"Girls" according to Google

            The google search of “girls” shows an interesting range of ideas and images associated with the term “girl” in our society today. Links associated with “little girls” of elementary and middle school age and their interests can also be found in the same search results as links to a recently popular television show depicting the lives of “girls” in their 20’s living in New York. Even more shocking is the inclusion of links to sites for the “World’s Sexiest Girls” and maxim.com. These very differing results and their implications of the term “girl” show how broad its definition is and how it can be interpreted in different ways.

            It seems to me that society puts pressure on boys to become men and leave their childhood behind, but for girls it’s acceptable to be in your 20s or older and still be referred to/refer to yourself as a girl. As mentioned in other posts, when a google search of “boys” is performed, almost all of the results are related to the definition of a boy as a young male who has not yet reached the age of puberty. Girlhood seems to be viewed as a period of life with a very flexible time span. There is no rush to transition from “girl” to “woman” in the fear of being viewed as less feminine. Boyhood, on the other hand, seems to be a period of life reserved to young males who have not yet developed the physical and mental qualities necessary to be considered truly masculine.