When I first came up with the original concept of this article, I figured it would be easy to put into words what it’s like being a girl. But when it came down to actually writing about the truth of what it’s really like to be a girl, I didn’t know where to start. Being a girl comes with a lot of rules and regulations; we’re told we can’t wear certain clothes because they are too revealing and can’t act a certain way because it is considered unladylike. Even in today’s society where so many strides have been made to exterminate these ideas of the so-called perfect woman, there is still a long way to go.
Last year I wrote an article entitled A Letter to the Girl That’s “One of the Boys” discussing some of my personal experiences growing up as a tomboy or what today’s younger generation is now calling a “bruh girl”. In today’s society, it is still out of the norm for a girl to display and have characteristics that are typical shown in boys. It’s taboo for girls to like sports like football and hockey or play violent video games. Girls, especially young ones, are groomed to be an outdated version of society’s ideal women. If a girl would rather wear jeans and athletic shorts than dresses and skirts, she’ll never get a date, and if you curse like a sailor, you’ll never get a husband. Women and girls throughout cultures in society are encouraged to be delicate little dolls when in reality young girls and women should be encouraged to be whoever they want to be.
Studies have shown that a girl’s confidence level is immensely diminished throughout puberty and most girls can never fully rebuild their confidence to the level it was once at. So not only do girls have to deal with the periods, mood swings, cramps and acne that comes once they officially become a woman, but on top of it all they have to deal with the fact that they no longer have the confidence in themselves in order to succeed in life. Society doesn’t do anything to help them rebuild it — there is no instruction manual that comes with being a girl. Young women in society are expected to be perfect 24/7, 365 days a year when in reality we’re all still trying to figure out how to get by one day at a time.
Girls should be seen and heard, and other similar variations of this stigma have been used for generations to keep girls confined into a box. Women and girls are expected to do as they’re told, abide by the rules and stay in the shadows. We’re not allowed to speak our minds and when we finally are allowed to say what we want to say it seems that nobody wants to listen. It’s like talking to a brick wall or as if we’re giving speeches alone in our room — there are never any emotional or physical responses. But now it is time to break free from this box and change the way that women and girls are perceived today.
I got lucky; my parents and family supported me in everything I did and always taught me that the most important thing I can ever achieve in my life was happiness. Whether that be in the sports I played growing up — softball, field hockey, and boxing — the interesting clothing choices I’ve made throughout my life, the decisions I make for my future career path and even the guys I’ve been interested in, it all boiled down to whether or not everything in my life made me happy. Most girls aren’t as lucky as I was and continue to be, and that needs to change. Girls have enough to deal with as it is. With periods and all of its associated emotions, the struggles we face in the business and professional world and just the everyday trials and tribulations associated with being a girl, girls have enough to deal with as it is. It is up to us and society to give girls back the confidence they need in order to be comfortable with being themselves and to succeed in life. Because with the restored sense of self confidence, girls can accomplish anything.