With March being Women’s History month, I felt it was important to shed some light on the phrase “like a girl.” You play “like a girl.” You fight “like a girl.” You laugh “like a girl.” It is typically used to degrade or denote an individual when instead it should be used as an uplifting compliment. With that being said, let’s take this opportunity to redefine and rewrite what it means to be or to do something “like a girl,” and empower each and every woman.
There is a significant confidence gap between men and women, in fact, research has also suggested that adolescent girls tend to have the lowest self-esteem. So, how can redefining “like a girl” help? Let’s start by first addressing what the phrase should mean. “Like a girl” means to be patient, to have perseverance, to be tenacious, to be strong, to be courageous, to break barriers, to show passion and the list goes on. Instead of using this phrase as an insult, it should be used to empower girls and help them reach their full potential.
Women are constantly degraded for their appearance, their career choices, their goals. If she is not wearing enough makeup, then she needs to fix her appearance and presentation. If she is wearing makeup, then she is trying way too hard. If she stays at home and takes care of children, then she may be seen as lazy or unmotivated but if she has a full-time job and enjoys working, then she is negligent and unappreciative of her family. It never ends.
Rewriting “like a girl” should be used as a building block of self-confidence and self-esteem. For each girl to know and to believe that she can accomplish anything. She can be a scientist, a fashion designer, a model, a doctor, an astronaut, a pilot, an engineer. As cliche as this sounds, the world is her oyster. Her gender should not define her ability to achieve the impossible.
I understand that it is difficult and challenging to change an entire ideology in the span of a day or even a year, but by taking it one step at a time we can encourage and inspire women. We can make them feel like they are capable of achieving anything they put their minds to. Instead of criticizing their personality traits and forcing them to behave in a certain manner, we should encourage them to be their true selves and to pursue whatever their heart and mind desire.
“Like a girl” does not indicate weakness or any sort of social limitation. Rather, it is a sign of determination, dedication, resilience and passion. It is a phrase that we should use to lift up the women in our lives from our daughters to our sisters to our mothers to our grandmothers and to our friends. In fact, the brand Always launched the #LikeAGirl campaign in 2014 to empower young women to be themselves and to show them that they are the future. I encourage everyone to check out the campaign and to find ways to support and stay involved because the future is female!