Why I'm Happier Being Woman

Time for another blog post inspired from an email forward. (I think I read too many forwards these days - too much procrastination of work!) This one was titled 'Why men are never depressed' and you can read it here to know some reasons why men supposedly, have nothing to worry about ever. Reading it sparked off a million ideas in my mind why women are happy too, even if we do get depressed now and then.

Disclaimer: This post is in no way intended to hurt the sentiments or cause any other disrespect to the men who read it. It's all in a light vein so hopefully I won't be getting any hate mail. :P

A point to note is that I think a lot of our depression(s) are directly or indirectly caused by men. Either we are subjected to some kind of abuse or you break our heart or just plain treat us horribly which leads to us being sad and weepy. Cartoonist Nicole Hollander has said:

"Can you imagine a world without men? No crime and lots of happy fat women."

It's a tad extreme, but you can't deny it has an element of truth in it. :P

For centuries, men have been responsible for oppressing, suppressing, dominating and victimising us. We have been subjugated to societal adversities since time immemorial, yet we have not only survived but have grown from strength to strength and continue to. Because we women are just strong people – not physically, perhaps, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We are stronger than men in these areas that matter more than just plain brute force. There have been circumstances in my life when I momentarily wished I'd been born male instead of female, but when it really comes down to it, I am much happier being woman because:

To start with, we always appreciate the small things – that sweet text message, the way someone smiles at us, a shared bar of chocolate, even a good night’s beauty sleep. We make a big deal out of simple things which is good because it’s often the simple things that count. We never forget birthdays or anniversaries or other days that matter, and we don't hesitate to go out of our way to bring someone cheer. We know how to calm a crying baby and we know how to nurse a wound. We can cook up something yummy even if we don’t know much about recipes and we have all the little niceties – like making someone feel welcome and saying 'please' and 'thank you' - primly in place.

We can use our charm to get you to do almost anything for us. We are allowed to be vain and narcissistic. We can take an hour long bath and spend on designer perfumes and pretty clothes. We can own 20 pairs of shoes and not have to explain ourselves. We are good at listening to problems, even if we don’t always have solutions. We know how to make someone feel better, even if it’s just by giving a warm hug.

We call when we say we will, and we don’t blow people off. We are an open book when something is wrong with us – it’s your fault if you’re too slow and don't understand and constantly need us to spell everything out for you. We don’t ogle at every hot guy that passes by, and we don’t flirt to live. We don’t grow ugly facial hair that needs to be tamed almost every day. And we certainly don’t have unsightly hairy arms and legs. We care for our bodies and we always look good, sometimes even just after waking up.

We get to use lovely-smelling shampoos and lotions and cosmetics, and we get attention wherever we go. We can learn to do anything we put our mind to, whether it be something small like how to change a bulb, or something big, like repairing our own car. we know how to ask for help, and how to make sure we get it. We are not embarrassed to admit it when we don’t know something or when we are scared. We can change our look in a jiffy whenever we feel like it – makes life more interesting. And we can choose what we want to come across as to the world by picking just the right kind of outfit.

We are careful about people’s feelings, and we always lend an ear or a shoulder when needed. You can count on us. When we say we miss you, we really do; when we say we love you, we truly mean it. We look after someone when they are sick, and we know how to pick just the right gifts for everyone.

We can tell original labels from overpriced fakes, and we can hunt out bargains and save money! We can cry in front of our friends, and we can substitute sex with chocolate!

We don't have to face the embarrassment of getting erections in public and we don't have to worry about how big we are. We don’t tease each other if we can’t get laid and we have more things to think and talk about than just sex. We don’t judge and classify people based on their looks, and we fall in love with personality, provided you have an interesting one. (How do you think not-so-good-looking guys manage to land super hot ladies?)

We can be into stereotypically 'boyish' things like fast cars and beer and adventure sports and we earn appreciation for it. We can do almost anything a guy does, except perhaps walk around without a shirt in public. But men, there is something we can do which you simply cannot -give birth to another life. And with emerging technology, we can do it even without your sperm.

Basically, we can rule the world, and when we do, it will evolve to a much better state than it is in now. Because we are against violence and war and weapons of mass destruction, and we are not selfish or power-hungry or self-centered like the male rulers have typically been. You won’t find an Adolf Hitler among us, or a George W. Bush or a Bin Laden. We have the best of both worlds – our own nurturing qualities and your leadership ones, just minus the massive egos and aggressive tendencies.

No wonder we survive despite everything we go through.

And no wonder, I am happier being woman, even if men are out there to depress me. :P

(P.S. to the men: Kindly refer to the Disclaimer above once again.)