African tomboy

The common misconceptions of what it means to be a woman are challenged in this article describing the many instances that she had been striped of her womanhood due to her masculine characteristics. She tells stories of how her close-knit group of friends she refers to as her “sisters” constantly left her alone on the streets, in clubs, and public settings alone. She received comments such as “she can handle herself” and “where’s your girlfriend”. She would be threatened by men on the street that would harass her for looking the way she did insisting she preferred women to men strictly because of the way she presented herself. She explains how the US is more progressive in it’s ways of educating others about healthy masculinity, and progressive women of all shades and stripes which differs from those of Africa’s ideal woman. The ties she felts to the women she called her sisters were quickly broken because of her masculine traits. They were constantly making efforts to change her style of dress and her mannerisms. She realized what it meant to be a real sister and feel like she belonged in the woman community regardless of her lifestyle.

http://voicesofafrica.co.za/tomboys-masculinity-and-the-unmaking-of-a-girl/