Unorthodox Women

Unorthodox adj. Independent in behavior and thought

Breaking with tradition or convention

The gospel was one of my favorites, even in Theology Class. It talks about the genealogy of Jesus and how flawed it was. And roughly around a year ago, we discussed this particular passage in Theology Class. In Theology, we did not only discuss the flaws of His lineage but the women remarkable enough to be mentioned in the line of men.

These four women, Tamar, Ruth, the wife of Uriah and Mary, four women who, even in a patriarchal society, earned their own place in history.

I don’t want to make wild claims and compare this simple woman from a rural provincial town to the likes of those four women. But if there is one resemblance I would like to cite and highlight it would be something that most other women would not even admit.

Like those four women, I, too, am flawed.

Trying to stand out in a sea of faces.

Physically, I have a flat nose, morena skin, bushy eyebrows and hardheaded acne. I’m also chubby. I stand 5’7” so that makes me a really big woman. A friend from UP once commented this on my friendster account: Wag niyo siyang babanggain, dahil isa siyang malaking babae. — Definitely not what our culture would define as pretty.

I also have terrible mood swings and a temper that can almost burn steel.

I am a shopaholic, I have mediocre grades, I’m a little sloppy, especially around exam week.

I am not domesticated. I kick dogs for fun. I am terribly afraid of cats. I can be very rude when I want to and with a little tinge (okay maybe a lot) of naughtiness.

Yes, I am flawed. And it is not something I am ashamed of.

Maybe that is why I love hearing or reading that passage. Because of all characters in the Bible, I can definitely relate to them.

I am also lucky enough to surround myself with women achievers. My bestfriend since I can remember recently earned her PhD degree. My bestfriend from college, won the Bb. Lex title last year and is on her way to being a lawyer. And I, well, am trying to live outside the box and be a doctor in a male-dominated specialty. We refuse to be defined by our sexes and try to achieve more that what biology destined us to do.

Our Parish Priest commented a couple of years ago that it would take a real man to tame the woman named Noah. I would beg to disagree. He doesn’t have to tame me, he just needs to keep up.