Woman Studies 101 lessons

A lesson I have taken from my Woman Studies Degree..

I remember sitting in my second ever Woman Studies course at University, and during the first class the Professor asked “How do you define ‘girl’?” “How do you define ‘woman’?” “How does one know when they have transitioned from one to another?” “How do you Identify yourself?”

I was totally stumped. Yeah sure, some could say when a girl enters puberty they are officially a woman. But I did not identify with this at all, it was just not a physical thing for me. Many cultures have different ceremonies and ways of telling a girl has become a woman. Many cultures say that the girl becomes a woman through menstruation, some by the birth of their child (some being at the age of 13).  I asked my mother, that day, when she thought she became a woman and she said after her first child. My mother gave birth to my brother at 28. For some this may be baffling. How can a 28 year old be a considered a girl? For my Mother, she considered being a woman to be about her physical being. Understanding her body and seeing the beauty of how a woman can reproduce and create life.

For myself, I don’t think I became a woman until this year. (no, I did not wake up one morning singing “I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR” at the top of my lungs... I just sang it at a moderate level..) I don’t consider this to be physical for me (but hey! maybe my mind will change when I have a baby of my own years down the road.) I have gone through so many transformations, taken so many different paths, reached successes, fallen in defeat of failures. In the end I picked myself up. Not only did I make a physical change, I am now 10 sizes smaller and 50 lbs lighter then I was in 2009. I also made many psychological  and behavioral changes. Life seemed so hard before this whole transition, there was almost always something to complain about. It wasn’t until I conquered my weight loss, I ran my first marathon, and realized how much I truly loved myself, that I realized how great life was. 

Life is tough, sometimes. But its all about how you deal with it. Challenges will be through your way but its all about how you take that challenge by the neck and say “EH! “ (simply because I am canadian.. you may insert HEY instead if desired) “I AM IN CHARGE HERE.” Honestly, there is NOT a better feeling in the world. Realizing you are awesome and that you love yourself.

So for myself, being a woman is coming to that point in your life where you feel that you are empowered and totally head over heels for who YOU are, physically or as a person. This is definitely the first time in my life that I am 100% confident with who I am and what my place in the world is. Yes, there are still those people in my life that constantly feeling they need to put their negative 2 cents in on who I am or how I look. But honestly, I could give two.. Chickadees...what they think. (nope! no swearing here!) I am Jennifer Jones, I have run 3 full marathons, 6 half marathons and a ton of 5 and 10 km races. I have lost 50 lbs and 10 clothing sizes. I have evolved from a shy, timid girl to a bubbly, confident woman. So I can confidently say, I love who I have become.

So yes, at the age of 21, I feel I have officially become a woman. You may send your congratulation gifts in the mail. (just kiddddinggg) ;)