As young girls, we lose out on so much of ourselves from the pressure to not be ‘too girly’ or ‘not like other girls.’ The intense hatred for the color pink, or definitely not wanting to be a princess, and disdain for anything that is too feminine or marketed towards girls. It’s such a shame that we’re taught that in order to be respected we need to reject key elements of who we are.
For every young girl it’s different, but the shared experience of growing up and realizing that all the things you gave up to fit in were never the problem. There’s a movement online talking about how it’s time to dedicate your twenties to loving the things you were too embarrassed to as a kid – and as I just entered my twenties, I realized how much opening that door has enriched my life. I love pink, boy bands, and romcoms. I’ve picked up books I was too scared to read in class and have absolutely no shame.
There is no one way to be a woman, no set interests or color schemes – and no matter how mainstream or niche your interests are, you are valid and there’s no need to try and fit yourself in the box society has made for us.
I hope we can all openly love the things we did as a kid, and give our inner child the love and acceptance we needed then – we all deserve it.