From the author: Reflections after the mini-training “Finding femininity” We are accustomed to using the concept of “femininity”. But how often do we think about what this means? What do we mean when we say that a woman is feminine? Where does femininity come from? At one of the practical classes of the Women's Club, we decided to explore this topic. I invited the participants to formulate what the word “femininity” means for each of them, what meaning each of them attaches to this concept. It turned out that for each participant, a variety of qualities were hidden under femininity. From weak, gentle and sweet, to wise, smart and able to manipulate men. After compiling individual lists, we decided to create a generalized one. To do this, I asked each of the participants to name the three most significant qualities for her that define femininity. The result was the following list: soft, flexible, weak, sincere, wise, self-confident, outwardly attractive, holistic and satisfied, affectionate, emotional, effective. Next, the participants were asked to visit the states they described. Alternately, feel soft, flexible, sincere... Then one participant chose from the list a certain quality that she would like to acquire, and the rest “sculpted” a bodily sculpture from her, which, in their opinion, figuratively expressed this quality. It turned out to be very curious how many difficulties were caused by understanding such a quality often attributed to women as weakness. It turns out that, despite how often we talk about the fact that women are the weaker sex, that a woman should be weak (this is already such a cliché), for real modern Russian young women the understanding of what female weakness means is practically inaccessible . Women could not find a positive association with this quality. Weakness was associated with infirmity, illness, squalor, or infantilism. As a result, the feelings of the participant, who was “trying on” weakness, turned out to be negative. I wondered where the roots of modern Russian femininity come from? Can any modern woman call herself a RUSSIAN woman? According to my personal feelings, our roots are lost. It seems that we know more about the culture of femininity in the West than about our own, Russian, Russian culture. What functions did a Russian woman traditionally perform? What qualities developed in her? One thing seems quite clear - weakness in our women has never been a value. We don’t even know what it’s like to be weak. Traditionally, a Russian woman will “stop a galloping horse...”. Even in Russian folk tales, women often save their men. And then the figure of a woman appears as a protector, as a support, as a mother earth. At the same time, a woman in our country traditionally lives not for herself, but for others. Even in the recent Soviet times, when they tried to consciously form the image of a Soviet woman, this image was formed depending on the needs of the state, “descended from above” to solve “the problems of the party.” When working hands were needed, the image of a working woman, a woman equal to a man in strength and efficiency, was glorified. When it was necessary to increase the birth rate, they began to glorify the image of a woman as a mother, a woman as a housewife, providing comfort in the home and raising children. The needs of the women themselves were completely ignored. What we have not been taught is to feel and follow our desires and aspirations. What women in the West received during the feminist movements, namely, a woman learned to choose what she herself wants to be, to hear herself and be aware of her needs. In our country, there has been a kind of “feminization from above.” There is another quality of Russian women - this is the desire to compete with men. And the associated dislike for oneself, one’s own gender. Where is it from? Did it come from Ancient Rus', when boys and girls were equally taught to ride horses and shoot a bow? Or from the Land of Soviets,?