Over the last week or so there have been many humorous tags going around the Internet involving things like "growing up shy" and "growing up with glasses." Scrolling through these tags on Twitter was hilarious and accurate; we all found something we could relate to.
I eventually came across a tag that truly caught my attention. The tag was "growing up a girl," and with many of the posts, a more serious note was reached. Girls around the world were sharing experiences that we could all relate to, and it was alarming to notice the consistencies in experience that many young girls have.
As we grow older, we all become more attuned to the world around us. As young girls, it is easy to be told something and to accept it as true because we don’t know otherwise. But as you grow older, you learn that some things should be questioned and challenged. When I was reading through the growing up a girl tags, I realized how many other young woman were told the same thing as little girls.
Let me provide a few examples. Growing up a girl, I heard that if my shorts didn’t reach the bottom of my fingertips, I would either be forced to change or be sent home for my indiscretion. Growing up a girl, I heard that if my shoulders were exposed and I didn’t have anything to cover up with, there would be repercussions. Growing up a girl, I always heard that I should sit more ladylike, and it was rude to have my limbs all over the place.
The things that I heard when I was younger extended beyond appearances. Growing up a girl, I was told that I couldn’t be out late because it is dangerous. I was told that if I was going anywhere, I had to be in a group, because there is safety in numbers. I was told to never walk home alone, even if it was a five-minute walk. Growing up a girl, I began to feel weary whenever someone looked at my friends and I too long, from fear that this would be the day that something bad would happen. To this day, I still follow this logic. It is such a staple part of being raised as a girl that I don’t think it will ever fade.
When you grow up a girl, you become accustomed to a few things. You become accustomed to being told that you "must be on your period" when you are moody. Your ability to defend yourself and repay the sass you were dealt is watered down to something as simple as hormones, rather than the possibility of a girl standing up for herself. And we mustn’t’ forget how each and every time you dress up, you prepare to hear the question, “who are you dressing up for,” as if dressing for myself is not a good enough assumption.
And a hard part with growing up a girl is that until a certain age, you don’t know to question some of things you hear. When you are younger, you think that you must be polite and ladylike, even when a jab is directed at you to go "make a sandwich." For a period of your life, you think that a wolf whistle from a passing car was supposed to be flattering, and you should take it as a compliment. For some time, you believe that a boy being mean is his way of flirting, when in reality, he might just be mean.
Growing up a girl is difficult. There are things you are told that take a great deal of time to unlearn. In time though, young girls will grow to be young woman. And with this comes a positive; growing up a girl has allowed for a an incredibly strong generation of women to be present now.
