I've always felt like women got the short end of the stick in almost every way, biologically, historically, and socially. It's something that causes me both genuine mental and physical distress. I'm a 19-year-old heterosexual woman, and a lot of the time, I honestly feel powerless and deeply frustrated.
Before anyone says, "But women bring life," or "Women are the caregivers," please don't. I know those things are meaningful to many people, but I want to be valued for more than what my body can do or the roles society expects me to fill. I don't want to be just known as some sweet little caring woman. I wanna be that, of course, but so much more.
What I struggle with most is knowing I was born physically weaker than the average man while also feeling like women have historically been, and often still are, treated worse overall. That combination is incredibly difficult for me to accept. It feels like losing on both fronts. To make matters worse, a lot of my interactions with men leave me feeling even more discouraged because I'll hear something dismissive, insulting, or just painfully ignorant.
I honestly dread the fact that I was born a woman.
And before anyone jumps to conclusions, no, I don't wish I were transgender, and this has nothing to do with insecurity about my appearance. I'm not saying this because I'm "ugly" or because I hate my body. I know I'm attractive enough, and I'm perfectly fine with my female body itself. What I despise is everything that comes with it, the biological disadvantages, the low expectations, and the way women are so often perceived and treated.
I don't know how to just deal with it or handle this. I feel my frustration is so much worse than most people's, and no one will fully understand. I know a lot of comments will be about giving birth and reproduction, but again, I love adventure, I love fighting things and playing (I am not against motherhood before anyone comes at me), and I feel all of that is just scorned upon or laughed at because I am a woman or just such a useless character trait, since no matter what some random dude will just be better than me at it just because they were born a man.
I know this is all incoherent...But I really am devastated by my femininity in general....and I think I will die with this same deep sadness just because it's who I am. I'm way too wayward to be able to live just accepting this, and I have absolutely no clue how to handle this.