I am not ashamed of needing people. Women’s magazines have tried to convince me that I should learn to be as happy on my own as I am in a good romantic relationship. I tried to do just that for a while and though I was not discontent, fulfilled I was not. I led a life which was busier than I had ever been before: I worked hard, I developed my hobbies and my existing relationships, I allowed a few dalliances here and there though nothing that left a lasting impression. And yet despite the fact that my schedule was filled to the brim with interesting activities, my days were devoid of feeling.
Two years is not an insignificant amount of time to experiment with being alone in. I studied, sat the exam and can now show the world I am more than able to function happily as a single woman. I even have a badge that says “Been there, done that.” but the sentence does not follow with “and enjoyed it.”
Why do women today have to prove that they are capable of such a level of independence? Centuries ago to believe you could be completed by someone else was neither weak or old fashioned as it is so defined today. As a young woman in the year 2010, I therefore refuse to comply with Cosmo’s illogical reasoning. People today prize the occupation of a career over that of a relationship, but why? Divorce levels may be rising to worrying heights but so is unemployment. I may have fallen apart from a broken heart but one cannot ignore the number of people who jump off bridges in times of professional despair and I fail to see how one is more or less dignified than the other. And so I am not ashamed of needing people for security lacks in both love and money and unfortunately, for either option, prospects are grim.
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