We Are Women

We are women,
The hushed, the shunned, and the ignored.
We are the ones told to be quiet when someone else must speak,
And gunned down when we try to be heard.

We are women,
Though some of us seek the retribution of proving them wrong,
We are told to sit properly as to not to distract or offend them.

We are women,
And those who were assigned the wrong gender at birth,
And have the courage to change,
Are not considered to be one of us.
Yet,
Hollywood has no problem giving lifeless objects a gender,
And accepting them as women.

We should be skinny, but not too much.
We should be curvy, but not fat.
We should be pretty, but are ridiculed for wearing make-up,
And told we are boring if we do not do so.
We should be sexy but not slutty,
We should be conservative but not prudish,
We should be smart but not too smart,
We should be strong, but not fight back,
So as to not scare them away.

We are expected to kiss each other so we can please them,
But when we feel the urge naturally,
We are ridiculed,
And turned away, asked to change for their sake and not ours.

We are women,
We are told to be "perfect"
But,
That is not who we are.

We are leaders,
We are doctors,
We are disabled,
And we are able.
We are teachers,
We are stay at home mothers,
We are artists,
We are LGBT+,
And we are straight,
We are prudes,
We are sluts,
We are Olympians,
We are couch-potatoes,
And we are skinny,
We are fat,
We are strong,
We are beautiful,
And we are women.