Girlitude

In a few recent conversations with a friend, it's come up that I don't consider myself a girly-girl. When I did some deep introspection, I found out that's not entirely true. I just don't know how true or false it is. Like other things, I'm not entirely in one camp or the other, but a good mix of the two (I think). As a statistician, I want a quantifiable measure of this "girlitude" so here's my attempt. I will rate myself on a scale of 0 - 10, 0 being totally masculine (think of a gladiator head-banging to heavy metal), 10 being totally feminine (think geisha girl dancing to medieval music), and 5 being somewhere in the middle.

1. Sports. Here I get a 9. I exercise in the form of running (or these days, some Jillian added in). But in all other aspects, ugh. I don't like to watch nor follow sports. Even less enjoyable than watching sports is playing them. I am not tall nor athletically gifted and am becoming less coordinated as I age. And even though I know those things don't matter, I just don't enjoy it.

2. Hair. Here I get a 3. I have very long hair right now, which makes me more feminine, but I do absolutely nothing with it. Chuck uses more product than I. In fact, I don't think I even have any product in my house right now (other than Chuck's gel). This has come after a lifetime of disappointment when I try new things (perms, hot rollers, plain ol' curling iron). So now I just don't even bother. It used to be that on days when I washed my hair, it would at least be down. But not anymore. Ponytail every day = very sad.

3. Clothing. I have to go 5 on this on. I like clothes and I want to look nice, but I don't feel like I have good style. I need to be schooled in this.

4. Shopping. Related to clothes, is shopping. My score here is 5. I hate shopping for clothes. I feel (like probably most women) that nothing ever fits my body right. My thighs are too big and my legs too short, making shopping very depressing. I do, however, love shopping for other things. I love the thrift store, camping stores, fabric stores, and book stores. Target and Ikea could (and did!) fill whole childless evenings!

5. Shoes. This has potential to be a 9, but sadly is a 4. I really like shoes. I like wearing them and love how I can make an outfit that much better by adding fun shoes. But holding me back on this is the fact that I have very little feet. Did you know that most shoe manufacturers don't even make shoes in my size? For most companies, women's shoes at the smallest are a size 6, and for my size 4s or 5s, that's not good enough. So my selection is really limited. I've come to terms with it, but it just means shoes aren't that fun for me.

6. Books. I think I'm a 7 here. Team Jacob or Team Edward, though it means something to me because I read the books, otherwise means nothing. I love Jane Austen, but am drawn to the women characters who are strong. Which is why I love "The Good Earth." I also love Wallace Stegner because he writes such real love stories. I love real. I also love historical fiction because it's kind-of real ("The Pillars of the Earth" or James Michener being at the top). But please don't ask me to read teen stuff. I can't. I almost puked re-reading the first "Babysitter's Club" book last month.

7. Movies. Definitely a 2. Most movies with Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, or Reese Witherspoon make me want to gouge out my eyes (figuratively). I can't sit through predictable romantic comedies, much to my parents' dismay and husband's glee. I love independent films. And some of my favorite movies can be graphic or even violent (I don't do sexy ones though).

8. Home Dec. Definitely a 10. I love decorating and find completely enjoyment out of it. I also find complete disgust in apartments that have one thing on the wall...hung with a push pin...at an angle. Maybe this is okay if you're 22, male, and single, but not now. Well, at least not for me and my house.

9. Weddings. This is probably a 3. Yes, I wanted a nice wedding, and I wanted a memorable day, but my wedding day wasn't something I daydreamed about for years and years. I didn't look at wedding magazines while we were engaged or before. I didn't even go dress shopping (just used Emily's). I knew I wanted a simple cake at a simple reception (but just not in a cultural hall). It was a big day; it was an important day. But everything else was just small details.

10. Food. A solid 8. I don't eat a lot of red meat or potatoes. I prefer chicken...white meat chicken. I am generally adventurous and love food that's pretty and yummy. However, I don't love "pretty food," like the stuff you'd see on cooking shows. I always look at that and think, "WHAT?! They paid what for that meal and it's like a sprig of parsley and one shrimp. I don't think so!"

So my total score was a 56 out of 100. The dancing geisha girl has a slight edge over head-banging gladiator, but really, this is what I expected. You?

Please do not come at me with things like, "Hey, I'm a man and I don't like sports." Look I get it. I'm completely and unfairly generalizing and using stereotypes. I know. But please, do disagree with any assumptions I've made. I can take it.

And did you love the picture of a geisha girl dancing not to Japanese music, but to medieval music? I did.

Finally, do any toddlers/preschoolers want to run this with Rhett? It's the first time that I've seen it done on a Saturday and I'm so excited (as is Rhett)!