A few days ago I came across the brilliant, and incredibly truthful Twitter hashtag #GrowingUpAGirl. It addresses issues such as being told to cover up if your bra strap is showing but yet boys can walk around with their underpants showing. It highlights how we tell women to be comfortable in their own skin, yet magazines continue to publish articles about female celebrities gaining weight, wearing what they deem to be 'inappropriate' clothing because they are plus size etc. And it's true.
When we grow up, we are indoctrinated by the media, even as young girls, to want our prince charming, to love pink and dresses. We watch programmes where the mother stays home and 'looks after baby' while the father goes off to work, which is highlighted when you see young children playing 'Mummies and Daddies' in school playgrounds, endorsing these gender roles. I know not every child takes part in this activity, but a scarily large amount do.
Growing up a girl, we are taught that our periods are shameful and disgusting and should never be talked about. Just look at the packaging for sanitary products! They are wrapped like sweets, in different colours, packaged in 'feminine' boxes to show how discreet they are, because god forbid a tampon falls out of your bag when you're at school. And actually, periods aren't shameful (they can be pretty disgusting sometimes though) they are what allows us to reproduce (you don't have to obviously - that is a person's choice) so no periods - no babies, and no babies = no future. And then if we're the slightest bit moody, boys the think it's acceptable to ask us if we're on our period. I'm sorry, I didn't realise that all my mood changes are due to my menstrual cycle.
Growing up a girl, we are either portrayed in the media as crazy hormonal bitches who have gone off the rails or sugary sweet Disney princesses. There is no in-between. Look at the TV programmes, there is a stereotypical pretty one who is also incredibly dumb, and the smart nerd who looks like she'll never get a boyfriend. Can we just stop with this please! We are more than this - so stop treating us like we are.
Growing up a girl, we are taught to be afraid of strange men, for fear of getting raped/sexually assaulted. We are taught that we have to wear clothing that society deems acceptable so as to even avoid these situations because we live in a society where the victim continues to be blamed.
Growing up a girl, we are taught to accept inferiority because if we stand up to this inequality we are labelled a crazy social justice warrior and we're taught that if we stand up, and are anything other than meek and docile then we are being too 'masculine' or 'bossy' or a 'bitch'.
Growing up a girl, we are lectured on what's ladylike and what's not. Example: "Don't sit with your legs apart, that's not ladylike". Actually, since I am a lady, everything I do is technically ladylike.
Growing up a girl, we are taught that if we engage in sexual activity we are a slut/whore/slag/tart etc. but if we don't we are a prude. Can you think of the male equivalent to those words? The closest I've ever seen is probably "man-whore" but again "man" has been put in front of it because the word "whore" is usually only applicable to women.
Growing up a girl, we told to take catcalling as a compliment. Whenever we would meet people as young girls, more often than not we would be told "don't you look pretty?" which just reinforces the idea that for girls, beauty is better than brains. And then. if we answered a maths/science/any stereotypical 'male' subject correctly, *some* boys will mutter under their breath "what a show off".
Isn't it time we changed this? Isn't this problematic?
*I know this post only really refers to 'First World Feminism' but I'm going to be writing up posts about 3rd World Feminism soon*
*Note: This post is applicable to cisgender girls - some parts may apply to transgender girls and the period section does apply to transgender boys*
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