Female Entrepreneurship: Between Masculinity and Femininity

A reflection from the heart of a woman building, creating, and staying divine.

There is something no one tells you when you enter the world of entrepreneurship as a woman—especially as a woman in a creative industry, a healer, an artist, a mother, and a leader.

The business world is masculine by design.
The expectations, the structures, the “professionalism,” the systems, the pressure to show up like a “serious business owner”—all of it pushes you to step deeper into masculine energy.

And let me say this clearly:
Being a business owner DOES require masculine energy.
Discipline. Strategy. Structure. Boundaries. Consistency.
These are masculine traits—and they are necessary. Without them, no business can stand.

But what nobody prepares us for is the cost of losing the other half of ourselves in the process.

I’m not here to claim I “mastered” the balance—I’m still learning, still adjusting, still catching myself when I drift too far into one side. But I am here to share what has been true for me:

Staying feminine while thriving in entrepreneurship is an act of resistance… and an act of self-love.

When Business Tries to Shape Women Into Men

Here’s the reality:
Most industries subtly teach women that success looks like masculinity.

Successful women start wearing:

• blazers

• vests

• stiff suit jackets

• straight-cut pants

• corporate fabrics

• “neutral” tones

As if softness is unprofessional.
As if flow is weak.
As if curves, color, floral patterns, and dresses somehow make you “less capable.”

But here’s something we learn in art therapy:

Sharp lines, angles, and edges are masculine.
Curves, circles, and softness are feminine.

So why are we forcing women—especially women in creative and healing spaces—to dress like sharpness?

Do we really need to box ourselves inside a blazer to prove our worth as therapists, lawyers, educators, business owners?

Why should professionalism require us to mute our femininity?

My Wake-Up Call

This realization hit me hard when I joined a business worhshop.
The content was powerful, the knowledge helpful, the strategies transformative.
It was designed for women like me—female founders, creators, entrepreneurs.

But still… something was missing.

They taught us how to thrive…
but the way they taught us to thrive was wrapped in heavy masculine energy.

“Show up more boldly.”
“Speak loudly.”
“Take up space.”
“Dress the part of a CEO.”

I tried it.
I really did.

I wore the blazers.
I wore the suits.
I tried the “successful businesswoman” aesthetic.

And the truth?

I didn’t feel like Marwa.

I felt… boxed in.
Uncomfortable.
Not myself.

Marwa loves dresses.
Marwa loves skirts.
Marwa loves floral patterns, flow, softness, and modesty.
Marwa is feminine—strong, but feminine.

And when I made the choice to honor that and go back to dressing like the woman I am—
my success didn’t shrink. It expanded.

I didn’t lose authority.
I gained presence.

Softness didn’t make me less of a CEO.
It made me more me.

The Truth Is… My Feminine Energy Is My Superpower

In my field, creativity flows from a deeply feminine place.

I’m fortunate to be an artist, because my art keeps me connected to softness, intuition, and divine energy. Without that, balancing both energies would have been so much harder.

But even so, the world pulls us toward masculinizing our behaviors, our appearance, our expression.

That’s why intention matters.
Awareness matters.
And daily rituals matter.

Here Are Some Simple Ways I Stay Connected to My Femininity as a Businesswoman

These are not “tips from an expert”—they’re practices from a woman who is still learning, still choosing softness every day:

1. Prayer & Du’aa

My connection with Allah anchors me.
It resets my intention, softens my heart, and reminds me that my strength comes from a sacred place—not hustle culture.

2. Modesty & Dressing in a Way That Honors My Softness

Flowy dresses.
Skirts.
Feminine silhouettes.
Florals.
Light colors.
Layers that feel gentle, graceful, and divine.

Dressing feminine isn’t about appearance—it’s about energetic alignment.

3. Staying Reserved

The online world pushes us to overshare everything.
But part of feminine power is privacy.
Mystery.
Sacredness.
Protecting your energy instead of giving it away.

4. Meditation & Reflection

Quiet moments reconnect me with my intuition.
Feminine energy thrives in spaces that are slow, reflective, and intentional.

5. Flowers

Whether in my space or in my art, flowers remind me of softness, beauty, creation, and the power of gentle energy.

Final Thoughts: Thriving Doesn’t Require Becoming Masculine

We don’t need to trade our femininity to succeed.
We don’t need to dress like men to be taken seriously.
We don’t need to silence our softness to build empires.

A woman in her feminine energy…
rooted, modest, creative, intuitive, soft yet strong…

is unstoppable.

Success doesn’t require losing ourselves.
If anything—true success happens when we return to who we really are.

And as for me?

I’m choosing to remain fully, unapologetically, beautifully feminine—
in business,
in leadership,
in motherhood,
and in the way I show up in the world.

Because my business thrives when my soul does.
And my soul thrives when I honor my divine feminine energy.