what femininity isn't

 

The choices a woman makes in life seem to carry a lot of connotations. If we are well behaved, we are, perhaps, too passive. If we refuse to settle, we are bitches, or hard to please. If we decide to have children, we are submissive. If we decide not to raise children, we are selfish. If we strive for career success, we are overzealous, overworked and, married to our jobs. If we forego a career for the sake of raising a family, we are passé, or underachievers. Looking at these stereotypes, it seems that what the gender should strive for is a kind of middle ground, but its own baggage, no doubt, would accompany this ground. Why do  these choices seem to fall under such scrutiny, and where or from who do these implications originate from?

What does it mean to embrace our femininity? Is there really such a thing, or such a mindset? Should we all dress up like Stevie Nicks or Sarah Palin? Or should we just show up to our lunch dates in the nude?