I didn’t have any kind of an “ah ha you’re a woman” moment. but i do have a very clear memory of this “wow you’re a GROWN UP” moment. I’ve always written in a journal. One day I was writing (stream of consciousness) and I just began writing about how it seemed like I blinked and all the sudden was responsible for so much. I remember that it just really hit me hard that I was a true adult. No messing around here. my girlhood was over. Funny enough the three things that affected me the most were the thoughts that I had a 1)mortgage and 2) that I was the boundary setter/rule maker for my children and 3) that I was a taxpayer! I had been a real wild child. the rule breaker all my life. then grew up and became this rather strict parent. A person who paid my mortgage on time and paid taxes… it just struck me deeply for some reason. That was a long time ago and I remember it like it was yesterday

What does being a woman mean to me? That’s a tough question. If i don’t think about it much i think i’d say it means being responsible for the collective consciousness. Not a very PC answer. But as I’ve aged I’ve begun to realize that women hold the pain of the world in their hearts. Different than men do. I don’t think being the nurturers of the world is a nature/nurture debate anymore. I think it’s what we are.

I remember my first horse backriding lesson when I was 12. The instructor positioned my leg in the stirrup, looked up at me and said: “You’re as pretty as a picture.” Also with my first boyfriend at 17, I could easily see my effect on him….and oh my, that was powerful.

This is a really tough question because it encompasses so much. We know that our identity as females begin with our mothers and with our father’s dealings with us. One can always overcome negative aspects of this, but the roots are there. I always had a strong sense of femaleness and cannot pinpoint any epiphany where I thought, wow, now I’m a woman! I can say that reading “The Feminine Mystique” was a turning point in my life. Betty Friedan gave a voice to many of my feelings and ideas of what it was to be a woman in that era. From that reading and other things that were going on in my life at that time prompted me to change courses which led to freedom, anguish, sexual awakening, regrets, strengths, passion, and on and on until I got all the wrinkles ironed out, but still had to deal with the residue debris. So to answer the difficult question re: what it means to me to be a woman is too complicated for me to answer except to say I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Being in a family of mostly strong statuesque women, I never thought about what being a woman means to me. I realized that I was physically weaker than a boy after one pushed down on the sidewalk when I was in kindergarten. Soon I learned to play with the boys and earn their friendship. My appearance is ultra-feminine. I love my feminine power and all that it has brought to my life. Being a mother is a blessing. I’m also in touch with my masculine side as a result of my career field. I embrace both aspects because they have made me strong and nurturing.

I have no idea how old I was when I knew what it meant to be a woman. My children were born 10 months/3wks. apart, so basically I was pregnant for 18 mos. I think being a woman encompasses so much and the older I get, the more gratitude I have for having been born one. What was the name of the song and singer? Something about “I AM Woman”? She sang it when the womens lib movement was reaching its zenith. For some reason, to this day when I hear it, I feel empowered. There is a wonderful book I recently got: Secrets&Mysteries: The Glory & Pleasure of Being a Woman, written by Denise Linn. “The invisible patterns that shape a woman’s life, how to initiate and celebrate your ecstatic life force and nurture your body and soul”, are some of the items on the back cover. With age & maturity, a woman realizes her inner goddess and inner power. In all the religions she is the metaphor for the Life Force. When I became a student of Joseph Campbell and read his books and watched him in the wonderful interviews with Bill Moyer, the meaning of being a woman started making sense to me. And, it has a helluvalot more to do with the inner woman than the outer one, and I say that even though I am a fashion/shoe/cosmetic diva. Knowing your inner goddess is very empowering and liberating. Watching the youtube wow had this morning made me think of these things and how fortunate we all are for our womanhood. To the powers that be at WOW: I wish you all would contact Denise Linn and get her to contribute something along these lines. Thanks.

Great question. recall being a “girl” meant smiling…oh yes, that was directly taught to look pretty for the camera at six or so. My brothers could look serious but not the girls. As for “female” the facts of life were taught to me while in fifth grade by no other than my Mom at home after dinner. A question came up at school lunch table about someone having a baby unwed. I did not understand how God could have given a baby to an unmarried woman. As for “woman” means…………..still working that one out actually. :)

At age twelve, I was standing in the driveway with my friend, Hughie. We had been playing Treasure Hunt, climbing trees, running over the field of small hills. Hughie, got a strange expression on his face as he said, “As the sun shines on your hair, I can see some red mixed in with the brown”. I almost fell over. At first, I hadn’t the slighest idea about what he was saying. Then I knew, he saw me as female. I ran away and never played with him again.