Being a woman after machismo

I would like to start this writing by taking you back with me to this week and a half that I have lived and that has inspired this post. My cousin came to visit for a few days, and we have been talking about the culture and life in Barranquilla, how we, as women, have grown up in a macho scenario, and how important it was to emigrate to find ourselves again.

As I had told you, the last few months have been of great positive changes that have been accompanied by many joys and also many fears. I have realized that one of the reasons, apart from many, is to understand my role as a woman in society, to be more aware of myself, to recognize that I am more than a physical aspect that men can see or touch or give their opinion.

After spending 19 years in a setting with limited feminism instruction, my story of enlightening my conscience has been complex and multifaceted. But, It is true that society is making progress while battling oppressive patriarchal norms.

Being a woman after machismo implies a sense of empowerment, authenticity and revolution. Redefining the identity that for many years you have not been aware of and of which little is said, adapting it to restrictive stereotypes (the girl, the lady, the flower, the fragile, the whore, the easy one), must be difficult and challenging to the reality you are facing. We, women, have conquered traditional patriarchal spaces imposed by men and by ourselves that today we are still persistently facing on our way to gender equality.

To be a woman after machismo is to free ourselves from predetermined roles; now we can be successful professionals, leaders, mothers, artists, scientists and anything else we set out to be. Our voices are louder, our aspirations bolder and our ambitions greater.

To be a woman after machismo is often to face wage gaps, to recognize the lack of representation in leadership positions and gender-based violence. Oppression and sexual objectification still persist in different forms, and we must continue to challenge these aspects of culture that perpetuate inequality.

Being a woman after machismo also means confronting and challenging the gender expectations ingrained in our own minds and in society. We are challenging socially imposed beauty standards, the pressure to play a certain part, and the notion that motherhood and other forms of caregiving should take precedence in our life. We are fighting for the right to live the lives we want and to decide what happiness and success look like for ourselves.

Being a woman after machismo is, in the end, a path of personal growth, resiliency, and reinvention. We continue to question conventions, enjoy our variety, and work toward gender equality in all spheres of life. We are creating a society where women can be fully themselves, where our contributions are recognized, and where our rights are honored, even if there is still much work to be done.