There are lots of things Alice Williams would do if she wasn't worried about appearing too masculine. Photo / Facebook: @WriterAliceWilliams
There are lots of things Alice Williams would do if she wasn't worried about appearing too masculine. Photo / Facebook: @WriterAliceWilliams
Opinion
Reddit recently asked men what they would do if they weren't afraid of appearing 'feminine'.
"I'd knit so hard, bro," was one response. "Drape myself in velvet" was another. "Wax my butt crack" was unexpected, but it did get me wondering what I'd do if the question was reversed.
So here are the things I'd do if I wasn't afraid of appearing masculine. (ladies and transgender ladies, add yours in the comments!)
Wear shapeless jeans that I'd only paid 30 bucks for
Every. Damn. Day. And not the designer 'boyfriend' style that cost a bomb and you have to wear heels with so you don't look like a slob.
Chuck a packet of tim tams on the table at mothers group
Followed by a 'What do I know about baking, right?' smile-shrug. And then the other mothers laugh because they're just be so impressed I showed up with anything.
Grow a beer gut and genuinely think it's awesome and funny
I'd draw a lipstick mouth under my bellybutton and make children laugh at birthday parties. (Then their parents fall all over themselves congratulating me on being 'SO GREAT with kids'.)
Not offer to help in the kitchen at dinner parties
Just sit back, chillax and let everyone enjoy my company.
Interrupt people when they waffle on
Forget 'mansplaining' - I just want to be able to say 'yeah, I get it' without someone having a meltdown. Just because women have better life expectancy, doesn't mean we want to spend it smiling politely while someone tells us stuff we already know / is BS.
This one is from a friend. Truly. "Because most porn is from a male perspective, in my fantasies I'm often more masculine. I've always want to just [she made grunting sound] pound stuff."
She makes a good point. Basically, we wanna f*** like Catherine Trammel, and not have to look as hot as Sharon Stone when we do it. (Sure, we'll skip the ice pick).
Not send thankyou cards. Or reply to every text. I'd get straight to the point in emails, waste no time with padding just to be "nice" ("hope you had a great summer/Christmas!"
"I was just wondering if you'd had a chance to ... but totally fine if you haven't!")
Instead of thinking I was rude, the other person would admire my assertiveness.
Swagger with my chest out at the pool. Dish out winks
Why? Because now that I'm breastfeeding, I have once-in-a-lifetime awesome norgs and the world* needs to admire them. Quietly. As we do with man-pecs.
* "The world" at the swimming pool. If you want selfies, ask your mum.
I wish I hadn't quit just before I got to black belt because my sparring partner mocked me for looking "scary" (read "un-f***able") while fighting.
No one looks like a Charlie's freakin' Angel when they're red-faced and sweating with their hair plastered to their face.
Because when you cut your hair short you better be damn sure you still look like a lady. Photo / AP
Get my hair cut short, without wearing extra make-up / a skirt to offset it
Women are allowed to 'play' with masculinity as long as we're still overtly feminine (think conventionally beautiful Dakota Johnson dancing girlishly in a man's shirt after sex in Fifty Shades.)
Actually, stop wearing a bra full stop. They're hot, uncomfortable, and I ONLY wear one so I don't cop stares in public.
(Sure, some large-busted ladies find them supportive. The point is, WE WANT THE OPTION.)
Let my thighs relax on public transport
In fact, take up space full stop.
Have a mid-life crisis
This would be no Diane Lane Under the Tuscan Sun "kids have grown up' holiday. I'd just take off completely from all family responsibilities, knowing someone else has it covered. And no one would give me s*** about it either.
