#LikeAGirl

I was listening to music on YouTube when I came across this ad. Usually after 5 seconds you have the option to skip the ad, but I couldn't stop watching! Always is a female product brand that embraces the idea of building up women. In their efforts to provide comfort to women during their "time of the month" they back their product with strong messages such as this. #LikeAGirl

As a young adult, the insult of performing a task "like a girl" bares little to no weight. However, as a little girl, being labeled and put down in a social gathering was a big deal. As mentioned in the video, sport settings are the most common way to assume that girls cannot play with as much skill or aggression as boys.

Growing up with an older brother and a jokester of a father, I remember getting offended by this very comment "like a girl". Whether we were throwing a football, shooting some hoops, or kicking a soccer ball, my efforts in returning the ball was automatically a reflection of my gender. Yes, it's true, I am a girl. And I honestly believed that put me at a disadvantage, at least athletically speaking. I always knew I was more book smart then my brother, but that is besides the point.

After watching this video, I wonder if my interest in sports would have been different. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to try an array of activities from gymnastics and tap dancing to soccer, basketball, and volleyball. But each activity separated the boys from the girls. I grew up thinking this divide was because we throw like girls or kick like girls. Later in life, I had this misconception that watching sports on t.v. with female participants was slower and less exciting. I even entered college thinking that intramural groups might be too competitive for me personally. What if... I'm sure if we all took a moment to reflect on our childhood, some distant memory will resonate with a decision made since then.

If I had the chance to go back and talk to my nine-year-old self, I would encourage her to stay active and to be proud to be a girl. I would tell her that one day she would be a babysitter, a tutor, a big sister, and a mentor to other girls her age. And these girls are not going to think you are "like a girl". They are going to look up to you and wish to be a girl like you.

-SB