You Play Ball Like a Girl

I have an issue with the word Girl. I have an issue with it because, no matter how old I get I still am constantly referred to as a girl. When will I become a woman? When I was little I was a girl, when I was 15 I was a girl, and now that I am 20 I am still called a girl. However, its more the image I get with the word that annoys me. I picture Ham Porter in Sandlot shouting, “You play ball like a girl!” As everyone stands around in shock, tacking in how offensive the comment was. What is wrong with the term girl? It’s socially stigmatized as being less than being a boy.

            Automatically when you think of girl you see pink, dresses and flowers. When you think boy you see trucks, dirt and blue. This is because our society is ingrained with stereotypes. Unfortunately, girls get the short end of the stick. Our stereotypes are princesses and damsels in distress, while boys are the knights in shining armor.  Why can’t girls save the day and defeat the dragon? Because, our society tells us we are weaker than boys. When you are born you are either a girl in a pink blanket or a boy in a blue one. How can we see anything else when we hear girl when it is ingrained in our minds from birth?  I am sick of being called a girl, because I am not one. I am a woman, and if we want to go into detail I am a strong woman, not a weak girl. I play ball like a woman, and I play well.