Womanhood Is Not as Easy as It Seems: Femininity Requires Both Achievement and Restraint

This article is a comment on Vandello and Bosson's (2013) article "Hard Won and Easily Lost: A Review and Synthesis of Theory and Research on Precarious Manhood." They argue persuasively that men must achieve their manhood by relentless engagement in masculine-typed activities and avoidance of anything associated with femininity. However, they also argue that womanhood is ascribed, or essential; thus, it need not be achieved and can never be lost. Here, I argue that women must achieve womanhood through the pursuit of beauty and becoming "good" mothers. Those who are excluded, or opt out, of those activities are still "female," but are not considered "real" women. Both manhood and womanhood are socially constructed, and thus people must perform their gender role as expected (or nearly so) to maintain their gender status.