Southern perspective..

The definition of a southern woman is a woman that cooks a large home cooked meal for her family, while also keeping the house clean, being polite to the neighbors, donating to the church, taking care of the children, and keeping herself in top shape. When outsiders discuss “a southern woman” they have an exact picture in their minds. We all do. Perhaps she looks like this

or maybe this..

In our area it’s just natural to assume women will get married, have children, take care of the house, and now days have a job too. This perception is really getting to me.

I believe our southern society makes young women feel like they have to do all of those things, because “that’s what we do around here”, right? You know it’s true. Ask most young women, “Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years?” the response will more times\ than not, be married with children.

I know this is a touchy subject, and I’m trying to be careful about how I give my point of view. Don’t get me wrong women in our society get educations too. We have many well educated women with great jobs.

I don’t want to make this a personal situation, but I use to be that girl. The girl that just expects the next step in life is to graduate college, get married, and have children. Your probably wondering what could have changed my perspective. I think it just came to me one day. My eyes just opened, and I realized that it’s okay to just be me. I wish someone would’ve told me a long time before then.

We’re always told we can be anything we want to be, and that’s true. However, no one ever said “You can be whatever you want to be, even if it’s to just be you.” That is because in our society all the rest is a given. It’s an unwritten fact that everyone will get married and have children.

But, let’s think about this from a new direction. What if everyone didn’t get married? What if it was normal to not look for someone to marry, to not assume you will have children, and to solely focus on what you want? No one tells young girls that. In fact they tell them the opposite. Anytime I tell an older adult that I do not plan on getting married, and I do not want to have kids I get the worst looks and comments. I’m sure they feel like I will change my mind, and I may. However for the time being I shouldn’t be criticized for my true goals in life.

This is 2012, you don’t have to get married and settle down. I wish our society would become more accepting of this new modern lifestyle. Not every girl in the south wants to fulfill the image of a ‘southern woman’, and they shouldn’t be expected to be