By taking one look at this blog, one could guess that I really embrace my feminine side, however, that has not always been the case. I spent a lot of time in high school, college, and even a little bit after suppressing that part of me to appear low maintenance. Why? I think that as girls and young women, we are told that being passionate is “too much” or wanting to look and feel our best is too “girlie” and “high maintenance”. That strongly embracing those characteristics is less desirable. Of course, this societal pressure is deeply rooted in misogyny, however, today is not the day to unpack that. What I will say is that, as a millennial, I am glad to see the rise of “girlhood” currently taking over. Whether it’s celebrating girl dinner, embracing fancy and fruity cocktails, being silly with your friends, or wearing the flashiest outfit imaginable while rocking to Taylor Swift and swapping friendship bracelets. I LOVE seeing people embrace their girlhood.
When thinking about what girlhood means to me. I can’t help but think about the show Parks and Recreation (yes we are a Parks and Rec stan page) and the episode when Donna and Tom take Ben to Treat Yo Self day. They were truly the OG’s at celebrating girlhood and in the episode, they open that invitation to Ben who is their very tightly wound and nerdy boss. Through the episode we realize that he is really just a guy who is sad about his breakup, and he only begins to feel better when he embraces the day and treats himself to a full replica Batman costume. With that in mind, what girl hood means to me is simply embracing who you are and doing things that make you happy. It’s about celebrating the different versions of you, both past and present.
Now this is simply my own view on what it means to me. The great thing about the concept of girlhood is that it can mean whatever you want as long as you are honoring yourself. Remember, Barbie wasn’t just Barbie, Barbie was an astronaut, the president, a doctor, a park ranger, a scientist, a baseball player, a ballerina, and so much more. For me personally, being a Barbie girl growing up, my barbie was always a princess. Now? My barbie is still a princess, but she is also a scholar, an artist, an educator, and an outdoor adventurer.
An important thing to note about this is that girlhood also means accepting and celebrating others. You can’t have the space for girlhood if you don’t feel safe being exactly who you are, which means it is our responsibility to create welcoming and inclusive spaces for each other, just like Tom and Donna created that space for Ben. In education, research tells us that if someone feels that their identity is accepted and supported and that their environment is safe, they are more likely to be successful. Having spend much of my time in grad school researching identity and success, I believe that it doesn’t just ring true in education but that it also translates into our workplaces and relationships as well.
So in true girlhood fashion, I would encourage everyone to make the space for each other to celebrate all the different versions of themselves and treat yo self. Growing up, I was the type of girl who loved dresses, played with Barbies, and made outfits for her American Girl dolls, and while I spent quite of bit of time distancing myself from her, I am happy to say because of those around me, I feel closer to her than I ever have!
