Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice
by Karlie Lytle
That Girly Girl
"You run like a girl...." Have you heard this one before? This comment is unacceptable. It is hurtful to boys, but it is completely offensive to young girls everywhere. The statement enforces the age-old stereotype that girls are not as good as boys. To claim that you do something - anything - "like a girl" should be celebrated and not denounced. With this said, female stereotypes like the classic stay-at-home mom, sweet little girls who never get dirty, or even the one about girls who are spiteful and mean gossipers, need to disappear. In their place, the idea of a strong, independent woman should emerge.
#LIKEAGIRL
The term "like a girl" has been around forever. But nobody has really thought about what it means. Some may say that when they use this statement, they don't really mean it. But if you don't mean it, why would you even say it? I think the term "like a girl" is terribly rude and offensive to girls. But wait. What does "You run like a girl" even mean? Watch this video by Always to figure it out.
Always #LikeAGirl
As you watched, Always asked different people of different ages for their perspective on what running, fighting, swinging, and throwing like a girl is. It started out rough, people flailing their arms like they had no idea what they're doing. But when the younger girls came on, that's what we need to discuss. They ran fast. Threw hard. Threw punches. They showed everyone that a girl can do nothing different from a boy. That's exactly how the entire world should think of when someone says like a girl. Why can't running like a girl mean winning the race? Being a girl is something you shouldn't be ashamed of. That's why like a girl shouldn't be said in a negative way to anybody.
Stay at Home Moms...... No More
What do you think of when you think of a woman? A stay at home mom? The stay at home house cleaner? I think that needs to change. All of the stereotypes that I listed don't really require any physical strength. With that said, this leads me to believe, once again, that female's aren't strong. (Based on the stereotypes.) This is completely wrong! Did you know that over half of female firefighter candidates passed the physical abiltitys test? That means that out of all the women who have tryed out to become a firefighter, over half have succeded. Now this doesn't mean they made it to be a firefighter, but it does mean that more than half have succeded in the hardest part of becoming one. Along the lines of firefighters/jobs, I think that the stereotypical jobs of women need to change. What do you think of when you think of a police officer, firefighter, soldier, or leaders in this world? You most likely think of a man. That needs to change. Did you know that over 16% of the U.S military's population are women? The only reason the percentage is low is because the stereotypes are holding them back! Now what do you think of when you think of a woman? A leader? A police officer? I hope your take on female stereotypes have changed.
Limited to Unstoppable
Have you ever felt limited? Limited from your sports? Limited from your dreams? Girls feel both of these things every day of their lives. That's why I think girls need to go to limited to unstoppable. Once again, Always made a video on how girls feel limited. The girls included their sports, limited from being brave, and rescuing. This makes total sense for a young girl to say. I think that every girl feels that they are limited in almost anything that they do. Thats why girls should feel unstoppable in anything they do. Whether it's their sports to their dreams, girls should be able to do whatever they want when it comes to their goals in life.
Always #LikeAGirl - Unstoppable
That Strong Girl
Overall, girls are unstoppable, beautiful, strong, confident females that can conquer anything. Whether it's saying like a girl, or you can't be a police officer, girls can do anything no matter what anyone else says. Like a girl shouldn't be said, female stereotypes need to change, and girls can be anything they want to be. If you are a girl, I hope you learned that you are a girl, and you shouldn't be ashamed of that.