i take pride in being a girl. it takes a lot of balls to be one, in an entirely metaphorical sense. i realize there’s this invisible energy about girls that goes unseen to many parents and males alike. as growing teens we get hassled by our parents who are perpetually scared for our lives. they have constant fears that if we’re out too late on the weekends, we must be prostituting ourselves or we’re at least shagging some random dude.

and of course, we’re never ever allowed to walk anywhere alone at night, and sometimes in the light of a spring afternoon for that matter. we’re much too fragile and vulnerable and unadaptable in any scary situation.

but don’t you see? this makes us all the more resilient. when we’ve constantly been downtrodden and told that we’re inferior and helpless, we overcome. we conquer monthly weeks of period-hell and we manage to realize that certain things like pregnancy are not solely left on the female.

at times growing up when all i had were male friends, i could not help but wish to be anything but a girl. they would tell me that i couldn’t play football because i was too dainty or i didn’t possess the required skills. i’ll admit it — i’m no rough and tough football quarterback. but if they had passed me the ball at my keen age of 10 i would have played my heart out just like one of ‘em tough boys.

certainly, there are undeniable cons to being a girl. as much as we females hate to see it, the burden of blame lies on us when we begin to have sex. such insults like “slut” and “whore” are thrown at you while the equally guilty male party is royally dubbed “stud.” it is a truth that we cannot overcome… just yet. you’d think after a century of democratic bills and passed legistlation that women would finally be looked at equally in everyone’s eyes — in the eyes of christians, asians, or conservatives we are still considered a weak people. as long as we have these differing groups with differing views, women will be treated unfairly and differently than the upheld male status-quo.

although i am openminded to many things, i do not see this change coming anytime soon. little by little girls are beginning to be looked at equally as their male counterparts. but will we ever be the same and abide by the same moral values? i doubt it. not until we all become machines and moral relativism will be put to an end.

the likelihood of that happening anytime while i’m still alive seems slim. so i’m content now with just enduring the hardships of being the stereotypical bubbly girl and proving to both family and friends that i can do some serious damage to the social generalizations.