It amazes me that so many men want their women to be like them so much that they take away their softness so these women can be their rock & backbone. I’m all about being a strong, black, woman, but does that have to mean I have to apologize when I get emotional, & maybe want to cry? Do I have to be so hard that I’m now forced to stuff all of my feelings in my pocket, so I can simply deal with all my man has to go through & focus solely on helping him through, my self through & act like none of it effects me? We as women sometimes strive to b so strong and independent that we apologize for doing things that come natural to us. We now pride ourselves in being able to take so much pain and bullshit and not be fazed by it. We pride ourselves on being “one of the guys” & make fun of the “girly girls”. Equality is amazing, and I’m all for it, but when do you draw the line? When is being feminine the thing to be desired? When is being a lady not going to be seen as weak? I’ve been pondering this ever since I had a conversation with a nice & intelligent young man on a friend’s Facebook page, that made me realize we as women have been almost completely stripped of our femininity. I was inspired to write after watching reality T.V. and seeing how many women were crying in front of other women, and constantly apologizing for crying, or sharing their emotions with other women, or at all. It got me thinking of how many times I’ve apologized for crying. If I’m sad, or upset then why should I apologize for showing my emotions? Why should I be apologetic for expressing myself? It’s very interesting how it just feels so normal sometimes. It truly stems from your childhood, and how a lady is raised. Knowing that gives me major insight on a lot of the women around me, and it also makes me realize it’s my duty to change that when it comes to raising my future children as well as changing some things about myself.