Owning womanhood...

"A man leads, guides, decides, protects and provides. A woman supports, inspires, influences, nourishes and nurtures."

This is something I heard on the radio one morning when I had pressed the snooze button on my alarm clock one too many times.I was busy trying to maneuver my head through my vest without having to take my headsets off when I paused, mid-maneuver, to listen to Azania's guest stipulate our roles in relationships, and how, by simply letting ourselves be women, we were halfway there at making these relationships work.

A year after my parents' seperation, I found myself doing all the hard labour around the house. Fixing broken appliances, carrying heavy items, etc. Naturally, this never bothered me because of all four of us females around the house, I was the strongest.

So one night, my then boyfriend and I were sitting on the couch, pretending to watch something uninteresting that was on the television just so we could hook up later (read as making-out and beyond)

To pass time, I would settle for playing with his belly-button.This was something we never agreed on. Five seconds into playing with his navel and we were wrestling on the living room floor. Following that, he asked me something so unexpected. "Why are you so strong?", he asked. I gave in. I didn't want him thinking he was in a relationship with a Xena, when he was nowhere near being a Hercules.

That night made me realise that when the opportunity presented itself, I would be more than willing to relinquish power to men. Not to boost their egos, but because it made me feel WOMANly.

Chivalry may be in a deep coma, but it is far from being dead. It's bound to be hard for men to be gentlemen when women won't act like ladies. I'm not saying women should be subordinate to men, but truly speaking, we have our roles.

Anele Mdoda, South African radio DJ addressed a similar issue in a book she wrote this year title "It Feels Wrong To Laugh, But...". In one chapter, she talks about her views on female soldiers. She writes, "Woman have no business being in front-line combat... We are the queens who already lose blood every month. The same queens who carry life in our bellies and give birth to the soldiers of the nations." *APPLAUDS*

Women need to know their roles and be secure about them. In the end, we all know that women are the ones who keep everything glued together. Having men take the credit every once in a while can sometimes be a good thing. Let them.

Just like Michelle Obama KNOWS she can run the U.S as well, if not even better, than Barack. But she settles for being the first lady. Knowing that all other (sensible) women know she's the one keeps things glued together.

Another example, Beyonce aka KingBey. Everybody knows though, that when Jigga is in the building, she's QUEENBey. It's not being submissive, it's letting herself be his woman.

Feminists might want to throttle me for this post, but nowhere did I say that they can't or shouldn't play the roles men play. By all means, be the lady in the biggest chair at the boardroom amoungst men only. But at home, know your role. Even if you bring home a bigger paycheck. Men will appreciate it and treat you like the Queen you truly are for it.

I'm out.

                           signed:QueenZee.