Flowering

Act Like a Girl

The first thing a young girl is taught is to act like a girl. Be lady-like, whatever that means. Society plants into young minds that girls should be classy because that's how Barbie and princesses act. But society's version of class for women just means staying calm, even when anger is bubbling inside of you. Biting your tongue when talked down on because talking back is forbidden. Society teaches us to be people pleasers, trained to look discomfort in the eye and embrace it, because sacrificing our boundaries at the expense of a man's comfort is just part of the journey. Keep your head low when the grownups are talking, because you're never really going to be treated like a grownup even when you've literally grown up. Never expect to be taken seriously because you won't. Don't think about what you think your needs are, they're not important. Society tells us to be a good girl. A good girl is polite, kind, and supportive. Which is just another way of phrasing: a good girl never says no, is always smiling, and is submissive. You don't want to be the girl they tell to smile more, do you? You don't want to be under their radar. So, turn that frown upside down if you know what's good for you. Because if something happens to you, that's all on you. Don't even bother speaking up because everyone knows you'll only have yourself to blame. Good girls take accountability. This is what society defines as class. But no. Society is brainwashed by the patriarchy, and I want to rip its roots out. Tell society to stop planting the same misogynistic seeds in young minds. Re-evaluate their definitions of what's good and what's bad. Redefine what they think lady-like means. Because I for one, have already ripped society's lady-like bible to shreds. Detached myself from the vines that once trapped me. I will proudly be loud and speak up when needed. And if met with pushback, I'll simply speak louder. Shining that toothy grin they always ask for, except this smile infuriates them because it's not the smile they asked for. I'll demand respect in spaces I'm disrespected in and confidently voice out my needs. We all need sun and water to grow, how does being a girl make my needs any different? I'll no longer wilt in shame when society overwhelms me with blame. I'll heal my inner child when I plant the seed that tells her what happened to her wasn't her fault. Yeah, I'll act like a girl, and be lady-like. But these words have officially been reconstructed. Let me teach you how to really act like a girl.