It’s not every day you walk into a doctor’s office and they start talking to you about their favorite masculinity influencer on Twitter (calling it X is where I draw the line). It’s a Saturday and even though I had already read the tweets, I was listening like it was my first time.
“How did you injure your back?”
This wasn’t my first back injury but it was the first time at a physiotherapist. I’ve managed to avoid injuries especially while lifting and the moment I hurt my back this time round I knew I couldn’t wait it out.
“Do you workout?”
“I stopped going to the gym,” he said as he switched on the electrotherapy machine.
“Back in the day the gym was the guys’ cave. These days it’s full of women so boys can’t just be boys. It feels like women are invading our spaces. Did you know right now there are more women in gyms than men? You guys have even invaded the barbershops and the bars…”
As he continued rumbling I couldn’t help but smile. Gone are the days when women couldn’t speak in the presence of men. Where women were identified by their husbands and their ‘place’ was in the kitchen. The season of women being seen and not heard is long gone. I’m so proud to have been born in a generation that decided to be the patriarchy’s pain in the ass.
Women are prioritizing their health and have invaded the gyms so that they can fight against the rapid decrease of muscle mass after thirty. But they shouldn’t be in gyms because it’s a guys space, right? In this era, women are are confident in their skin and even comfortable enough to rock short hair. However, it seems that it’s more important for them not to be in men’s spaces than to embrace their natural self, right?
It seems the patriarchy for the longest time has made bars a taboo for women. Now that we are comfortable to just sit by ourselves and have fun and even tough enough to own them, it’s a big problem. Hence why when there is violence against women they tend to ask, ‘why was she drinking at night?’ Because that’s a man’s club, innit?
As we end this Women history month, I want to applaud all the women who are bold enough to go against the patriarchy. Those who are trailblazer in the boardroom and are risk takers to dive into the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship. To those who have the strength to raise the future generation, receive your flowers. Cause frankly, if men were given that responsibility, the human race would be extinct.
Women, may we be bold enough to take up space. As we walk on the backs of our ancestors who fought to be heard and included, may we thrive. Let our wins be the stepping stones for our daughters. That they will see that we did it and have the courage and audacity to do so much more.
Happy Women’s history month!
