7. The Cornerstones of My Femininity, Defined
Good morning sweet friends,
Today is a typical winter day here in Iowa.
The past few years, I feel like God has been peeling away layers of myself that do not represent who He created me to be. He is also allowing the truest parts of myself I've hidden away in a dark part of my soul to tip-toe out into the open and breath fresh air, feel the sunshine.
One of these parts of myself is the way I identify as a hyper-feminine woman. There are a lot of questions about how I define my femininity and how it fits into a larger conversation on gender identity. I do have a background in women's and gender studies so I'm not without some substantive ideas on the topic.
For the purpose of this post, I want to focus on how I define my own femininity. This isn't reflective of how others identify their own femininity nor is it an assumption about what femininity or masculinity is or should be at large. This me and how I identify.
The cornerstones of my femininity are gentleness, nurturing, creativity, and stewardship.
Gentleness
One of the most feminine characteristics that comes quite naturally to me is gentleness. I am a highly sensitive person. I don't particularly like violence or harshness. I speak gently, and people have often told me that I have a soothing presence. I think there is a quiet power in gentleness. Gentleness means self-control while harshness is lack of control. Gentleness requires forethought and grace.
Nurturing
Nurturing is the next cornerstone of how I identify as a hyper-feminine woman. I came out of the woman nurturing living things all around me. Even as young as five years old I had a drive to help others and the environment. There is a misconception that people who are nurturing are easily bull dozed and have no backbone. The truth is that a big component of being nurturing is when to give tough love, when and how to set up firm boundaries, and when offer sensitive support. Nurturing someone's growth involves knowing the balance of all these components. Like gentleness, nurturing requires forethought and grace. It also requires good listening skills, compassion, and clear communication.
Creativity
The third cornerstone of my femininity is creativity. Creativity is not just about art. It moves into problem solving and resourcefulness. I am a highly creative person. I like photography, sewing, crochet, painting, music, and writing. Aside from these more traditional forms of creative expression, I also love to garden and aquascape my aquariums. I like to solve problems in groups of people, and I like finding new ways to be frugal. Creativity is not just a quirky side-bar part of someone's character. It can truly be an integral part of supporting a family, and navigating a complex world.
Stewardship
The fourth cornerstone of how I define my femininity, is stewardship. Stewardship means being stewards of God's gifts. For me this includes stewardship in homemaking, in how I adorn my body through fashion, in cooking and eating foods that fuel me, and in meeting the needs of the people and animals I care about. Stewardship means managing money responsibly, attending to my job with integrity, finding ways to be less wasteful in all areas. It means managing my time as the gift it is. Stewardship to me is feminine because it encompasses all of the first three cornerstones of gentleness, nurturing, and creativity. It adds in a final element of integrity, responsibility, and wholesomeness that defines my womanhood.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for what I want to write about the topic of femininity. So before you rip this post apart, know there is more to come!
Again, I also want to reiterate, that I'm not defining what femininity means for anyone but myself. That being said, how do you define and express femininity if you do at all? What traits do you consider to be specifically feminine traits?
Until next time, stay cozy, friends,
Today is a typical winter day here in Iowa.
The past few years, I feel like God has been peeling away layers of myself that do not represent who He created me to be. He is also allowing the truest parts of myself I've hidden away in a dark part of my soul to tip-toe out into the open and breath fresh air, feel the sunshine.
One of these parts of myself is the way I identify as a hyper-feminine woman. There are a lot of questions about how I define my femininity and how it fits into a larger conversation on gender identity. I do have a background in women's and gender studies so I'm not without some substantive ideas on the topic.
For the purpose of this post, I want to focus on how I define my own femininity. This isn't reflective of how others identify their own femininity nor is it an assumption about what femininity or masculinity is or should be at large. This me and how I identify.
The cornerstones of my femininity are gentleness, nurturing, creativity, and stewardship.
Gentleness
One of the most feminine characteristics that comes quite naturally to me is gentleness. I am a highly sensitive person. I don't particularly like violence or harshness. I speak gently, and people have often told me that I have a soothing presence. I think there is a quiet power in gentleness. Gentleness means self-control while harshness is lack of control. Gentleness requires forethought and grace.
Nurturing
Nurturing is the next cornerstone of how I identify as a hyper-feminine woman. I came out of the woman nurturing living things all around me. Even as young as five years old I had a drive to help others and the environment. There is a misconception that people who are nurturing are easily bull dozed and have no backbone. The truth is that a big component of being nurturing is when to give tough love, when and how to set up firm boundaries, and when offer sensitive support. Nurturing someone's growth involves knowing the balance of all these components. Like gentleness, nurturing requires forethought and grace. It also requires good listening skills, compassion, and clear communication.
Creativity
The third cornerstone of my femininity is creativity. Creativity is not just about art. It moves into problem solving and resourcefulness. I am a highly creative person. I like photography, sewing, crochet, painting, music, and writing. Aside from these more traditional forms of creative expression, I also love to garden and aquascape my aquariums. I like to solve problems in groups of people, and I like finding new ways to be frugal. Creativity is not just a quirky side-bar part of someone's character. It can truly be an integral part of supporting a family, and navigating a complex world.
Stewardship
The fourth cornerstone of how I define my femininity, is stewardship. Stewardship means being stewards of God's gifts. For me this includes stewardship in homemaking, in how I adorn my body through fashion, in cooking and eating foods that fuel me, and in meeting the needs of the people and animals I care about. Stewardship means managing money responsibly, attending to my job with integrity, finding ways to be less wasteful in all areas. It means managing my time as the gift it is. Stewardship to me is feminine because it encompasses all of the first three cornerstones of gentleness, nurturing, and creativity. It adds in a final element of integrity, responsibility, and wholesomeness that defines my womanhood.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for what I want to write about the topic of femininity. So before you rip this post apart, know there is more to come!
Again, I also want to reiterate, that I'm not defining what femininity means for anyone but myself. That being said, how do you define and express femininity if you do at all? What traits do you consider to be specifically feminine traits?
Until next time, stay cozy, friends,
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