The use of that word shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. When did I become a woman? Shouldn't I still be a girl - immature, inexperienced, young? Maybe not to a teenager. I'm about ten years too old to be a teenager, and teenagers are very good at noticing things like that. And even if I didn't look like I'm in my twenties, she had to know that I was at least eighteen based on our conversation. But I couldn't help getting a bit self-conscious. Was it the white streak in my hair? Should I follow my sister's advice and dye it instead of enjoying the geek chic of comparisons with Rogue-from X-Men? Did it make me look old?
I know that, physically speaking, I've been a woman for a good long time - over half my life, short as it's been. But the shortness of my life is what made the description so startling. I'm twenty-seven. Yes, I've been to college (and even graduated), had a number of jobs, paid rent, been financially independent, etc. No, I wouldn't want to be a teenager again, not physically, emotionally or mentally, and certainly not socially. I am an adult.
But a woman?
I've decided it comes down to what I'm used to. If I went to a job interview and the hiring manager referred to me as a girl, I wouldn't bat an eye because I'm probably younger than most hiring managers. If you look at it that way, I shouldn't be bothered that a teenager called me a woman - she's a girl and I'm significantly older than her, so of course she wouldn't call me what she is. It's just a matter of perception. I think of myself as a girl because within my own head, I am one.
I don't see that changing with time. Maybe - when I've had a real career, something that lasts more than a couple years. Maybe - when I'm married and have children. For now? I'm not irresponsible. Far from it! But I'm not a woman. It feels like being a woman should mean I've made it - I'm done, not perfect but as close to it as I'm going to get. It feels like a destination, and I'm not there yet.
There's only one real problem, and that is that it is a stupid way to think. Womanhood is just one of two things: physical age or mental/emotional maturity. And if I am physically, emotionally, mentally, and legally an adult, I am a woman. End of story.
I can't think of a segue that doesn't sound pompous, so here, have a couple relevant quotes I found through googling.