@claire_v
April 27, 2026
Femininity at work- former tomboy, kinda
Been thinking a lot about what it means to embrace femininity as a Catholic woman in a workplace that doesn't really value it. My industry is very male-dominated and the unspoken message is always that you have to be tough, aggressive, kind of masculine to be taken seriously. I used to buy into that completely. But lately I'm realizing that softness and strength aren't opposites, and there's something beautiful and actually powerful about showing up as yourself. I'm trying to stop apologizing for caring about how I look, or for being warm with colleagues, or for wanting grace in how I move through my day. It's a small act of resistance in a way, choosing to be feminine on purpose rather than just adopting whatever armor everyone else is wearing. Anyone else figuring this out?
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@misericordiaApr 29Beautiful! I'm figuring that out myself, too. In my workplace, you don't have to be that masculine necessarily, but you really have to be the kind of woman who speaks up loudly and is very confident. And I'm fine with parts of that, but also struggling a bit with how to unite that to virtues like humility, kindness etc. I feel like those aren't opposites necessarily, but it's hard to find a good balance.
@littlemariApr 30Sameee! i m pretty hardcore at work but i dont really think it is making me masculine. We wear scrubs, very busy and physically and mentally demanding but honestly it is the Catholic virtues that kept me strong and surviving more than anything else!
@misericordiaApr 30@littlemari yess, there really is strength in the Catholic virtues! But a different kind of strength that people don't see sometimes
