TENDAI NZUWA JACKDUFF
April 25 2024
PRETENDING TO BE A WOMAN 5
I thought I had grown into my body,
into my curves, into my womanhood.
But the truth is, I'm still growing,
still learning, still finding myself.
I've been pretending to be a woman for so long,
I've forgotten what it means to be me.
I've been trying to fit into the mold of what society expects of me,
of what men expect of me.
I've been wearing masks,
pretending to be confident,
pretending to be intelligent, pretending to be sexy.
But it's exhausting, it's suffocating, it's killing me.
I want to go back to being that little girl,
dancing in mud puddles,
playing silly games,
wearing no makeup, no heels,
no pretenses.
I want to be able to sleep at night ,
without worrying about what others think of me.
I want to be able to laugh without faking it,
to talk without rehearsing, to be without pretending.
I want to be valuable for who I am,
not for what I can offer.
I want to be seen for my mind,
my heart, my soul, not just my body.
I want to be a woman, but not the woman they want me to be.
I want to be me.
I'm tired of pretending, tired of hiding,
tired of being afraid. I'm ready to be free,
to be me, to be a woman on my own terms.
I'm ready to break free from the chains of societal expectations,
to shatter the glass ceiling of conformity.
I'm ready to embrace my quirks, my flaws,
my individuality.
I'm ready to be a woman who is unapologetically herself,
who doesn't need validation from others to be worthy.
I'm ready to find my own voice,
my own style, my own path.
I'm ready to stop comparing myself to others,
to stop competing with others,
to stop trying to fit in. I'm ready to stand out,
to stand tall, to stand proud.
I'm ready to be a woman who inspires,
who uplifts, who empowers.
I'm ready to be a woman who makes a difference,
who leaves a mark,
who changes the world.
I'm ready to be a woman who is remembered not for her beauty,
but for her brains, not for her body, but for her heart.
