Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a woman?

Well, it feels a lot like you’re a Barbie – or at least, you are tirelessly trying to achieve being some semblance of a Barbie.

As women, we are constantly told that this isn’t the case. That we don’t need to do this. That we hold more value than just being pretty or sexy.

This pressure is palpable. Some of it spoken. Most unspoken. The pressure to be pretty. To be slim. To have a successful career. Power – but not too much. An opinion – but only when asked (which is seldom). To be maternal – because every woman should want to be a mother, right?

There is a nagging feeling every moment of every day that you are never good enough.

As you get older, you realize all this pressure. These feelings. They are not just an illusion. They are the product of living in a world where your value is tied to your looks. Your beauty. Your sex appeal.  

You are supposed to be pretty and sexy. You can have power and an opinion, yes. But you will often find this disregarded. Unless you are pretty and sexy. Then, you may feel seen. Heard. Don’t be fooled, though; they are looking, but rarely are they listening.

Maternal nature is still highly desirable. Of course, once you become a mother, that becomes your identity. You lose your appeal to the masses. Doors, which were once open, are now shut. Triple locked. Alarmed. Impenetrable.

And no matter what path you take. Beauty. Brains. Power. Motherhood. They’re all the same.

Because eventually, we all end up in the same place where we realize that we are just things. Things to be looked at. Admired. Preyed upon. We are beautiful things. Pretty things. Sexy things. Just things. Until we are no longer things. Then, we are simply invisible.

This is what it feels like to be a woman.