There is something so unique about girlhood that also happens to be such a vast and different experience for everyone.
It is passionate, heartbreaking, fulfilling, beautiful and everything in between. We all experience it at different times and to different degrees, but we all face it.
I saw a TikTok recently that highlighted the idea of growing up with other girls and just “experiencing girlhood together.” I had to sit with that thought for a couple of minutes, reflecting on the friendships I had growing up.
All of the girls I befriended and knew impacted my life in some way or another. It does not matter how long I knew them or how often we interacted, they have all shaped me more than anyone could guess.
I moved around a lot growing up, so I got to know a lot of people. Some of which I got closer to than others.
From sitting next to someone in class or playing tag in my backyard, my adolescence was paved by the people around me, specifically the girls.
Media also deeply reminds me of my youth. Social media posts of toys and TV shows I grew up with and songs that take me back to certain periods of my life make me feel nostalgic in some way. Even movies that I resonate with so deeply that they exist in my soul in the same place that younger me exists.
Some particular films that center themselves around girlhood and growing up are “Little Women” (2019), “The Edge of Seventeen” (2016) and “Love, Rosie” (2014). Something about those movies feels so universal despite having specific circumstances the characters go through.
However, girlhood is not defined by specific experiences (although it could be), it is about the feelings we go through as life happens. The pain and loss of friendships, mourning childhood as we grow up, forming relationships and experiencing all varieties of love are all aspects that show up in some way shape or form in our lives. They manifest in various ways but it happens to all of us.
Sometimes songs can just strip you down to your core. They bring out a part of ourselves that we have forgotten, that youthfulness and softness that most of us grew a shell over. Songs whose core theme is about girlhood. My favorite examples are Seven by Taylor Swift and Ribs by Lorde. They are about completely separate times of life, the former takes place during the younger years of life and the latter is about the teenage years.
Vulnerability is a key element in many storylines of girlhood. Relevant because it comes so easily, and as you grow you must relearn it, bruised by adulthood that we all face. A certain yearning for connecting with other girls repeats over and over again in the media and our lives.
There are ups and downs to all of life, and although that may hurt, it is quite healing. The fact that we all get to live through these peaks and pinnacles as well as heartbreaks and low points is unifying. Girlhood is incredible, and I love the women who have made me who I am.
