I am grateful that we live in an era where people are no longer hush-hush about difficult conversations anymore. The things that were once considered taboos or unsafe are the things freely talked about now. I am glad because having these difficult conversations or talking about these topics make women more self-aware. It also makes it easier for women to make more informed decisions. Long ago, many women stumbled into motherhood, marriage, and made many decisions out of pressure and societal expectations. I can almost say that most of the women of old didn’t do these things or make those decisions because they were prepared to. They found themselves walking…
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Just me, not a Tomboy!
I have been called a tomboy in the past because of the way I do certain things. To some people, I walk like a boy, dress like a boy, and cut my hair like a boy. While there are people who deliberately choose to be tomboys, it has never crossed my mind to behave like a boy. But then, in our society, once you deviate from the typical definition of femininity, the boxed roles, and expectations, you are seen as a tomboy. Interestingly, many things I do are just things I want to do. Some of them come to me naturally like the way I walk, for example. I walk…
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It is my 3 Year Blog Anniversary!
It is my third blog anniversary, and I really feel my emotions cringing under an overwhelming weight of mixed feelings. One, I am exhilarated that I have stayed true to my vision despite the spate of challenges that have beset my quest over the years. The courage has not been totally unwavering, the resolve has not been purely untested, but staying the course, despite the many turbulent waves that have rocked the boat of my blog, has always kept me afloat, has always been the driving force behind my constant need to surge forward, to move ahead, to never look back, and to never back down. Two, there are times…
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Gender and Toys
My parents bought the same toys for my brother and me. They didn’t raise us to think that some toys were feminine, and others were masculine. They just bought different toys and we played with them. Maybe it’s because we are twins or because, as children, it was common to always want what the other person had. Whatever their reason was, I can say that buying similar toys for us helped shape my perspective. It made me see toys as gender neutral. If I wanted a helicopter, my mum got it. If my brother wanted a stuffed rabbit, it was his. But many people didn’t experience life as I did.…
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International Day of Friendship : Sisterhood
Growing up, I didn’t have many female friends. I didn’t really understand what it meant to have friends with whom you bonded so closely like sisters. For years, I couldn’t relate when girls were so close and called each other best friends. Today, I am grateful that I get to experience that. When I look at how amazing and strong the female friendship bond is, I wonder why it took so long for me to have this. My female friends have redefined friendship for me in so many ways. First, they have been so sacrificial and loving. They have gone out of their way to make things easier for me.…
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Patriarchy is a System and not an anti-male notion!
One of the things I am most emphatic about in my advocacy is the fact that opposing the system of patriarchy is not the same as hating men. I always reiterate that saying that the patriarchal system should be eradicated is not an attack on men or the cancellation of men in our society. Opposing the patriarchy doesn’t mean hatred for men. What I am saying is that the system that exalts men and debases women is unfair and should be done away with. Unfortunately, this is not what some men hear when they hear the word patriarchy. The word patriarchy makes them defensive because they think you’re trying to…
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Caregiving in the Workplace
Across many cultures, caregiving is considered to be a feminine or motherly role. Women are usually seen as people who are more empathetic and caring. So, they are expected to care for the children, be supportive of their husbands, show support for other members of the family, plan meals, organize the home, be in charge of weddings, birthdays, and other events especially the hospitality aspect and so on. Sadly, many people have taken this expectation to the workplace. There, the caregiving role is left for the woman too. Because she’s female, she’s generally expected to remember her coworkers’ birthdays, plan company trips, show support to other members of staff, take…
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50 Random Facts About Me
It is not my birthday, or any special event today. Yeah, if you ask me why I am putting this up then, I probably have no particular reason to share with you— it could be to intimate you if you are looking forward to being my friend. Asides that genuine reason, perhaps, a few readings here and there (and a bit of idleness) may have spurred me into putting these together. So, here goes some personal pieces of information about me. Yay! 1. My name is Roseline Adebimpe Adewuyi. 2. I was born in Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, Nigeria and I have a twin brother. 3. Very…
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Acne Awareness Month : Dealing with Acne : My Thoughts, My Experiences and My Battles
To begin with, Acne is an insensitive maniac that will not just affect the tone of your skin, but also encroach your confidence, demean your self-esteem and compound your emotional stress, sometimes exacerbate your psychological imbalance. You need to understand that I am not here to share tips with you on how to cure your skin of acne. I am yet to figure it out. And, as much as seeing those unwanted sprouts on your skin may be irritating and frustrating, you, like I am trying to do constantly, have to figure a way to accept that they are a part of you, and when they break out, you may…
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Happy Father’s Day 2021
I worked in Algeria for 18 months and I would say from my lens, I love how fatherhood is practiced. A male friend of mine who shares a similar perspective wrote an article on this. It is indeed a great read. In a modern society where literally everything is fast-paced and success is usually measured by how much wealth or material possession we have, it is easy to neglect our role and duty towards the family with the wrong impression that money can compensate for everything. Thereby turning us, especially fathers, into money chasing robots too exhausted to tolerate even the laughter of a child when we get back home.…
