Redefining Strong Women

By Robin Weaver

My crocodile brain had an issue with this month’s theme—strong women.  In an unbiased, diversity-accepting world, wouldn’t the theme be “Strong People?” Since we don’t inhabit that unbiased, diversity-accepting world, we unfortunately must promote the idea that women are strong.

The dictionary defines strong first as physical strength, but the second definition is: the capacity of an object to withstand great force or pressure. By that definition, women are the strongest creatures in the universe. I mean we have babies, for Goddess's sake. Even the most fit he-man would crack with the first contraction. This isn’t my opinion, it’s fact. How do I know? Because I cracked with the first contraction.

“Give me something for this pain!” I screamed.

In that moment, I grew even stronger because had I not been restrained (to be fair, I was only restrained by my inability to get out of the fetal position), I would have crushed the windpipe of the man responsible for creating the black hole currently tearing my pelvis apart.

My point is, I was strong, not because I’m a woman, but because I had to be. That doesn’t give me a warm-fuzzy. But neither does it mean I’m not strong. IMO, it means we need to re-define the definition of strong.

Instead of withstanding that great force, we need to become the force. Become a force for acceptance. Become a force that is intolerant only of bad behavior.

We celebrate Maggie Thatcher, Rosa Parks, and Jessie Diggins. (Note: for those of you without internet or who had no interest in the recent Olympics, Jessie Diggins and her teammate won the first ever U.S. gold medal in cross-country skiing. If you’ve tried cross-country skiing, you know it ranks only a few places behind childbirth in physical torture.) It’s easy to celebrate the Maggies and the Rosas, i.e. women with newsworthy accomplishments, but perhaps it’s time we gave a shout-out to women, uh...I mean people with less glamorous strength. The hospice volunteers; the working mom who stays up late to bake cookies even though she has an important meeting the next morning; the woman who buys new shoes to help stimulate the economy (okay, maybe we’ll scratch this one); and, the friend who patiently listens to you complain, without judgment, even when you’re full of caca.

Perhaps the greatest definition of strength is being able to say, “Hey, I’m wrong.” Not only say it, but fix the wrong.

But, hey. I could be wrong about that.

May the force be with you.