Expressions of Womanhood: Authenticity, Connectedness & Freedom

We yearn for freedom. To escape the mental enslavement enforced upon us by the patriarchal capitalist landscape we roam today. Rarely do we truly know ourselves. We plan our lives meticulously based on a set of desires we believe are ours, when in reality, they couldn’t represent us less if they tried. For this reason, we find ourselves eternally unfulfilled, dissatisfied with life no matter the achievement, trapped in a constant state of longing. We choose from a place of lack, not contentment. We are endlessly bombarded with new trends and ‘must haves’; decision paralysis holding us captive. We give in and join the masses, yet we still feel the flame of discontent burning with intensity.

From birth, women are socialised to appease, to play our roles, to self-abandon. We pour endlessly into others without our resources being replenished. We are held to contradicting standards for the comfortability of others; don’t sleep around but know how to pleasure your partner, manage the household and child responsibilities but ensure you work full time to contribute to the household bills, always appear flawless and perfectly groomed yet wearing make-up is fake and tacky.

Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.

So, do.

Release yourself from thinking in terms of what you ‘should do’ and focus on your wants and needs. Unlearning this takes effort and fine tuning of your life. Open your ears to listen to your heart; a voice that is seldom heard. We have become accustomed to being told what we desire as opposed to discovering it for ourselves. Do you really enjoy dressing this way, or have you been led to believe that your worth and beauty is attached to adhering to the trending fashion style? Are you genuinely committed to working your twenties away for that promotion or has society conditioned you to believe you must have a 100% productivity rate and that living a slower and intentionally curated life is ‘lazy’?

Now, your answer could be either, there is no wrong answer. The only right answer is the one that feels authentic to you.The act of choosing yourself has been successfully branded as selfishness, when choosing yourself is one of the most selfless acts one can do as true community thrives on self-love. By nurturing your authenticity, you nurture your soul. A nurtured soul attracts abundance. Abundance in one’s livelihood, interpersonal relationships, family life and countless other aspects.

How do you expect what is meant for you to find you if you are not you?

You are the author of your life. Only you can make the decision to become an empowered chooser. Connect with your soul and decipher how you want to experience this world.

You have considerably more power than you believe.

Situations may feel permanent for now but committing to regularly making small decisions that distance you from enslavement and drive you towards contentment transform those immutable hardships into a fulfilling and genuine existence.

Chase authenticity and freedom, the rest will follow.