I'm sorry if this comes off a bit ranty, but I'm seeking some advice on how to be knowledgeable and outspoken but also perceived as feminine.
My personality is flamboyant and I enjoy debate (respectfully, in a civilized manner) and thoughtful discourse in general. I'm rather extroverted and academic. I am also the class president at my school. For context: I am young, but I'm trying to improve myself so I have better prospects in the future.
I just got into a casual conversation with my male friend about one of our mutual friends (who is a rather meek person). After a while I said that he just needs a more dominant girl to be in a relationship with if he ever wants to date. My male friend then told me that I'm just describing myself (this wasn't rude or anything, just a casual statement). I mentioned several times that I'm actually the opposite, but he didn't seem to believe me (again, this didn't come across as rude on his part, I'm just hurt for the following personal reasons). And this is with him knowing my (RP) opinions on things like marriage and family.
The reason this bothers me is that I've always been internally very submissive and attracted to dominant men. I also make an effort to dress nicely. I feel disconnected with how he (And I'm guessing others?) perceives me. This short dialogue was simply the catalyst of my current state of self-dismay. It almost wants to make me break down considering being perceived this way isn't in line with the relationship/role I desire in life. This made me think about my personality and how others view me.
I don't want to be perceived as dominant. Internally, I am not. However, I feel as though there exists a constant struggle between my inner submissive self and my outer, witty, argumentative persona. I'm lost as to how I can integrate these two. I also dream of studying the subjects I enjoy (Politics/Economics/Philosophy) at a high level university (I likely can without any debt) one day, but I must admit I'm a little wary of becoming too intimidating. Am I risking being an over-achiever and consequently too "dominant" by having this aspiration? I do want a large family and believe that motherhood is the key to happiness for me, rather than being a slave to a boss.
I feel like I have created a falsified image of who I actually am. I don't know how to topple it and "fix" being perceived as dominant when I do enjoy typically male tasks like political debate. I'm afraid of becoming too intimidating/argumentative for the type of men I'm interested in. How can I voice my often controversial opinions and debate without being seen as masculine/dominant? Do I simply have to hold back my (even if respectful) disagreement?
I am angry at myself for letting it get to this stage of perceived social dominance. I'm afraid of drastically changing my personality and it still not helping (I used to be even bolder, I have toned down my persona a lot - but I suppose I still appear dominant) my case. I'm mildly confused about how I can stay outspoken, voicing my often controversial views without being seen as some sort of smug debate-macho (excuse the terminology, it's the best I can come up with for now).
At this point, I'm almost developing a complex about being seen as masculine, trying to battle the outer personality people know me by and salvaging this mess I have created over the years. I feel undesirable and like the type of men I'm attracted to won't feel the same way towards me once I start seeking them out. This feeling of being incorrectly perceived and likely rejected irritates me immensely, but I know I'm to blame for this.
Thank you for reading my rant. Any advice regarding my problem would also be greatly appreciated.
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