3 Ways To Be Womanly! (Part 1 of Embracing Femininity)
PLUS: Have you ever heard of Purim?
3 Ways To Be Womanly! (Part 1 of Embracing Femininity)
Happy Tuesday, my lovely friends! I am rejoicing because it is currently 71 degrees outside and I can feel spring in the air. Since it snowed this past weekend, I was thrilled to see the sun shining through our windows this morning. The weather here in Virginia is always a surprise, but sometimes that’s part of the fun! I can’t wait to go for a long walk and (hopefully!) help this baby figure out it’s time to join the party.
Well, today when I sat down to write my weekly article, the first thing that popped into my head was womanliness. Here at Classically Abby, we talk about a few things quite a bit: traditional values, classic living, and embracing femininity. And even though we’ve gone through and broken down what those phrases mean, I think it’s always important to have a refresher and reconsider how we can incorporate those ideas into our daily lives.
In today’s day and age, femininity is such a bastardized word. 50 years ago, wearing a beautiful dress and doing your makeup were obviously considered feminine things to do. Putting on perfume and learning to keep a home were part and parcel of feminine behavior. But today, those same feminine acts are turned upside down and taken away from women by Leftists who claim that gender is a social construct and nothing is uniquely feminine. Leftists claim that femininity is solely about “girliness” - that men can be feminine because they can enjoy “girly” things, like makeup and heels and dresses and pearls. So, the question becomes: is femininity arbitrary and just about “girliness” that women have incidentally found fun and enjoyable, or is femininity the deeper, more meaningful womanly endeavors that we pursue?
It’s a mixture. Femininity is an ode to both our outer, appealing “girliness” and our deeper, purposeful womanliness. It is embracing our innate nature and purpose that make us different from men, and complimentary to them, and accentuating that difference through our appearance. Femininity is both emphasizing our distinction from men (fuller lips, longer hair, different skeletal structures, breasts and hips) and the womanliness that defines our wants and needs and duties. I think it’s really important to recognize the two equal parts that make up femininity so that we can enjoy and embrace both.
Today, I want to share three ways we can start embracing femininity right now at the deeper level. I want to focus on the inner womanliness that we should not just encourage but cultivate and refine.
Write Down 3 Reasons Why You Love Being A Woman. It is so easy to buy into the lie in 2022 that women have it worse than men. Gender feminists have convinced women everywhere that we are born victims and men are born oppressors. It doesn’t matter how far we “progress;” women will always be subjugated to men. Living with this mindset would make anyone hate being a woman! Why would you want to be a woman or embrace femininity if that means embracing chains and second-class citizenship? Well, the good news is gender feminism is a pack of lies. Women are strong, have equal rights in the western world, and often have more opportunities to thrive in the workplace than men do. And outside of all that, women have a unique role that is so special. We bring life into the world; we create and cultivate societies; we raise children and bring love into the home. So with that in mind, start off by writing down three reasons why you LOVE being a woman. Then put it on a sticky note or a piece of paper and tape it next to your bed. Now, every morning you’ll be inspired to embrace your womanhood because you know how lucky you are to be a woman - and being a woman is truly an incredible gift.
Start Practicing Gentle Guidance. Okay, so you’ve figured out why you love being a woman. Now it’s time to start putting that into practice! I believe one of the most important parts of being womanly is in practicing gentle guidance. Gentle guidance is teaching and encouraging others to do what’s best through kindness and good advice. Unique to women is our ability to empathize with compassion and teach with loving patience - that is our most effective tool, as well. Rather than cramming information down someone’s throat, a better and more effective strategy is to kindly show someone a better away. Truly, the best way to accomplish things is to gently guide rather than brutally force. For example, if you wanted your husband to wash the dishes, there are two options for how you could approach it. First, you could yell at him that he’s a lazy bum and he never helps you and he needs to change. Second, you could tell him how much it would mean to you if he helped you and that it would give you more time to spend together if he split the kitchen chores with you. Which do you think will have a better outcome?
Offer To Help Someone. There’s a huge misconception that being feminine is synonymous with being a damsel in distress. The picture of a princess being rescued by a prince has given us the impression that being a lady is also about being weak. This is simply a distortion. The stories of men rescuing women have more to do with the men earning the women’s honor and respect than they have to do with the woman being helpless. A damsel in distress is only interesting up until the story resolves and she’s actually saved. But past that point, if she were to continue being in distress, her prince would get tired of her pretty quickly. True womanliness begins with being someone others can depend on because you’re a caring, kind person. It is within our womanly role to be the queen, the woman that people look up to and turn to in times of need. To be a good friend, wife, and mother is to be someone people can rely on - and that’s the most womanly thing. So offer to help someone today - your mom, your sister, a friend, your husband. That is a beautiful way to embrace your womanhood.
Which of these will you try today? And what are some other ways to embrace womanliness? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, so make sure to share below!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: This Month's Book Club Selection!
I’m excited to share this month’s book club selection! This month we are reading non-fiction (we switch up month-to-month), and I can’t wait. The book we will be reading is…Digital Minimalism! This book is all about how and why we should try to limit our digital presence in today’s modern world. I can’t wait to discuss it with you all!
What’s New On Classically Abby…
Welcome to Classically Abby!
I'm a wife, mama-to-be, opera singer, entrepreneur, YouTuber, and your guide to becoming the classic woman you've always wanted to be! Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter to see how! And together, let's be classic.
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I dont know how I feel about this. I always felt that my personality was being helpful and friendly.
One thing I like about being a women, when I get pregnant I will be the first to hold my baby (as in inside me).
I must say that if a women is yelling at her husband, that doesn't mean she hasn't tried asking nicely. Obviously Jacob is really nice and a great husband.
This is so absolutely beautiful. I feel as if in today's age, people will shout, "SEXISM!" at anything and everything. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but it's used far more often than it should be. Along with that, I feel as if the new age feminist agenda is "sexist" in itself. I've iterated this multiple times to my feminist friends that feminists saying "We can do anything a man can do but better" is literally telling society that women are not "useful" unless they can do what men are typically seen doing. A woman should show her contribution to society by being a woman, not by trying to be a man/have masculine energy. I always look at it as saying "I am a woman and here is how I add value to masculinity and society by being feminine," not "I am a woman and I'm valuable because I can do what a man can." Also, in regards to gentle guidance, Abby, I cannot tell you enough how much this saved me. I used to take on the hard-head role when I needed something done, and that never worked for me. When I started asking gently for favors from my husband, I found he would jump to my request IMMEDIATELY if not sooner. Men want to provide, and by gently guiding and letting him make the decision to help, he loves it so much more.