Being Womanly?

Happy Saturday! I hadn't planned on doing a lot of weekend posts now that I'm not participating in some sort of challenge, but I'll be honest, I have some time to kill today. I'm currently having my piano tuned (well, my Grandpa's early 1970's-era Baldwin, which currently resides with me).  And if you've ever witnessed a piano tuning, you might know that it's a couple of the most boring hours ever. But I can't leave.  And Fella took Jude to the groomers to get him out of the house, since he thinks everyone who comes to our apartment wants to play with him.  He would, no doubt, be jealous of all the attention the piano is receiving.  Thus far this morning, I've had some virtual coffee with La Historiadora de Moda and Style Underdog, completed my taxes (yeah, I'm a nerd about doing that early), found a good blondies recipe to make for tomorrow's football party, and bought tickets for Fella and I to see Arcade Fire and the National in April.  Pretty productive for a Saturday morning!

Yesterday I received a compliment from one of my co-workers that's been stuck in my head. I wasn't even dressed all that nicely, but she said to me "Some days I look at you, and I think to myself 'Someday I hope I'm a real woman too.'"  She went on to say that it's because I'm always so put together, and because of all the cute accessories I wear. I find this comment so interesting on a few levels.  It's interesting that she ties my style and accessorizing with being womanly.  And it's interesting to me from an age standpoint too.  I started at my company when I was 23, and most of the women I work with are at least 10 years older than me (many old enough to be my mom), so I never considered that they perceive me as being anything but a kid.

So all of this made me think: what does it mean to be a real woman womanly*?  I think it's definitely subjective and different for all of us.  For me, I think a lot of it is tied to the way I present myself, but I also feel like it's related to my friendships with other women. Last night, I had a great girls night, and interacting with my girlfriends definitely makes me feel womanly.  And hanging out with all of the women in my family at a bridal shower last weekend felt pretty womanly too.

So, what does it mean to you to be a real woman womanly?
*Edited to add: Charlotte brings up a good point in the comments about the qualifier of "real" in this whole post. I guess I didn't see the original remark to be that way, but I think Charlotte has some good thoughts about it. I'm not implying that any woman isn't "real" and I hope my co-worker wasn't either. I truly think the original intent was to say that my co-worker feels that I'm "womanly," rather than "real" versus "not real," "unreal" or "false." I apologize if this offends.


Cardigan, Pants and shoes: Loft
Tee: Target