Struggles? Do you know there are struggles that are synonymous with womanhood in this 21st century?

Let’s highlight a few of these struggles.

It is not easy being a lady growing up in the era. I am sure it used to be much easier during the era of our parents and grandparents.

There are so many things battling for the attention of a lady in this century – and some of this things are things she can’t casually wave aside, she has to handle them in one way or the other or they would keep piling up.

Here is a little list of some of the struggles faced by a 21st century lady.

1.Being beautiful – Do you know being beautiful in this era comes with its own hassle. Facial beauty attracts a lot of oddities and it is quite alarming how a beautiful woman will not know peace for the sake of her beauty.
Every tom, dick and harry will want to be her man. Even she is married, she is still being toasted.
Also, being a beauty in this era automatically comes with the notion that you are disrespectful. People have come to believe that and I wonder what gives them this notion or is it a case of over generalization.

One possible reason I foresee is the fact that a woman who is beautiful has got to be a bit hard/harsh to some people of the opposite sex who might see her calmness as a yardstick to disrespect her and when she speaks out, she is termed disrespectful.

2. Fashion: these days they say fashion is you and you are fashion. Dress how you want to be addressed. Yet, with the changing times comes fashion change and mehn, you have to meet up with the standard or at least try to meet up or you’d be termed dirty and archaic.

Most times when as a decent lady you choose to dress moderately and respectfully, you get to hear stuffs like, you are being holier than the pope, you are being all to old fashioned thereby behaving like an old woman – na wa.
And you know how women and clothes are attached.

3. Losing male friends: the rate at which females lose male friends is becoming rather alarming.

As a lady, when you become friends with a guy and for years you remain as friends but emotions have a way of creeping, when it so happens and the guy asks you out for a relationship and you say no, truth is, many of them kill the friendship, they say they can’t be friends with you if they can’t date you.
If she dates all her good friends that are male, won’t they tag her a whore, yet they refuse to understand that she can be friends with you and not develop emotions for you if she is in a relationship or if she sees you as just a friend. Yes, a woman is like that.

That brings me to the question, between males and females, which party develops emotion faster?

4. Intelligence: For a lady, being intelligent comes with it’s own wahala. You are expected to hide your intelligence when a man is in sight or they’d tag you disrespectful and a show off.
Guys find it rather awkward and insulting for a lady to be intelligent and wahala brews when as a result of her intelligence, she is recognized or placed ahead of the guys in her work place or wherever they may find themselves.

I remember a scenario where a senior lady told a younger lady that she has to be a intentionally stupid sometimes so her man will not be threatened and take to his heels. Hian.

I hear stuffs like, men feel like lesser men when they are with an intelligent woman, but it should not be so except the man in a question is one who has refused to grow in his own intelligence.
When a woman is intelligent, most of them recognizes it is a challenge so they have to put extra effort in being humble and meek which at times may lead to their respect and worth being trampled upon.

A woman can’t be less than what God made her to be just because a guy is not comfortable with it. I remember a friend once said to me that her man complains that her intelligence is unhealthy for their relationship and that she should stop reading. Hmmmmmm.
Instead of feeling threatened, he should up his game.
God help intelligent women.

5. Marriage ish: Marriage has become the important possession a person acquires. It has becomes the highest position a person achieves, though marriage is a good thing but for the love of me, it should not be forced on a person who isn’t ready.
In this era once you have attained a certain age, society automatically expects you begin your search for a life partner.

Sometimes, they begin asking you obvious questions.
Parents are not left out in this torment. They torment their girl child with the constant cries of ‘I want to carry my grandchildren’.
You people will carry, make una wait.
Una go carry them.

To be continued…