There are a lot of nasty gender roles that when not followed, will get a woman ostracized.
The first one is the requirement that women act sexually timid and passive otherwise they're labeled "sluts" even if they're monogamous. I guess it's the whole sexual double standard that drives me crazy. Men act like they want a sexual woman, but when a woman acts sexual, she loses their respect. Of course, I know this isn't the case with all men, just some. I like a man who's not afraid to see me as equal to him (not just under him), and who doesn't feel threatened by it.
Okay the next thing is beauty and all the forms it takes. The ideal woman should dress nicely, not too revealing but not too prudish. She should make an attempt to follow some of the fashion trends while staying true to her "personal style" which she should have developed by the time she was a teenager. She's expected to wear some makeup, just not too much. She's also expected to shave her legs an underarms, not because it's unsanitary to have leg hair, but because that's just the way society views beauty.
I try to do all of these things just so I can fit in. Shame isn't it? I used to be the boyish, feminist type in the way I presented myself, but then I discovered that I was denying myself the power that comes with following the rules. Looking nice gets a woman a lot, and sometimes I feel resentful about this. I'm the same person whether I'm hot or not. It seems unfair that women get a great amount of power based solely on their looks.
Okay next thing is body. The ideal woman should have the classic hourglass shape. A narrow waist, curvy hips and large breasts. Women with average sized breasts now think of themselves as "flat" and go out to get them enhanced to make themselves feel more womanly. I was about to fall into this trap, but then I realized that I'm already a real woman, I just have Bs instead of Ds, so what?
Wow, that's a lot, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Thanks chillen, for bringing up such an interesting topic! You can tell I'm passionate about it.