"Doing" Gender

      As a lady, there are certain actions you should perform and specific things you should do to fit in with society. One thing that I find wearisome and annoying to keep up is always crossing my legs when I sit down. I know it's a tiny problem but I find it so uncomfortable to sit with my legs crossed. When I was a child, my mother would constantly fuss at me for sitting with my legs open or apart. I understand I should sit like this when I'm wearing a skirt or a dress so people can't see up my clothes, but when I'm in jeans or shorts, I don't see what the big deal is. I'm constantly reminding myself to cross my legs and sit more "lady-like".

      If you look around at all the girls in a public place, probably 98% of them are sitting with their legs crossed. I'd much rather sit with my feet normal and flat on the floor. Or with one leg on my chair and the other flat on the floor. This is just more comfortable to me. Constantly having to think about this and do something I don't want to do is a hassle. Sometimes I do sit correctly and sometimes I don't. As I said before, I will if I'm in a dress or skirt, or if I'm in a really formal place like a banquet or something. I don't sit "lady-like" in a classroom or on my own time. I know this may sound like a tiny problem. Actually, half of the women reading this probably don't even think about it- it just comes naturally to them. I just don't understand who came up with the idea of sitting with your legs crossed. Nobody should be able to dictate how I sit.