As far as I can remember, I have always been more "tomboy" than "girly girl." Playing with cars, in the mud, climbing trees, collecting bugs, while I did have a dollhouse, I normally filled it with dinosaurs and animals. Most of my dolls actually ended up in the toilet or buried somewhere outside for me to find at a later date.
When I was younger, I used to think I was strange for not liking what other girls my age liked. I did not want to go shopping, I did not care for jewelry or do my hair or get my nails done. I still don't. The only time I step into a nail salon is if it is a special occasion like someone's wedding or when I know we are getting a lot of family pictures. It always seemed like a waste of money to me, though I completely understand the appeal to some.
Girls would tease me, mostly because I did not understand the majority of girl-centered products or fan-girl over "High School Musical" or the Jonas Brothers. It was a foreign concept to me. I wish I could tell myself that there was no reason to be worried over that type of stuff, because years from then, it's all irrelevant except for those nostalgic memories.
If I am completely honest with myself, the activities I do love are not nail friendly, or activities you that worry about staying glamorous. I love to go camping, zip lining, rock climbing, repealing, all of the activities that will quickly chip that polish off. When you're climbing down an 80-foot rock wall in the middle of the woods, the last thing on your mind is keeping your nail polish looking brand new.
I get a little dirty, scraped up, things in my hair, but there is always a smile on my face, laughter in the air, and the feeling of pure bliss.
I get that some people enjoy getting all dolled-up, but it isn't for everyone, and some can even do both, but I enjoy the 100% adventurous lifestyle and that's OK. I can accept it more easily now because I know I am not alone when it comes to this.
Nowadays girls have so many different role models to look up to, fictional characters who are not just princesses that are prim and proper. There are those who are a little rough around the edges, much like how I identified as a young girl. There were probably a few when I was younger, but not as many as there is today. At least there are now so many ranges of female representation in media, that allow girls to find someone they relate to. It's not so much one extreme or another, there's a mixture.
