What's Wrong with Femininity Anyway?

I have always been fairly quiet online about feminism because it's such a convoluted concept. I mean at face value, it seems like a positive thing, right?

The beginnings of feminism are rooted in suffrage* (and kudos to those brave women!), and continue to fight for equality in pay and opportunity (again kudos). I'm glad there are people who are passionate about something that truly does matter. Joan of Arc- what a woman!

I am still confused, though. Today's feminism gets iffy. Equality is no longer the goal but advancement above the male gender or even so much as to eliminate the concept of gender all together (though that's a horse of a different color). There are questions like why can't a woman do a man's job? Why can't a woman go into combat or be drafted (ugh)? Women are just as strong as men! Women can be single mothers and career women with happy healthy families and happy healthy bank accounts- that's 'true success'.

Okay, I don't have any arguments about all these things directly... but there is more to it than that. Yes, I want a family and a job I enjoy. I lift weights (sometimes), I like roughing it in the great outdoors, and I can pack away hot wings with the best of them.

But I LOVE being a W-O-M-A-N! I'm not just talking shoes and sangria (though those are definitely great). I'm talking about being the crown of creation! (Cocky? sure but I know I have that worth as a woman.)

I have the ability to carry a life in my womb and then continue to produce the EXACT nutritional requirements for him or her for as long as he or she needs it. I have the ability to scare the hell out of the Enemy (Gen 3:15) with my life-giving body, my nurturing heart, and my tender love. THAT is what I was created for! No big deal.

Womanhood is a compliment to manliness - she is his helpmate. There is just no amount of relative reasoning that will take away the fact that we need each other and our differences to function, let alone truly strive in a family, in a culture, and throughout the globe.

Femininity is a gift.

Think of your family life (though I know many non-traditional families don't always quite fit these examples):

The father offers a loving firmness while the mother offers a stern softness. They appear to be synonymous, but the difference here is key. A child needs each of these forms of love as a complete image of God's love for us. A mother's tender love brings comfort, but holds strong to bring out the best in her son or daughter- this is a guiding force to help them learn who they were made to be. A father holds high expectations for his children because he wants the best for them and pushes them to follow a path to become who they were made to be.

We cannot lump these together, for;

"God created mankind in his image;

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them." (Gen 1:27).

I know from experience that when life doesn't always have a pretty bow on it, a woman can "man up" if need be and a man can nurture his heart out. But to say we can just gloss over these distinctions is a tragedy.

Here's my call to you:

Men, man up.

Women, woman up.

*note this lists only the positives and I do not agree with the conclusion of the suffrage movement