It's taken me three decades to finally appreciate something:

It's great being female.

Sure, there are the obvious downsides.

Pricier haircuts, a pressure to be thin and — for many of us — that monthly visitor.

But years later — after breakouts and breakups, after chores and careers — I've discovered how much I actually enjoy my feminine side.

And it's shocking to me.

You see, there was a time in my life when I hated — hated! — being a girl.

I wanted to play in the mud, collect beetles, shoot hoops and trade baseball cards.

Yes, I had Barbie dolls and frilly dresses. But I preferred playing with Lego and wearing my ratty Kikaida T-shirt.

Maybe it was a function of growing up with an older brother who always seemed to have the coolest toys. (Still does, actually.) He had the best Hot Wheels and G.I. Joe collections, and I was stuck with blond dolls in bikinis that didn't even have guns.

How was that supposed to be fun?

My attitude only worsened during puberty when I sprouted things I didn't know what to do with — or want.

I had to wear a bra. I had to shave my legs. And worse yet, I had to walk into Longs and buy my first box of maxi pads. Talk about humiliation!

I envied the boys in my class so much. They didn't have to wear a sports bra to play basketball or sit out of P.E. class because of their "female problem."

Because that's what being female was to me: a problem.

But over the years, I've come to realize how much power women can wield.

And I'm not talking about how much easier it is for us to cut into traffic or snake a wave.

In addition to enduring the pain of childbirth — some men faint just watching — women can do some of the most amazing things.

Like work two jobs, raise three kids and get dinner on the table every night.

We can check e-mail while chatting on the phone, heating up our Lean Cuisine, watching "Oprah" and painting our toenails.

We use words like "collate," "paraffin" and "crudite."

We are built for multitasking, problem-solving and sympathetic-listening. And we can do that all at once.

There is nothing we can't do — just things we refuse to do.

Not to mention we have much better fashion choices than men, a point my boyfriend whines about when we're shopping for clothes.

Oh, the power!

I may still complain about wearing bras, shaving my legs and conforming to the body standards that society has — unfairly — given women.

But I know that there are worse things in life.

I could be balding with a beer gut and a prostate exam coming up.

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com. Read her daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.