Kicking the weekend off with a great song by the amazing Beyoncé. A song that closely relates to one of this week's prompts. Oh, the amount of times I've thought about this specific topic throughout different stages of my life. But also the number of times my mindset has shifted over the years...It's shocking but at the same time not, as this is such a vast subject matter to explore! So let's begin...
Physical aspect: First off, if my daughter woke up one day and saw an unknown man in her house, rather than her mom, she'd cry and slowly break my heart into thousands of pieces while I frantically try to explain and prove to her that I'm her mom...But in a dad bod! Yes, I believe dad bod would suit me best. Plus, I don't see myself embracing those weird, sweaty gym selfies - I'd rather take an awkward photo where you can see (and count) the hairs up my nostrils 😅 I would have warm, chocolate brown eyes, olive skin and would rock a "McDreamy" hairdo.
Credit Photo: MTV
Emotional aspect: Switching to being a male after having lived life as a female would bring me a lot of positives in the emotional department. You know how people say that as women, we develop a lot faster mentally and emotionally than men? Oh what a treat that'd be! Being able to not only understand a woman but also cater to her...Bring her the comfort, security and love she needs. And doing that not for the "got into her pants" badge from my single, frat buddies but for the sole reason of embracing the kind and loving human being that I am and putting someone else's needs before mine.
Credit Photo: Wonderwall
Work aspect: Issues might arise in this area. Even though I will look like a man, I'll still be a woman in my core. So a bit indecisive, overthinking, overly emotional and quite easily distracted - all these are some personal traits I've noticed about myself in the workspace. They don't usually play in my favour. However, top that with a shit tone of knowledge in a predominantly male industry as well as a killer style, I'll get that promotion in no time! Plus, let's not forget the double standard when it comes to pay rates - being a male does have its work advantages!
Credit Photo: Hello Magazine
Dating aspect: Based on my own dating experience for the past few years, as well as all the women I've seen who talk about their own misfortunes on TikTok, we can safely assume I'll be a hit with the ladies!😁 A tall, dark and handsome man, who speaks 4 languages, understands your brain completely and who recently got a promotion? I know at least two women, who'd be down to date me...Both are my friends but still counts! 😅
Overall life as man: I feel like overall, my life would be a tad more fun but definitely lonelier for that one year spent as a man.
Growing up as a woman, I have always been surrounded by my friends. People who have seen me cry, laugh, make mistakes and not own them, get hurt but also hurt others; people who have been and are still there by my side as I go through life and slowly mold my own self into the person I've always wanted to become. I'm not saying men don't have that - a lot of them do and they build amazing friendships along the way. However, it's rare for people to open up to men (let's exclude my therapist 😉) and it's rare for men to embrace showing all the emotions they feel. Even though it's become a lot less frowned upon nowadays, you won't see men getting together on a week night to talk about their feelings (or even cry) and if you do, these nights are few and far between.
I tried to keep it short and stay true to myself but there are a lot of sensitive discussions I didn't want to touch upon because I knew I'd have a lot to share. In the end, let's just say being a woman in a world dominated by men is quite the scary feeling. And even though I wouldn't change anything about my life, I would love to be a man for a year - to not be afraid of going home alone and late at night; to be able to have full control over my body and not let other people/ governments decide for me; to be seen as strong and assertive rather than aggressive and bossy; to be able to wear what I want and not worry about being perceived as "wanting it".