Childhood is an important period for developing. Children learn what they do and don’t like, who they want to hang out with, start picking their hobbies and interests, and make some important decisions that will influence how they feel about the world around them. Sometimes decisions and labels are thrust onto children, or they grow up feeling like they need to fit into such a label.
This concept is one that I personally relate to. As a child, I grew up loving princess movies and Polly Pockets, but I also loved to run around outside, catching bugs and playing in the mud. I wouldn’t fit into either of the typical stereotypes for young girls: Tomboys and Girly-Girls.
However, as I child, it seemed to me that I had to be one. In my mind, every girl my age fit into one of these two roles. That’s how it worked in the media, so it must work like that in real life. I don’t remember how or if I picked to be more of a tomboy, but I remember feeling like I should be one because of how much I liked being outside and riding my bike, and you can’t do that in a dress.
Now as an adult, I think back and wonder how much of my childhood was affected because of this unspoken rule to be one or the other. I’m comfortable now in my gender and forms of expression, and if you asked me today if I were a Tomboy or Girly-girl, I’d say with confidence that I’m both or neither. I’m simply myself, and I can enjoy what I like unapologetically. I can play video games and like the color pink and enjoy wearing both dresses and jeans.
This idea is closely related to the “I’m not like other girls” phenomena. The statement is true in one sense and false in another. True because we’re all our own person and it’s okay to understand that we’re all unique and have the freedom to express ourselves how we want. False in the sense that it perpetuates the idea that there are “other girls,” establishing an ‘other.’
In short, I hope there can be a bigger push for fewer stereotypes and more expression. This isn’t to say that there is something wrong with identifying as a tomboy or a girly-girl or anything in between, but rather that children should be supported no matter what they gravitate to or how they express themselves.