Femininity as a handicap...?

While searching for something to blog about this week, I came across an article titled "7 Unfortunate Truths About Being A Woman".  The article presented some interesting points, not all of which I necessarily agreed with, but the one that I was most intrigued by was "4. Your femininity is a handicap."  I read the bullet in the article, and it really got me thinking about my own life. 

All my life, I have embraced my more conventional feminine side in terms of aesthetics.  I'll admit it: I love wearing dresses.  I like doing my hair.  I certainly don't feel that every woman should feel pressured to present herself a certain way; not every woman has to enjoy being "girly", but I do.

It upsets me that what the article mentioned, that femininity is viewed as some sort of handicap or sign of weakness, frequently rings true in society.  Women who embrace their femininity are often seen as dainty or delicate, but that shouldn't be the case. We all are familiar with the age-old "damsel in distress" query.  And I'm curious, is it true that women and girls who act or dress more traditionally "feminine" are more likely to be seen as the aforementioned damsel?  The fact that I'm wearing makeup doesn't mean I'm not as strong as any man.  Owning a few pairs of high heels doesn't signify that I'm not independent, and it doesn't mean I need to a man to accomplish anything I desire to accomplish.

However, another thing I began to contemplate after reading this article was that as feminists we must be careful not to judge one another on the way we choose to present ourselves.  Women who choose not to embrace "conventional" femininity in truth aren't any less feminine.  And women who appear more typically "girlish"  aren't necessarily any less feminIST. I do the things I do to make myself happy, not to serve as some inadvertent sexual object.  It doesn't matter what we're wearing; it matters what we're saying and doing, how we're educating ourselves, how we're acting on feminist theory.

So in conclusion, this blurb in the article I read really got some of my intellectual gears turning.  Primarily, it's unfortunate that today femininity is often viewed as weakness, and hopefully in the coming years that sort of stigma will only become more and more insignificant.  However, the article also got me thinking how important it is as a feminist to not judge anyone's worth by their appearance. Girl power to all.