Make Him Undress You with His Eyes

It isn’t that I was told to be a lady,
Keep knees knocked together while sitting,
Eat “a lady’s three,” not a dozen.

And it isn’t that everything was tradition
Marry a man, change your name—
Don’t bother with the silly idea of independence.

The trouble is, all the flaws were pointed out—
Those marks, that fat face, mangled hair,
So I couldn’t bear to face my reflection

Even growing into womanhood.
Lose weight, add more make-up, flaunt that chest.
Make him undress you with his eyes: it’s your worth.

Then a girl’s got to be a man,
Act like one, dress like one, mimic one,
To get a pay raise. Be a man to fulfill womanhood.

The only trust is within herself, or in God,
To know she’s beautiful and has worth.
But where does it come from, if not the world?