Like a Girl

For a long time "like a girl" has been used as an insult. It means to do something in an wimpy or inadequate way. Usually used to describe physical abilities.

I grew up hearing people insult others by telling them they were doing something "like a girl." I knew it was an insult, but I never quite understood why. I was never told that being a girl was inherently bad. I was always told that I could do whatever I wanted and if it was a male dominated thing I was encouraged to try even harder.

Many girls didn't have this support. They grew up believing that because you're a girl, it means you can't be as strong, as fast, or as talented as boys their age. Recently the brand Always released a video to help teach girls that "like a girl" isn't an insult.

I absolutely love everything about this commercial. I love the message. It shows that girls are born with the confidence to whatever they want. But over time society conditions them to believe they aren't as good as boys their age. They created #likeagirl on Twitter to inspire girls to share their success and confidence.

However, some people (by people, I mean meninists and MRAs) were upset. They were so upset by the fact that something wasn't about them. They couldn't stand the fact that girls were gaining self confidence. They couldn't stand the fact that girls can believe that they are actually worth something. They couldn't stand the fact girls are beginning to realize that they are more than what society tells them they are or should be. They couldn't stand the idea that girls and women are powerful and not weak and wimpy in the way that the phrase "like a girl" used to imply.

They felt threatened by the confidence that this is giving girls. So they created #likeaboy. The people who created this hashtag are the reason we need #likeagirl and the feminism movement as a whole. The people behind this #likeaboy and the meninist "movement" would like us to believe that women already are equals in society (check out the wage gap between men and women), that men are victims of reverse sexism and that the feminist movement is hurting men (not true it actually helps men).

But don't let the haters get you down. Don't let anyone tell you that that being a girl is inherently bad. Be proud of who you are as a girl.