"It's okay to be a girly girl, it's okay!"
The words felt like they hung in the air, swirling me befuddled into a confusion – I just said "That's not me," because it's not. I haven't been much of a girly girl since I was little. I'm okay with it. I remember when I stopped wearing daily makeup and what a relief it was. I love that I don't have to wear curve-hugging clothes that give me an impression of being feminine because they more readily display my figure – which is all any woman's good for, after all.
I'm surprised I didn't take on the title feminist sooner. Though not that surprising, it took stepping back from my Christian bubble to fully understand how much it aligns with me.
I've always looked at the women in my life and felt so grateful for being surrounded by powerful, tenacious humans like them. And yet, so many women still don't know their power and tenacity outside of their relation to men. Many still don't know their value aside from the gender roles we've given that require them to "put on their face" every day, act polite even when being disrespected – be a girly girl.
Women are not allowed to be what we want, we're instead told it's okay to fall back into the stereotype of our gender. What if I want to wear baggy, comfortable clothes instead of heels? What if dressing up and putting on makeup is a special occasion thing, not an everyday thing? Also, can I just damn grocery shop without being catcalled?
