A lot about The World is making a whoooole lot more sense to me now that I’m pregnant.
I’m talking about sexism.
As a kid, I loved sports and was good at math.
“Girls are slow! No one wants a girl on their team! Girls play with dolls! Girls wear dresses! Girls suck at math!”
This confused me. But I’M not slow. And I’M good at math…
Even as a kid, I figured there must be countless other women and girls who felt like me. It’s not like I was some kind of fluke in all of humanity, a girl being good at sports.
Well, people are dumb. At eight years old, that was the explanation I stuck with.
Now I’m pregnant.
And it all makes sense!
Moving is hard. I walk slow. My energy is zilch.
I had to stop for three breaks on a flat, four-mile bike ride through Boulder. I was breathing too hard and had to catch my breathe. A 20-minute ride on Google maps became 40.
Doors are heavy. My abs don’t work very well. People holding doors open is amazing.
Standing up is tiring. A chivalrous gentleman giving up his seat would be amazing (not that that’s happened yet. I’m in Boulder, after all. But I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.)
I’m perpetually zone-y. Focusing on intricate topics or coming up with new ideas is not really happening. The little energy I have is spent on getting through each day, each minute. What food can I eat without feeling nauseous? Where can I find more Gatorade to drink? When can I sneak a small break to take a nap?
I’m definitely not making any breakthroughs in astrophysics or building a multi-million dollar company.
Kids are cute. Animals are cute. Everyone is part of the one big family of humanity. Let’s get together and all take care of each other! Let’s make sure everyone has a home, no one is left alone.
Sounds familiar? I’m running STRAIGHT into female stereotypes. Overnight, I’ve gone from not really getting where all these dumb stereotypes come from, to happily and blatantly promoting them!
The World is suddenly making sense. Gender stereotypes don’t compare men and women. Gender stereotypes compare men and pregnant women. Which, until the last couple generations, were most women from 15-40.
I’ll chillax and enjoy actually being stereotyped correctly, for once.
And once my hormones are normal again, I’ll have a bit more patience for the man who gives up his seat for me, or insists on opening the door even though I got there first. He doesn’t think I’m weak or incapable, after all. He’s following the norms of a society where women WERE at a serious physical disadvantage for most of their adult lives.
KK 11jul18
Adventures of a Preggo 