What is a Woman?

     Recently I've been pondering the idea of womanhood. Seeing as how half of the Earth's population (actually, I heard it was a bit more than half but we'll just keep it simple) is female, you'd think that there'd be a definition of womanhood or a globally-recognized guidebook, "How To Be A Woman."  But alas, tis not so simple. I don't know about anywhere else but as an American and as a member of the LDS Church I'm definitely given two slightly conflicting views on how to be the "perfect woman."  It's kind of scary, really. Neither are easy and both promise a reward, though I'm not sure how much happiness the one delivers. To be the perfect woman, according to our culture, we need to have 34-24-34 measurements, be perfectly groomed at all times, fit, gorgeous, always wearing heels. Not that that's a bad thing! But I think the priorities are a bit messed up.
     The worldly man wants women to be objects. He says women should be seen and not heard and that we are only here for the entertainment of the male species. He says women ought need to be sexy and beyond that, nothing else really matters. It is very common for women to be objectified in the entertainment business by synecdoche.
     The worldly woman, on the other hand, says that the perfect woman will be career-driven and successful in their line of work. She says that we still need to be beautiful and sexy but that we need not be cumbered with a husband and that children will just ruin our potential.
     The worst thing about all this is that it's so loud and so subtle. Daily, we're being bombarded with these messages and we may not even notice it!
     That is why, it times such as these, I'm grateful to have stalwart examples of real women! Obviously, my Mother is the first that I will cite. She's been there to lead me all of my life. I've never heard her once complain that if it weren't for us kids, she'd be a famous chef in a big, fancy restaurant (though I'm sure it's true). I've never even heard her complain about how hard it is to be a mother and to try to raise four unruly and stubborn children! She's always been gentle and loving. In fact, the best word I can think of to describe my Mom is soft. I'm pretty sure the number of times she has raised her voice in my 20 years of existence can be counted on one hand. She's always been a fantastic example of love. I've never heard her speak ill of anyone. I've always hoped (and still hope) to someday be a mother like her.
     The second example is my Grandmother. I don't remember spending a whole lot of time with her when I was a child because she and my Grandfather were off serving several missions for our Church, but I always loved the things I've learned from her. Probably, most notably, I learned to love baking. She was always so patient and kind, even when I got the eggshells in the cookie dough. I have come to find that grandparents have an ability to teach their grandchildren in a way that parents cannot. Since they are not so familiar as a mom or dad, they can teach bigger lessons than just the day-to-day things that parents have to go through. But I digress. Like her daughter (my Mom), my Grandmother has always been soft. She's probably the kindest and gentlest woman I know and I'm grateful for her example of service.
     Since I cannot name them all, I'll just have to do a blanket statement and say that my third example is a conglomeration of all the righteous women in the scriptures, my wards, my stakes, and the General Authorities. Possibly one of my favorite quotes regarding the difference between a woman of the world and a woman of God is from Sister Margaret D. Nadauld, former Young Woman General President. In the  October 2000 General Conference, she gave a talk in which she said,

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity." 

      I'm so thankful that in this world which shouts lies and blinds us with deceit, I've had righteous examples to lead me and show me how to be a real woman.