As I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed on a daily basis I am concurrently inundated with news of birthdays, babies, bitching and beautiful selfies. For most of us social media is a place to post pictures, keep in touch with loved ones and unfortunately for most…brag about how “wonderful” our lives are. Every once in a while you run into something that inspires you. Maybe it is the video of the cute baby panda sneeze, the ridiculously funny Sweet Brown or it could even be that cornbread thing you vow to make for your next BBQ. Whatever the case may be we are all inspired in some way, shape or form by social media and/or the World Wide Web on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
Yesterday, I was ‘trollin the book of face only to come across a video brought to you by Always. The #LikeAGirl video has now been shared on Facebook over 433 thousand times and viewed on Youtube over 14 million times. The video looks like any other commercial casting that I would go to. Men and women are asked to act out how to “run like a girl”, “throw like a girl” and “fight like a Girl”. What they found looked like a scene straight out of Mean Girls. Grown men and women flitting around unable to run, throw or fight with any real capacity. All while flitting their hair and kicking their feet. The same actions were asked of young girls and can you guess what happened? They had the confidence to run, throw and punch with all of their might. They believed in themselves. Prepubescently, you may have believed in yourself more than you do today.
What happened? When did doing something #LikeAGirl become an insult?
Take a look so we can be on the same page:
Growing up, I was the only girl sandwiched between two extremely athletic boys. I was made fun of constantly and got into full fledged WWE death matches with them on a regular basis. I had buck teeth, huge curly hair and quite honestly I was the biggest klutz you ever met. I blame dance for giving me confidence in my crooked feet and thank my parents for clear braces!
Then:
Now:
After watching this video, I came to the realization that I was never told I did anything #LikeAGirl. That I can remember. My mom and dad treated us all the same. We each had different interests (OBVIOUSLY) and were never judged. My older brother would pack bologna and cheese sandwiches and “supplies” in his back pack for a game of Manhunt. No wonder he went to West Point. My little brother would spend hours in his room building villages full of kinects. Sure, we thought it was weird, but heck it was something I could never do! Me, I danced to my hearts desire. I was different than my brothers. I loved crafts, track and wearing dresses; however, I was throwing a football around for as long as I could remember. I played endless rounds of basketball, manhunt, kickball and baseball in our court, growing up with all of the neighborhood kids. Even in my household today traditional gender roles are not something we follow. Almost every night the hubs does dishes while I can be found taking out the garbage. Why not? Do I take the garbage out #LikeAGirl? Pfff…Dishes are clean and garbage is out.
Middle School is the most awkward time in a child’s life. Those tween years are some of the most challenging and memorable of them all. You feel as though you are a grown up. Maybe you officially turn into a “woman”. Like seriously, what the heck is going on with your body? Holy Hormones! My ultimate #LikeAGirl “hear me roar” moment came during lunch recess one sunny afternoon. I was all decked out in my blue and gold Candlewood kickline uniform huddled up with my girls. Most likely talking about how cute the boys were playing football. When all of a sudden the football went astray and was headed right to the middle of our circle. As the girls duck and covered, some even ran away. I cool, calm and collectedly caught the ball and chucked it back saying, “Hey, what can I say? I guess I got my dads hands”, (My dad a former NFL wide receiver.) Pretty ballsy for a seventh grader, but nonetheless a highlight of my formative years.
As we get older the #likeagirl affect continues to take hold in the workplace, gym and even in our home lives. Friendships are fueled with jealousies instead of the courage to build each other up. In my line of work, I am faced with so many challenges. One day I am too muscular, the next day I am not muscular enough. My hair is too long, my skin too dark. In a world where we compare apples to oranges to peaches on a daily basis it is easily to let the affect take hold in all facets of life. Whether it’s while comparing yourselves to others on your Instagram feed or feeling jealous of other girls incredible comp card at as casting. It is easy to cut someone down, but it is just as easy to build them up. In fact, I encourage you to. Many of us still feel like those awkward tweens still trying to figure out where we fit in.
After you read this; how can you help redefine #LikeAGirl and give it the same connotation of #LikeABoss…because aren’t they essentially the same thing? 😉 As women we have the power to be anything we want to be, all the while growing little people and raising generation after generation. If Cory and I are blessed with a baby girl, I cannot wait for her to see her daddy do dishes and fold laundry. Not because he’s an awesome guy, but because if such a small phrase can carry such weight than doesn’t that mean she can do anything she wants to do regardless of what society says? I never thought about how such a small phrase could shape a young girls attitude towards life on so many levels. So, thank you to my brothers for all of the beat downs and snide comments; they made me a stronger GIRL, and thank you to my parents for never never saying I did anything #LikeAGirl maybe like a Taylor, but never the former. It allowed me to forge my own path never letting the fact that I have boobs stop me from building the life I only dreamed possible, and simply giving me the ability to believe in the one person that is always by my side…Me. A supportive husband is just icing on the cake.
I am proud to say I take on every day #LikeAGirl. Let’s encourage our daughters and the next generation of young women to turn this negative into a positive! Let’s join Always and redefine #LikeAGirl.
To me #LikeAGirl means that you are…
Strong, Determined, Empathetic, Energetic, Optomistic, Emotional, Humorous, Passionate, A Multitasker, Feisty, Beautiful and Strong…
I am honored to be #LikeAGirl any day.
Rant over.
Love and Girl Power,
Taylor