The C Word

Crazy. This is the C word I want to discuss today. Why does lacking a Y chromosome instantly mean you must be crazy? Why is that okay? I for one can't seem to understand why exactly this happens, and I don't appreciate it whatsoever.

There is a pretty popular video going around detailing what the "wife zone" is according to a woman's metrics on the hot and crazy scales. Because obviously all women just have to be crazy and our worth comes from appearances. Yes, this is just a funny video, but it got passed around as much as it did because of the irony in it. It is funny because it can almost be true depending on your opinion on the C word.

What does the C word mean? Why are only women capable of falling under the umbrella of the C word? I personally have never heard men being called crazy because of how they reacted to a situation or acted in public or enjoyed their private lives. Getting upset or hurt as a result of a betrayal is a perfectly understandable reaction, but it's labelled as "crazy" if it's a woman who is hurting.

For a more specific example of the C word only applying to women, when Husband drove back to Oklahoma, he didn't text me when he made it back. The guy he drove down with posted about being back home, but I hadn't heard anything from my husband. I texted him a couple times and eventually called because I was worried he had gotten into an accident after dropping off his friend. Thankfully, he was fine. His phone had died was all. But I was scared for him. Perfectly understandable reaction, right? Until he dropped the C word.

I don't mean to talk down about my husband in sharing this story. He is one of the more progressive-minded men I know, and he still fell prey to the C word. It's so ingrained we don't even realize the different categories we have for people according to their biology. It's ridiculous. And it's a double standard. It forces most of women's actions to be considered unnatural and adds to the pressures to be perfect and rely on appearance since behavior and personality are almost always wrong since it's clearly "crazy."

No longer will I allow such misapplication of the C word to my actions and reactions. I am who I am, and who I am worries on occasion. I feel emotion deeply. There is nothing wrong or "crazy" about emotions. It is okay to fall hard for that person after the first date if something about him or her just resonates with you. It is okay to be excited and celebrate that one of your friends is hitting another big milestone. But most importantly, it is okay to be a woman.

What's your opinion on the C word? What do you do when you get called crazy for something that is in no way an incorrect behavior? Anyone have any stories to share about a time you've been called crazy for something anyone would've done in a similar situation?