I'm happy to be a woman

Happy December!

This post has nothing to do with December. I just wanted to tell you why it's great to be a woman. I mean, a human.

This thought process started when I read one Finnish online article. A Finnish "popular lifestyle" website asked some women to list aspects of life where that they think men have it better. And because I tend to take these funny things seriously, I decided to write a very long blog post about it, talking about all of these 34 points. Are you ready? 

Picture from makeupandbeauty.com.

Apparently these women are jealous about the following things:

1. No need to suffer from menstruation.

Itsestäänselvyys: ei tarvitse kärsiä menkoista.

Well, obviously it can be painful which sucks, but after I discovered menstrual cups it has become the only bad thing about it. No need to wear uncomfortable bleached plastic nappies (also known as menstrual pads) in my underpants or to push chemical-infused cotton sticks (also known as tampons) inside me. Periods are not stopping me from doing anything. I've spent a week menstruating on an uninhabited island without toilets, running water or electricity. I survived.

Plus by having periods you can make sure that there's no unexpected babies in their way. Men don't have that benefit.

2. No need to shave your legs.

Ei tarvitse ajella sääriä.

Honestly, I don't even remember when was the last time I shaved my legs. I go swimming at the local pool a couple of times a week though. No one has stopped me. No one has even looked at my legs that I've noticed. Why do women feel they have to shave their legs? Last summer my legs were very fluffy until I went swimming with my little sister. I removed some of the hair before that trip just because I didn't feel fluffy legs were appropriate at a Finnish beach site, but it was my choice. No one should force you to shave your legs.

If you want to read more about this, I've written a whole blog post about feminine hairiness before.

3. You become more charming the older you get.

Charmikkuus vain lisääntyy iän myötä.

Some men may become more charming with age, but so do some women. It's up to you what you want to become in the future. You can become charming when you want to and then you can develop your charm. It doesn't just happen to people — no matter what your gender is.

4. Your not embarrassed when you grow a moustache.

Ei hävetä, jos viikset kasvaa.

Maybe more women should be proud of their moustaches. Those huge bushy eyebrows are already in fashion, why won't we do the same with moustaches? Women do have hair in that area too, it's just often very fair. Some grow darker hair and then get it bleached or waxed. It's seen as a very embarrassing and taboo topic. I don't see a reason why it couldn't be seen as cute. We need to stop being embarrassed about our looks.

Alex K. Picture from Effing Dykes Blog.

5. Barber costs less than a hairdresser, and you don't need to waste money on hairproducts anyway.

Parturi maksaa vähemmän kuin kampaaja, eikä rahaa tarvitse tuhlata hiustuotteisiin muutenkaan.

Do these women really think that men don't use hair styling products? I'm guessing that it's around the same percentage of men and women who do style their hair almost daily. I'm getting closer to some hippie-look with my hair and will just happily brush it. I don't even know what I would do with it. I tried to learn to straighten it, but then didn't see the point. It's naturally wavy, what's wrong with that?

I actually do find it unfair though, that men's haircuts are cheaper than women's. Even if it is exactly the same haircut. Why would your gender matter there? Shouldn't the hairstyle you want be the main factor deciding the price?

6. No need to blow-dry your hair in the mornings, style your hair or put make-up on

Ei tarvitse föönata tukkaa aamuisin ja väkertää hiuksia kampauksille, eikä meikata.

I've never felt a need to blow-dry my hair in the morning or make my life that difficult anyway. Everyone needs to get ready in the morning and what you need to do probably depends more on whether you're just popping to the corner shop or going to someone's wedding. It doesn't really have anything to do with your gender. There are many men who take longer than me straightening their hair and putting their make-up on than I do.

7. You can have children without streching your stomach or ripping your genitals.

Voi saada lapsia ilman, että vatsanahka leviää ja sukuelimet repeää.

Giving birth does have those aspects, yes. But it's not something all women have to do. Of course, some men are able to give birth as well. Adoption is a fair option available for everyone too though. But in general it is more difficult to have children as a single man than it is as a single woman.

8. Naturally smaller percentage of fat. No cellulite. Not fair.

Luonnostaan pienempi rasvaprosentti, ei selluliittiä. Ei ole reilua.

And none of those fantastic feminine shapes either. 

Boobs. Curves. Fun.

Marilyn Monroe.

9. Small phone bills. You don't have to waste time talking about nonsense.

Pienet puhelinlaskut. Omaa aikaa ei tarvitse tuhlata turhuuksista pälättämiseen.

Seriously? These women need to rethink their priorities. If you need to spend hours on phone talking about stupid things without enjoying it, it has nothing to do with gender. It's just your own stupidity.

10. Men can pee almost everywhere. It's also less embarrassing for men to go to the toilet.

Miehet voi pissiä melkein mihin tahansa. Vessassa käyminen ei muutenkaan aiheuta niin noloja tilanteita kuin naiselle.

What? Why is it embarrassing to go to the toilet if your a woman? And I think it shouldn't be acceptable to pee in public for men either. It's also possible for all genders to go and pee in a bush.

11. A man doesn't get upset or end up in pointless fights if he's not invited to a party or a shopping trip.

Mies ei loukkaannu tai joudu turhiin riitoihin, jos häntä ei ole kutsuttu juhliin tai shoppailemaan.

I think it would be upsetting to anyone to have everyone else invited except you.

12. Shopping doesn't take up much time.

Shoppailu sujuu nopeasti.

I think this depends more on the type of person you are. If you enjoy browsing shops it will take longer no matter what your gender is. And if you just want to go in and get what you need it will be faster. Unless you're me and shopping in Sainsbury's. Then it will take hours, but it's not because I'm a girl — it's because I don't know where anything I need is.

From Sex and the City.

13. You can wear comfortable shoes even in festive events.

Voi käyttää mukavia kenkiä juhlissakin.

I would never go to a party in uncomfortable shoes. Women don't have to wear high heels. I like high heels, but always prefer to wear comfortable high heels.

14. It's easy to get dressed to a party. Even to your own wedding a good quality suit is enough and you can wear that same suit to all the future festive events.

Juhlapukeutuminen on helppoa: omiin häihinkin riittää laadukas puku, jota voi pitää tulevissakin kekkereissä.

As far as I'm aware many women do dream of choosing their white dress, so I don't think that's something they are really jealous about. Also one good quality black dress will keep you covered to most festive events if you don't prefer to choose something different.

15. It's easier to make a career as a fighter pilot or a fireman.

Helpompaa toteuttaa haave vaikka urasta hävittäjälentäjänä tai palomiehenä.

I couldn't make a career as a fighter pilot because of my bad eye sight. I'm sure my brother would have the same problem. It is true that in the job market it is more difficult as a woman, but there's also a problem that many women don't pursue these careers.

16. Saving money! You don't have to spend money on menstrual pads or tampons. Or bras. Or make-up and other cosmetics.

Rahansäästö! Ei tarvitse laittaa rahaa kuukautissiteisiin ja tamponeihin. Eikä rintaliiveihin. Eikä meikkeihin ja muuhun kosmetiikkaan.

Lady, guess what? You don't have to spend money on any of those things either. I bought a £20 mooncup that will keep me sorted for the next 10 years on the menstrual front. I do like to buy bras though, because I like to feel supported. I've also spent most of my money that didn't go into food or rent on cosmetics, not because I felt I had to but because they made me happy. I'm starting to question my values on this and am planning on stopping buying so much. 

17. Life without tights.

Elämä ilman sukkahousuja.

I can't imagine a life without tights. I don't wear trousers so tights are kind of necessary for me. I just wish they were cheaper and wouldn't break as easily. Women are allowed to wear trousers though if they don't like tights. It's unfortunately a bit socially questionable for men to wear tights today. 

Robin Hood: Men in tighs is a very good film though, if you need some entertainment in your life.

18. You survive with fewer clothes when travelling.

Pärjää vähemmällä vaatemäärällä reissussa.

I have a funny feeling that if I went travelling with a guy, my clothes would take up less space. First, most guys boxers appear to take more space than my tops. And what I have seen of many men's packing skills, they have a lot of unnecessary space in their bags. When I was travelling with my brother, I had some things that didn't fit in my suitcase anymore, and asked him if I could put them into his bigger suitcase. He said that there was no space but that I was allowed to try anyway. And then I put a blanket, 3 jumpers and several pairs of shoes into his suitcase without any problems.

19. Men are likely to get an orgasm more easily.

Saa todennäköisesti helpommin orgasmin.

But apparently those orgasms are not as amazing as those fantastic female-orgasms you can read about.

20. Sports news.  As a man you're more likely to be interested in sports and sports news are often well-covered amongst the most important news in the country. Also, if you're a male athlete you get to enjoy bigger audiences, reputation and pay, than as female athlete.

Urheilu-uutiset. Miehenä on naista todennäköisemmin kiinnostunut urheilusta, ja siitä kerrotaankin kattavasti joka päivä valtakunnan tärkeimpien uutisaiheiden joukossa. Lisäksi mikäli olet itse miesurheilija, saat nauttia paljon suuremmista katsojamääristä, maineesta ja palkkiorahoista kuin naisena.

The latter is true. But maybe sports news shouldn't be something to be jealous about. Not all men are interested in sports anyway.

21. As a man it's easier to carry your shopping bags and you're able to throw a ball further.

Miehenä jaksaaa kantaa kauppakassit ja heittää palloa pidemmälle.

Testosterone is great.

22. You can hold your drink better. And people have more tolerance for drunken men than drunken women.

Parempi viinapää. Eivätkä ihmiset katso kännistä miestä yhtä pahalla kuin viinanhuuruista naista.

It's to do with that body fat percentage thing. But I'm not sure about the social tolerance thing, because drunken idiot is a drunken idiot no matter what the gender is. Or what do you think? 

23. You don't have to suffer with uncomfortable bras that are the wrong size.

Ei tarvitse kärsiä hiertävistä/vääränkokoisista rintaliiveistä.

No one has to. Go and buy one that fits. I wrote a blog post about this.

From Freya Lingerie.

24. You don't have to take the contraceptive pill.

Ei tarvitse syödä e-pillereitä.

No one has to. They are given to women as if they were candy or some miracle drug that everyone should take. It is not. It is one effective method of contraception but it's not the only option out there. It's also possible to make a male contraception pill but no one is going to fund that project because testing would take so long that it's not worth it for any pharmaceutical company to do that because the female contraceptive pill already exists. It was barely tested before they gave it to women — now there are more strict regulations in place.

I mentioned a little bit about my experiences with the pill in this post.

25. It's taken for granted that your last name will always remain the same.

On itsestäänselvyys, että sukunimi säilyy aina omana.

In many countries, including Finland, men can choose to take their wives last name when they get married. It's all optional, families are not forced to have the same last name.

26. Thicker skin that doesn't age as fast.

Paksumpi iho, joka ei ikäänny yhtä nopeasti.

I don't understand this argument. Surely the skin ages no matter how thick it is? Hormones do affect the skin, so often men do have thicker skin and women have softer skin. But women tend to make aging a huge deal and spend loads of money on different serums and creams that promise anti-aging properties. Maybe it's just another pressure on women needing to look perfect and young always, so it's something they want to feel jealous about? I don't think any of those women want to have a thicker skin though.

27. Army stories.

Armeijatarinat.

In Finland, it's compulsory for all men to take part in military service (or civil service, or go to prison). For women it is optional. I met one of my best friends, Jonna, in the army, when we had a one-weekend introductory camp there. We do still look back to those times and think about all the good memories, when having a fika. I can understand that men who have spent 6-12 months in the military service would do that to even a greater extent. But women, we have nothing to feel jealous about — we have an option to join the army!

28. You are able to order a giantic meal in a restaurant without needing to worry what your dinner partner will think about it.

Voit tilata ravintolassa hirmuiset jättiannokset eteesi ilman, että alat pohtia sitä miltä mässäilysi näyttää illalliskumppanisi silmissä.

If I'm hungry and I want to order something, I will not care what anyone else will think about it. Seriously.

29. A high number of sex partners is only a positive thing.

Seksikumppaneiden korkea määrä on vain positiivinen asia kanssaihmisten silmissä.

If you're a straight man and your mates think it's cool and you really care about that, then maybe? But maybe your future girlfriend won't find it any cooler than you would find it if she had the same number of sex partners.

30. Your voice has more auhtority. 

Äänessä on enemmän auktoriteettia.

It's more up to your personality than your gender.

31. A man, who can't dance can be adorable, but a woman who can't dance is only embarrassing.

Mies, joka ei osaa tanssia, voi olla hellyyttävä näky, mutta huonosti tanssiva nainen on vain noloa.

Why are the women who made up this list so convinced that being a woman is embarrassing?

Personally, I only like to go to night clubs where everyone is happy to dance badly and "embarrassingly". It's only for fun! At many straight clubs the dance floor is only meant for people who are skilled dancers and if some one looks like Ross and Monica from The Friends it's only embarrassing. Lighten up people, have more fun! Being skilled at laughing at yourself and having fun will earn you more life time happiness points than laughing at other people will.

32. Apparently you dare to ask for a pay rise more easily.

Kuulemma kehtaa pyytää palkankorotusta helpommin.

You cannot really be jealous about something that you start with the word "apparently".

33. Men's clothes last longer: in the sense of quality and fashion.
Miesten vaatteet kestävät paremmin aikaa sekä laatunsa että tyylinsä puolesta.

Maybe men only buy better quality clothes and prefer classic styles? As a woman you're just as allowed to buy good quality clothes that represent classic styles.

34. Men have balls: in their attitude and also literally.
Miehissä on munaa: sekä asenteessa että ihan konkreettisesti.

Women can have balls too. In their attitude and also literally.

Any thoughts? Do you think other genders have it easier?