Do we limit girls and tell them what they should or shouldn’t be? Do we box them into expected roles?
Being a girl always had its challenges. People expect us to behave in a certain way, to do certain things and not do others, and like that girls become limited. Sometimes, we can’t even think outside the box because society has set the boundaries since we were babies.
Looking at ourselves, as mature women, we now understand how important it is not to tell a girl that there’s something she can’t do. We now understand that if you build a strong confidence in our own power when we are small, we will become incredible women who will know that they can do anything if they want to. Women should be allowed to discover their own limits, the ones they put after they tried and discovered what they like, what they can and what they can’t do.
It’s always the boys who rescue the girls in the stories. But girls can be brave and girls can rescue people too. – Amelia
Somehow, over time, “like a girl” became a negative way of acting. Now, for many people, “like a girl” means a bad thing: “You throw like a girl!” “You fight like a girl!” etc. So, like that, the message becomes “like a girl is wrong”! Well, as a girl’s mom, I wouldn’t want my daughter to ever feel that there’s something she can’t be, achieve or desire just because she is a girl. Our role as women, as mothers, is to build a good foundation for our girls and boys, to boost their confidence since they can barely walk, so they’ll know that they can achieve anything they’ve set their minds on. More important, all children must be educated to respect one another and to know that they have no limitations based on their gender.
Yes, I kick like a girl, I swim like a girl, I walk like a girl and I wake up in the morning like a girl, cause’ I am a girl! …and that’s something that I shouldn’t be ashamed off.
A year ago ALWAYS launched the #likeagirl campaign dedicated especially to young girls and based on the sad discovery that 72% of the girls questioned feel like society limits them in a way or another. Their amazingly honest answers and reactions will blow your mind and you’ll make you notice things you haven’t “seen” until now. Using the phrase “like a girl” as an insult leaves marks on a young girl’s confidence that we barely observe at the right time.
It was these 2 videos that made me once more understand how easily we brake a child’s wings and how important it is for society to start changing the attitude towards women that was ingrained over time. And since society includes us too, we should start becoming the change we want to see in the world. The way to change the future of the world begins with early education. By raising our kids better, we make a better world. As parents, we should raise our kids with care about their own needs, with respect for other human beings, no matter where they were born, the color of their skin or their gender. We should learn from the mistakes made before and do better when we have the chance.
I’m an optimistic girl, so I still believe that even though we have come a long way, there’s still a lot more to acknowledge and change. How else we can evolve if we don’t unleash our full potential?
Watch, share the story and empower girls everywhere to live life #likeagirl…
