ignore reality.

We cannot ignore the segment of women who don’t live up to society’s expectations. We cannot and should not un-claim them. An unapologetic woman is just as important as a woman that will never stop saying she’s sorry. As a society, we try and weed people out. Women especially are given a mold more distorted than most. Our waistline is expected to be as petite as our input, but things are changing.

There are women that will live and die under systems of oppression, and there are women who will cry for them, who will fight for them, who will know nothing of them, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are in this together. When society fails us, we must become homes for each other. Today, we are constantly finding ways to build each other up and protect those of us with less privilege, sharing our voice.

In the end, all this has lead me to thought #3: In a world that tries so hard to put us into words, we remain undefined.