According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, womanhood is defined as:
“a: the state of being a woman
b: the distinguishing character or qualities of a woman or of womankind”
Throughout history, what makes a woman a woman has remained the same for many communities or shifted dramatically for others. Although “times are changing,” it is important to consider the beauty that comes within these traditional milestones in womanhood and the beauty and stigma in the modern milestones of womanhood. In this project, I hope to showcase traditional milestones that lead to womanhood as well as the modern versions and what they mean to us. Although it may not be apparent, I do want to emphasize that these milestones do not have a specific timeline. The timeline is another area I would like to discuss in this book. In different societies, these milestones must occur in a certain order and I want to make sure others know that these milestones may occur at a different point in a woman’s life in addition to it possibly not happening at all.
Lastly, one other thing I would like to mention is that some of these milestones are not beautiful, and that is ok.
**Certain pages will have trigger warnings beforehand.
The Traditional:
- Pregnancy
- Rape
- Friendship(s)
- Crush(es)
- Heartbreak(s)
- Menstruation
- Losing one’s virginity
- Cooking
- Marriage(s)
The Modern:
- Gaining independence
- Orgasming
- Aging
- Abortion
- Being a Trans-Woman