Benefits of the Extra X

Girls like to complain about the struggle of their gender. I would be a hypocrite if I said that I don't often participate in these pity parties. However there are many benefits of femininity that tends to be over shadowed by period pain and the amount of time it takes to just wash our hair. One of the true blessings of being a girl is often disguised as a burden; makeup. We tend to take for granted just how helpful make up is. Sure it can take a while to apply but no one is forcing you to wear it and that magical mixture of powders and gels can change everything. If a guy has a flaw there is no way of hiding it. That chin zit has to be worn loud and proud. With the right mixture of foundation, concealer, and skill, pimples can be covered and blackheads erased. If you think you have small eyes, add mascara. Winter suck out the California tan you worked so for over the summer? Bronzer is now your best friend. We might say we hate it but honestly I don't know what I would do without it. The next benefit comes in really handy especially if you're like me and tend to overthink everything. When it comes to dating the truth of the matter is girls aren't expected to ask the guy out. I can't even ask the waitress for an extra napkin so how could I ask out the person I like.  I would like to give a big round of applause for the guys who like a girl and actually have the courage to ask her out because I would be way too afraid of rejection. While there are many more blessings in disguise I could talk about, but the last one I want to address is crying. I like to think that I'm a strong, independent person but the minute someone my favorite characters dies in a book, I melt into a puddle. The thing is I'm allowed to be like this because I'm just fitting into the female stereotype yet it is still considered socially unacceptable to cry. "Men don't cry", "Just man up", "Be a man". I'm fine with being able to hug my tissue box and wipe away the smudged mascara. I think that a lot of the times the small things get overlooked in life and we tend to focus on the negatives rather than the positive. I myself am fluent in English, sarcasm, and negativity but we need to stop focusing on the things that make our lives more difficult. It is important that we also see the silver lining and that we reap all the bonuses that come along with having that extra X chromosome.