I Make No Apologies For Being a Woman...

This showed up on my Facebook feed this morning....

It was followed by a whole bunch of woman striving to explain how they were 'zeros' or at least close to it.

I've seen similar conversations pop up on various 'woman's mushing forums' over the years - and lots of shaming to any woman who admits they could vaguely be considered 'high maintenance'. It drives me CRAZY!!!

First, let me say I can probably 'out rough' all of you. I know what it is like to go close to 2 weeks of high intensity activity without a shower and end up with your hair so dirty it takes 3 washes to even get your shampoo to lather.
I can pack everything I need for two weeks of travel in Alaska in the winter in a small backpack.
There have been times in my life I considered an outhouse an incredible luxury.
I once took a timed 1-minute shower that I considered fantastic.
I've run a 300-mile dog sled race with a broken finger, I've stuck a stick through my hand, I've sprained and SERIOUSLY bruised almost every bit of my body at one time or another.
I've spent evenings throwing 1000s of lbs of slimy skinned beaver carcasses into a walk-in freezer, stacked over 100 - 40-lb bags of dog food on my own, and can lug 2 full, 5-gallon buckets of water wherever they need to go.
I have driven 16 dogs down the Happy River steps and Dazell Gorge 10 times.
I've been covered in crap, puke, piss, birthing fluids, dead animal bits and a variety of other gross substances more times than I can count over the years.

However, I get regular pedicures, I get my hair professionally cut, coloured and styled, and although most of my days are spent in polar fleece and sweatpants, I love wearing dresses, skirts, and flowy soft clothing when I can. I'm addicted to cute boots and scarves.
AND I'M TIRED OF BEING SHAMED AND MAKING EXCUSES FOR IT.

I remember a few years ago buying a pair of flashy, shiny bright red pumps to wear to a family function and posting a picture of them on FB. I got more comments - most of them of the 'I never would waste money on something like that' (they were $14.99 at Walmart) or 'I only buy shoes I can wear in the dogyard' variety than anything else. GET OVER IT LADIES. I wore them with a simple black dress, got a zillion compliments and felt like a million bucks.

I am so inspired to see women like DeeDee Jonrowe, Monica Zappa and Lisbet Norris wearing skirts and lovely, colourful outfits on Iditarod. I saw a picture the other day of Roxy Wright accepting her award for winning the ONAC in a skirt and ADORABLE boots!!!

If your style is jeans and a sweatshirt, hair tied in a ponytail, with a winter's worth of growth on your legs - power to you - BUT it doesn't make you tougher, a better dog musher or a more caring dog owner than me.

Or another great bit of shaming - "I spent all my time and money on my dogs - I don't have money or time for myself". If that is what you want to be spending all your time and money on - GREAT - but don't try to make me feel lesser because I have figured out ways to embrace my style within my financial budget and time restraints. My dogs don't want for anything.

We need to stop shaming each other.

Wear what you feel comfortable in. Wear what makes you feel good. Spoil yourself every now and again. Paint your nails/don't paint your nails. Put eyelash extensions on/don't put eyelash extensions on. Wear Carhartts with diamond earrings (fake or otherwise). Do chores in your pjs with Carhartts over top! Run dogs in a skirt. Be as feminine as you wish!!!!!

Make no excuses for it. Hang with people that embrace you for who you are.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go feed dogs, work out, shovel my dog yard and shower before my massage appointment this afternoon - and if that makes me 'high maintenance', so be it.