There’s a campaign out there: “#LikeAGirl.” The aim? To eliminate negativity against girls.
Think about someone telling you that you hit “like a girl,” or you throw “like a girl,” or you run “like a girl,” or you think “like a girl.” Is this a good thing? A spunky young girl is asked this in a brief video segment found here ( http://knowmore.tv/family-2/why-is-likeagirl-an-insult-it-has-to-stop/86461 ), and with the poise of confidence and innocence responded, “I actually don’t know . . . if it’s a good thing or a bad thing,” answering as if she can’t imagine why anyone would consider saying it negatively. The negativity seems to simply not be part of her world. She looks to be about 10 or 11 years old. What will she think about “like a girl” next year, when puberty hits? I believe it will depend a great deal on whether she hears this with the negative connotation or with the positive.
KnowMore’s parenting expert Dr. Robyn Silverman said, “Much of society has equated ‘like a girl’ to being weak or less than. This is not a ‘girl problem,’ but rather, a ‘societal problem’ that must be addressed if we are to see our girls truly succeed.”
Silverman continues with, “A campaign that asks us to recognize our mistake of defining ‘like a girl’ in a negative way and then proposes that we reassign positive terms to the phrase is asking for important societal change. Only when society sees the true value of being a girl can the girls see the true value in themselves.” And, I’d like to add, see the true value of the traditional and the groundbreaking paths she pursues, and everything (appropriate) in between.
Can you imagine the effect of such a campaign succeeding to the point that girls—young, middle-age, and old, across the board—respond with the prevailing thought that “like a girl” has certainly got to be a tremendous compliment.
What will seeing “our girls truly succeed” look like? Empowering. Legitimate. Entirely full of capability. Gifted. Of utmost value.
Some girls already know what it looks like because they were exposed to the idea that girls and women are masterpieces in their own right. There was never a question in their soul and/or in their environment that told them otherwise.
I recognize that there are boys and men who are told to question their worth as well, but not to the degree to which girls and women are confronted—pervasive objectification and negative verbalization, etc.
#LikeAGirl. This campaign is purposing to make this a phrase equated with the magnificence of girls and women. Let’s wipe out the negativity. We’re above this! And the next time someone says, “You ________________ like a girl,” tell them, “Thank You!”
Think about someone telling you that you hit “like a girl,” or you throw “like a girl,” or you run “like a girl,” or you think “like a girl.” Is this a good thing? A spunky young girl is asked this in a brief video segment found here ( http://knowmore.tv/family-2/why-is-likeagirl-an-insult-it-has-to-stop/86461 ), and with the poise of confidence and innocence responded, “I actually don’t know . . . if it’s a good thing or a bad thing,” answering as if she can’t imagine why anyone would consider saying it negatively. The negativity seems to simply not be part of her world. She looks to be about 10 or 11 years old. What will she think about “like a girl” next year, when puberty hits? I believe it will depend a great deal on whether she hears this with the negative connotation or with the positive.
KnowMore’s parenting expert Dr. Robyn Silverman said, “Much of society has equated ‘like a girl’ to being weak or less than. This is not a ‘girl problem,’ but rather, a ‘societal problem’ that must be addressed if we are to see our girls truly succeed.”
Silverman continues with, “A campaign that asks us to recognize our mistake of defining ‘like a girl’ in a negative way and then proposes that we reassign positive terms to the phrase is asking for important societal change. Only when society sees the true value of being a girl can the girls see the true value in themselves.” And, I’d like to add, see the true value of the traditional and the groundbreaking paths she pursues, and everything (appropriate) in between.
Can you imagine the effect of such a campaign succeeding to the point that girls—young, middle-age, and old, across the board—respond with the prevailing thought that “like a girl” has certainly got to be a tremendous compliment.
What will seeing “our girls truly succeed” look like? Empowering. Legitimate. Entirely full of capability. Gifted. Of utmost value.
Some girls already know what it looks like because they were exposed to the idea that girls and women are masterpieces in their own right. There was never a question in their soul and/or in their environment that told them otherwise.
I recognize that there are boys and men who are told to question their worth as well, but not to the degree to which girls and women are confronted—pervasive objectification and negative verbalization, etc.
#LikeAGirl. This campaign is purposing to make this a phrase equated with the magnificence of girls and women. Let’s wipe out the negativity. We’re above this! And the next time someone says, “You ________________ like a girl,” tell them, “Thank You!”