Let’s Stop Shaming Women For Being ‘Too Girly’
When did the word "girly" start being used as an insult or considered a degrading thing?
I am a girl who really likes being one. I like “girly” stuff. I like the color pink. I act like a girl and talk like one. I like to wear makeup. I like to talk about topics that might be perceived as “girly.” I like to wear nice clothes, and I like to take the time to style it. My style can be categorized by others as too girly sometimes. I don’t think that liking to wear certain makeup or clothes makes me a superficial person, despite what others might imply. I don’t think that just because I like the color pink and own stuff in this color and like wearing it is something that should make others take me any less seriously.
Throughout my life, I have been called too girly and too feminine, like it’s something that I should be ashamed of. They tell me that I won’t be taken seriously if I look or sound too “girly” and that I need to change in order for people to believe that I can get the job done. However, nobody goes to a guy and tells him to act less manly or talk in a less masculine way. So, why do they keep asking women to be less feminine?
Why do I have to change myself in order for others to take me more seriously? Why do I have to feel ashamed for liking the color pink? When did the word “girly” start being used as an insult or considered a degrading thing?
The minute you walk into the room, if you’re someone who dresses or acts or walks in a way that others consider to be overly girly, people will judge you and build all these assumptions about you. You might even find them dropping sarcastic comments about this, and not only do men do this—you will also find that some women call other girls out for being too girly as well.
I don’t get it. Why are people shaming us? I am not going to change the fact that I love pink or the fact that I like to talk or walk or act in a certain way for others to take me more seriously. I am not going to change myself and try to be less “girly” so that people respect me more. I like who I am, and I think that others should accept this instead of going out there bullying girls like us. I think they are the ones who need to change and leave the stereotype they have regarding anyone who falls under the category of “too girly” in their eyes, because these women are as capable as any other are when it come to going through hardships and getting the job done and to doing anything else they set their mind to.
