Last weekend I took a trip to a game store with my boyfriend. We like to play "Magic the Gathering" together and I wanted to add some more cards to my deck. He got in line with me and paid for his items, and after he signed his receipt, the cashier waved for the man standing in line behind me, who promptly stepped in front of me. I quickly put out my hand, holding out the cards I wanted to buy to indicate that yes, I'm a girl waiting in line to buy Magic cards. Both the man in line and employee were extremely apologetic to me, which I really appreciated that they realized they made a false assumption about me because of my gender.

It can be really intimidating to walk into a comic book store or gaming store when you're the only girl in the building. It's usually assumed that if a girl is present, she's just there with her boyfriend. The sad part is that there are so many girls that are interested in "male-dominated" hobbies, but the convenience of online shopping makes it easier to avoid places that are supposedly hubs for masculinity. Liking things that are targeted for men doesn't make us "different" or "quirky," but the girls that do talk about their interests that aren't feminine are targeted as attention-seekers.

The same goes for girls that like heavier music. My best friend loves to listen to metal, as she was raised by a single dad that drilled Metallica and Iron Maiden albums into her ears. If she's wearing a t-shirt for a band that "girls don't listen to," there will be at least one man that asks her to "name 5 songs!" Gross. Why do we have to prove our interests just because we're girls? Why does it have to be immediately assumed that we're just seeking attention or trying to look cool? On the other hand, if we are deemed competent enough to like something, we are immediately sexualized.

Personally, I get so excited when we can eliminate gender boundaries. I love scrolling through Instagram and seeing boys wearing make-up or wearing nail polish. I love walking into Coliseum of Comics and seeing a badass woman working there. It doesn't make us special or different, it just shows that gender and sexuality do not have to correlate with our interests.

It's also interesting to compare acceptance between genders. Boys that are comfortable to get their nails done or put on make-up are usually celebrated and put on a pedestal. Youtube influencers like Manny MUA or James Charles have been made ambassadors for brands like Covergirl and Maybelline, and we love them! However, when girls cross invisible boundaries into masculine activities there can be judgment from both genders.

I really want to encourage more of my lady friends to just like what they like, instead of worrying about being labeled as an attention-seeker for trying new things or being ridiculed by men that are trying to exclude us simply because we're girls. It's also important that when we do have interests that aren't typically feminine that we don't rant about how we're "not like other girls!" It just adds to the divide between girls and boys. Other girls shouldn't be valued less for not being interested in video games or sports, etc.

We don't need to separate ourselves by what is normally masculine or what is normally feminine. Our favorite hobbies don't have genders and we don't need to prove ourselves for what we like.