The author of our guest post is currently a missionary in South America with The World Race. You can find more information about Chrissy, her mission and how to support her at the end of this blog.

I stood on the top level of the rickety scaffolding, dust mask on, power sander in-hand, taking in my surroundings as we began preparing to paint the last of the the 4 houses for the girls’ orphanage.

I felt strong. I felt tired. I felt…. feminine.

As I sat there, all of the people who had criticized my femininity and tried to tell me what being a woman entails popped into my head and I could hear their voices as clear as day.

Telling me I needed to wear make-up. Telling me to wear more skirts and dresses. To do my hair differently. To go shopping and do my nails and be less bold. To bat my eyes and use my “feminine wiles” to get what I want. To sit back and “learn how to follow.” To be less independent.

All of this because in their eyes I was somehow failing to be feminine.

Out here on the field we get it all the time. Many contacts or people in the community will overlook us and go straight to the men for answers even if they aren’t the team leader. When we show up to volunteer for anything involving lifting or manual labor we hear things like, “They sent you? But you’re women…” Around the world we have to fight harder to have our voices heard and our leadership respected.

Well I have a message for those people and whoever else may come along on behalf of myself and all of my sisters.

Our femininity is more beautiful than the way you want us to look.

Our femininity is bolder than how you want us to act.

Our femininity is stronger than what you say we can do.

The dictionary defines the word feminine as “of, relating to, or suited to women or girls.” So why do we cling to the idea that the only things suited to women are delicate, dressed up, and demure?

There is nothing wrong with these traits but they are only a fraction of all that is “suited to women.” To me, the best of femininity goes to our depth of strength and long-suffering endurance. We bear children for goodness sake! And those are qualities you can’t stuff into stilettos and a sit-back-and-watch way of life.

Pope Saint John Paul II described the feminine genius as having 4 primary  pillars.

  • Receptivity: the ability to love sacrificially and receive life
  • Sensitivity: the strength to look beyond the exterior
  • Generosity: the availability to the needs of community and profession
  • Maternity: the cultural, spiritual, emotional, and/or physical acceptance of other human beings.

And it takes strength and endurance to embrace those pillars every day of our lives.

I want the girls in this orphanage to look out their windows, see us up on those scaffolds, and know that women can have more than boyfriends and babies. I want them to see that the same women who braid their hair and play their games are also capable of hard work and fighting for their dignity. I want them to know that they are strong and capable. I want God to use us to open their eyes to who a woman REALLY is.

I am a woman.

I always have dirt under my nails.

I look great in a dress and heels but I also look awesome in jeans and my favorite baseball tee.

My idea of “doing my hair” means I brushed it that morning.

I can quiet a room of a room full of screaming children with one hand.

I can also pin a toddler with my legs and simultaneously change an infant’s diaper in under a minute.

I’m just as capable with a hammer as I am in the kitchen.

I would rather climb a mountain or bungee jump than go to the mall.

I can Netflix binge romantic comedies like it’s my job and I’ve read 15 books while on the world race.

I love manual labor and I also love ministries that involve playing with babies.

I am receptive to God’s plan for my life.

I am sensitive to the needs of the people entrusted to me.

I am trying every day to be generous like Him with my time and with my love.

I am maternal in my care for those around me

And I am hella feminine.

Original post can be found at chrissycasazza.theworldrace.org.

Chrissy Casazza the second oldest of five in a loud, Italian, Catholic family. While she dreamed of becoming an actress and using her platform to defend the faith, God called her to major in Special and Early Childhood Education. After teaching in public school for a year and a half, she was called to long term mission with The World Race. You can learn more about her and her missionary activity at her blog and you can support her mission here.