Wednesday, December 07, 2005

I Woke Up with a Wiggles Song in My Head

I have no idea why, but I've been singing about mashed banana and cold spaghetti. Kill me.

*****

Today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. I’ve always had a weird thing for WWII. I know it’s tied up in Anne Frank and Jacob, Have I Loved and Summer of My German Soldier, but that doesn’t make my interest any less legitimate. I know I romanticize the period, but I think that, despite the constant fear of losing a loved one in the war, the 1940s would have been a wonderful time to be an American. Granted, I would have looked terrible in those shirtwaist dresses, because I possess one of the shortest waists on record, but . . . I think I would have been pretty happy had I lived then.

*****

So the calendar year is winding down, but more importantly, my personal year is, too: My birthday is next month. I know we’ve talked about this before, but most of the time, I don’t feel particularly grown up, and at nearly 35, that is patently ridiculous. To make matters worse, I’ve also realized that I don’t feel particularly like a woman. Female, yes. Woman, no. Does that make sense?

I can bring home the bacon. Check. Fry it up in a pan. Check. And without going into detail, I am pretty good in the never, ever let you forget you’re a man department, too. So according to Peggy Lee and Enjoli Perfume, I should totally feel like a woman. But why don’t I? And what can I do to change it?

Help me, Internet friends. What (aside from reproduction-related things) makes you feel like a Woman? (And with all due respect to Aretha Franklin, it can be a Natural Woman or otherwise--I'm not in a position to be picky.)

12 comments:

BabelBabe said...

i'm no help. if it weren't for the whole childbirth thing, i could have been equally happy as a man.

i am glad you mentioned pearl harbor - there was nothing on any of the news sources this morning - it's almost as if 9/11 wiped pearl harbor from our consciousness, and i think it's important to remember. both.

BabelBabe said...

i like that wiggles song. but brown girl in the ring is my favorite.

Gina said...

There's got to be *something* that makes you feel like a woman! Think!

I don't especially like ANY of the Wiggles songs, but they stick like mad! Happily, I had my iPod in my bag, so I'm now singing about the Jesus of Suburbia. I really, really like Green Day.

And that's not womanly, is it?

BabelBabe said...

not particularly. who is though? Carly simon? Jon Bon Jovi? I just don't know. I am a radiohead fan and that's not womanly either.

Caro said...

The last time I felt womanly, I was pregnant!

Nice lingerie used to make me feel womanly, or a good perfume, shaving my legs those kinds of things.

Gina said...

Somehow I'm realizing that I associate feeling like a woman with feeling FRENCH. Why am I so warped?

I don't think I felt particularly womanly while I was pregnant. At first I felt great and healthy and strong and vibrant. And then I just felt like a patient.

Caro said...

There's nothing more womanly than growing life inside you. But, yeah, the labor part stinks.

Sarah Louise said...

Painting my toenails...
Pretty dresses...
Crying at movies...
When I was at Carlow, in the Women's Studies (required) class, I discovered I couldn't spell femenine. (Is it spelled right?) That cracked me up!
I couldn't be a man because it's so much more socially acceptable to be into pink if you're a girl. And men don't bond with friends in the same ways that women do (generally speaking.) I know I wouldn't have made it this far without the support of my mom, my sister, and my many girlfriends. Guys (generally) don't have as extensive support systems.

unrelated note: I truly need to be at a computer where there is no internet access if I'm ever going to get my staff evaluation done!!

Gina, are you better from the flu? you didn't say.

Jess said...

I think it's my interactions with other people that make me feel like a woman - talking to my friends, interacting as a peer with people I think of as "women," interacting with men who make you feel like a woman (and I'm just talking conversation here ;)).

Joke said...

I've never felt like a woman and, come to think of it, I can't think of a reason to try.

-Joke

Sarah Louise said...

We love you Joke, just the way you are! (I feel a Billy Joel song coming on...)

rywaf: rebelling and yowling water-buffalo are flam-tastic!

(flam-tastic is my new word)

Peg said...

Gina, when is your birthday? I'm January 4.