Fashion

#LIKEAGIRL

09/30/2018

You throw like a girl. You run like a girl. You hit like a girl. You cry like a girl.

If you ever spent any time on a grade school playground, odds are someone has said one of these statements to you at some point. Granted, it’s usually uttered in jest as sort of a “hey, bro!” insult, but telling someone you do something like a girl has always rubbed me the wrong way. I’m not a fan of the insinuation that doing something like a girl means you are less than: less than capable, less than strong, less than impactful, less than male.

Yes, if you put me in a toe to toe contest of brute strength with some of the incredible males in my life, I would lose every day and twice on Sunday. But as women, that’s not where our true strength lies.

We’re biologically capable of creating and carrying life through a body that’s literally stretched from the inside out. We push something the size of a watermelon through something the size of a lemon and we do it, every day, from hospitals and bathtubs and ambulances and lobbies and cars and third world countries. And that’s a pretty incredible thing.

We’re emotionally programmed to nurture others; to put the needs and wants of those we love most above our own. We adjust schedules and give up sleep, and more often than not we do it silently, without a call for attention as we offer a “It’s no problem, really!” smile. And that’s a pretty admirable thing.

We politely answer the loaded “When are you getting married?” and “When are you finally going to start a family?” inquiries from family and strangers alike. We accept their prying and know it comes from a place of love and support. And we never make anyone feel badly for not considering that maybe we’re having trouble, or we’re just not ready, or we don’t want children. We carry that knowledge inside, like the pillars of strength that we are. And we have a plan. And that’s a pretty resilient thing.

We battle the age old “children or career” debate and more often than not, find a way to take on both with a warm fierceness that claps back at anyone who said we couldn’t do it. We attend board meetings and PTA meetings, conferences and soccer games. We may not always do it perfectly, but we do it. And that’s a pretty impressive thing.

We put up with the pressure of the “shoulds”; how we should look, what we should wear, what size we should be. These shoulds are dictated to us by people who have forgotten to take our spirit or the kindness we show to others into consideration when deciding whether or not we’re beautiful (more on that here). But we persevere. And that’s a pretty empowering thing.

We vote. And we march. And we call our representatives. And we speak out against the unjust. And that’s a pretty impactful thing.

Just because our strength doesn’t always display itself in physical form doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And it doesn’t mean we’re less or better. It means we’re on the team. And not as bench warmer.