we didn't start the fire

I have seen this quote come up a fair few times on blogs, tumblrs, or pinterest (<--new love, by the way.) But you know what I say to this?

NO. Just NO.

How about: Look like a woman; Act like a woman; Think like a woman; Work like a woman--in whatever way that means to you.

Or even better and more universal: Look like yourself; Act like yourself; Think for yourself; Work with your whole self.

I think the part that irked me the most was the "Think like a man" line.

Think like a man.

What does that even mean? What does that even mean?!

My sexism detector is going off like crazy. All jokes aside though, reading this "mantra" is very troubling to me because quite frankly, this quote, behind its delicate salmon font, is internalized misogyny.

["Oh here we go, Tanya is getting all uppity..."]--I know some of you are thinking this.

It is not better to think like a man (if you are not a man). It is also not better to think like a woman (if you are not a woman). I think it is best to think like an individual.

I started to delve into my views on feminism, patriarchy, gender, etc., but I'll save it for another blog post because it could take...awhile.

Simply put, I think men and women do think differently because their brains are different. In development, the brain goes through masculinization or feminization based on the sex and the hormones to which it is exposed. (There are many disorders where this process can be disturbed, but this is what typically happens.)

Anyway, there is no right or superior way to think, contrary to what this quotation was implying. My thoughts and ideas are just as valid as a woman--and more so because I'm a person.

And I still don't know what it means to think like a man--because I'm not a man; I'll never be a man, so how can that even be a goal? Is it because they're stereotyped to be more logical? I beg to differ; anyone can use logic. Is it because they are stereotyped to be less emotional? I think emotions are the most human thing we possess. So someone please explain what it means!

I honestly don't get it.

I am capable of creativity, genius, humor, and brilliance all on my own, thanks.

And for all of the eye-rollers, I leave you with this:

"People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that distinguish me from a doormat."--Rebecca West