On Growing Up

"I presumed that once I'd cracked being thin, beautiful, stylishly dressed, poised, and gracious, everything else would fall into place. That my real life's work was not a career--but myself. That if I worked on being pleasing, the world would adore and then reward me.

Of course, this supposition that women are supposed to just 'be,' while men go out and 'do,' have been argued as inimically sex-tied traits...But I don't know if I believe "being" is an innately female think to do...I would suggest that when you'be spent millennia not being allowed to do anything, you do tend to become more focused on being self-critical, analytical, and reflective because there's nothing else you can do, really, other than (a) look hot and (b) turn inward.

Would Jane Austen's characters have spent pages and pages discussing all the relationships in their social circle if they'd been a bit more in control of their own destinies? Would women fret themselves half to death over how they look and who fancies them if this wasn't the main thing they were still judged on? Would be give so much of a shit about our thighs if we, as a sex, owned the majority of the world's wealth?

~Caitlin Moran