Would You Rather #82: Wake up with a different face but same gender or different gender but same face?

I chose this question because I found it thought-provoking. It brings up some questions I don’t have ready answers to. Have I ever imagined how life would turn out if I wore another face? Probably. How about if I carried different genitalia? I don’t think so. I guess I haven’t found the time; I’ve been busy trying to figure out what living as a woman means since I was born.

We are prone to misunderstand the reasons behind people’s actions because we don’t know how it feels like to be them. Some people are unbelievably mean or distrustful or fearful and we try to ‘impose’ our prescriptions of normalcy on them without first trying to understand the underlying cause.  This is not to justify the negative attitudes people put up sometimes, but it’s wiser to know all sides of a story before making a pronouncement.

I have developed certain perspectives and expectations of situations and people because of what I’ve experienced so far. I’ve been both favored and disrespected because I’m a woman and I’ve taken each happening in good stride. Would life be relatively easier or harder if I were a boy? I can’t tell.

I wonder if we get treated the way we do because of the faces we wear or the attitude we portray. If I were to wear another face but still behaved like me, would the story be any different? I may not have the prettiest face in the world but I’m comfortable with what I have. By God’s grace, I’ve been able to handle life’s challenges looking the way I am. Some lessons I had to learn the hard way but it wouldn’t be a story worth telling if there weren’t any bad breaks, right?

I’m tempted to choose same face with different gender. I’m sometimes biased towards how women feel in varying situations because I can relate to that. Women are made to think that it’s a man’s world and as such, men are born privileged. It may be true to an extent but they do have their own headaches too. I may never fully appreciate it until I step into their shoes.

Men are expected to be strong and in control of themselves at all times. Even in emotionally intense moments, my people will say, ‘men don’t cry.’ To be regarded as a man isn’t barely looking like one but proving your worth as being proactive, responsible, deserving of chances and full of potential. I would like to know how it feels like to be controlled by what you see instead of what you hear; to be excused from performing certain house chores just because.

I think I’d choose the latter not because I’m unsatisfied with who I am as a woman but for an opportunity to find out for myself what it feels like not to be one. As for wearing another woman’s face, I’ve dealt enough with mine so I think I’ll pass.

What about you? Which one would you rather wake up to and why? Kindly share your thoughts.

© Josephine Amoako 2017

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