“You throw like a girl.” “You run like a girl.” “You’re only a girl.” These words are said every day to young women and little girls by not only siblings, but by peers everywhere. They are said with demeaning intentions to make you feel lesser for the gender you are. But I say, what’s wrong with being female? Doesn’t that make you stronger? It was fifth grade when, at lunch one day, a couple of my softball teammates and friends walked onto the grass field at our elementary school to a group of boys in our grade and above, and asked if we could play their game of baseball with them. The boys gave each other looks of amusement and confusion, most likely thinking, “Are these girls serious? Wanting to play ball with us?” And had they said it …show more content…
So the game ended and us girls beat them. They were pouting and mumbling false words about cheating and how they “Took it easy,” on us girls. But really, we all knew that the game was fair in every way, and that being a girl wasn’t in any way a measure of strength and will. Us girls all walked off of the field that day and into our classrooms knowing that because we are girls, we can do anything and everything. These types of experiences only empower us to prove everyone wrong about their stereotype that mental and physical strength is made lesser because of simple anatomy. From that day on, I never let my brother or any male or female ever tell me how being a girl puts me at some disadvantage. And I implore you to do the same. If you are a young woman and have ever been told that because you are a girl you can’t do something as efficiently or do something altogether, dig deep and prove them wrong. Get up into that batter’s box, and hit a grand slam, because you know in your heart and in your head that you are just as good as anyone else on that field. So now, every time someone, of opposite sex or the same sex, says to me, “You throw like a girl,” I turn to them and answer proudly, “Thanks! Don’t you wish you did
When women are put up on the high pedestal society puts them on, then they are unable to do anything and cannot succeed or accomplish anything in life from so high up. For example, when you think hear the phrase “run like a girl” or “throw like a girl”, how would you act it out? Almost anyone who hears that phrase takes it as a negative connotation. Why can’t “run like a girl” mean win the race? Humanity’s vision on the phrase “like a girl” means you are weak and not as good.
I observed the basketball championship game in McCarthy center and, while sporting events are mostly seen as a male-dominated activity, I saw more girls in the audience than boys. I, myself, got up at six in the morning to wait in line to get a spot to watch the game. This breaks the stereotype that girls are uninterested in sports. However, after the devastating loss, most people went back to their gendered stereotypes. I, along with the girls around me, were crying at the heartbreaking finale, while some boys in CM took to breaking things in the halls. This alines with the gender stereotypes that women are more emotional and men are more violent. While I do believe that we, as a society, are moving away from suffocating gendered stereotypes, there are some that we still preform subconsciously. The younger generations are moving forward with making gender non-conformity the new normal, however, we are far from ending the fight to break gendered
Before we told our daughters that they could be anyone, or anything they wanted to be, we told them that they could only be what was acceptable for women to be, and that they could only do things that were considered "ladylike." It was at this time, when the nation was frenzied with the business of war, that the women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League decided that they could do and be whatever it was that they chose. These women broke free of the limitations that their family and society had set for them, and publicly broke into what had been an exclusively male sport up until that time.
And when our team lost he was disappointed and really showed, so I thought that was normal activity, but I know now that it is just a game and am now teaching my son that it is ok to loose but having fun is the main goal. And lastly, and one of the most important things that I would say helped me with my gender identity was that growing up boys were the ‘’tough’’ ones and the girls were the ‘’weak’’ ones of course now that I am older I know that this untrue and that some girls are in fact stronger than some guys. Even though now that I think about it I and how wrong I really was I just laugh about it because we were kids and it was only the perception of other kids that influenced me.
We had to compete in a dreaded lip syncing contest and a bean bag tournament. Even though we thought it was going to be embarrassing, the lip syncing contest turned out to be the best event of the night. The night was a total success. From then on, softball was a place you could be yourself. That may be cliche, but I really felt that way. No one judged you (and if they did they kept it to themselves). We were able to goof off and I don’t think anyone would have come out of their shells if we didn’t get up and do something we originally did not want to
All my life I have been labeled. I have been told I was too small and that I could not participate in sports because I was not as strong as boys. I used to sit on the sidelines during gym because I was too afraid I would get labeled for not being good enough. I have missed out on opportunities because I am a girl. Overcoming the stereotype that girls are
It was a warm summer evening and I was on the ride to my softball practice with my mom. She helps out the coach when she can so she went to the field with me to get ready for practice. My entire team was pretty much there so I got my cleats on and started to warm up right away.After I was done warming up, I played catch with one of my teammates to loosen my arm.
Girls who play sports have an example of how they’re supposed to do something. Most people across the country think men are more skillful than women. According to my classmate Nick, “girls are underrated by boys, when boys are just the same.” I think the more examples the better because you can learn more and the more you learn the better you get at the game you play. This proves that girls who play sports have an example of how they are supposed to do something by watching TV.
In the film “She’s the Man,” Viola is a talented soccer player whose high school has just cut the women’s soccer team. As a result, her and her teammates immediately ask the coach of the boy’s soccer team if they can tryout for their team. When the coach laughs at her question, she says, “Coach, c’mon! You know that we’re good enough!” He then replies back with “you’re all excellent players, but girls aren’t as fast as boys, or strong, or as athletic. It’s not me talking. It’s scientific fact. Girls can’t beat boys. It’s as simple as that.” At this moment, a few boys from the team walk in to join the conversation. When the coach tells them that the girls want to join the team, the boys all break out in laughter.
In boy’s football, boys can grab their opponent’s chest to push them back. If girls were to play with boys, boys could not be able to push back girls without being called out for being “unmannered”. Boys are generally also bigger, heavier, and taller than women. When it comes to sports such as football, men naturally have the upper hand. To make the game equal, there would have to be a whole new set of rules on what boys can and cannot do. Even so, many schools still implement co-ed teams, saying that girls should be able to play with boys and that it is false to say that girls cannot compete with boys on an athletic level. They also claim that putting boys and girls on the same team promotes gender-diversity and equality, whilst also
The sports world has been a new area where women are recognized. In previous times women’s sports were almost non-existent. In schools many girl teams did not receive adequate funds for uniforms and equipment. Boys sports were much more popular, such as football or basketball. If a girl wanted to play a guy sport she would be labeled as a
Through the movies viewed in this course this semester, we saw women who were able to play against men and still keep their femininity. Nothing is lost when playing sports not traditionally meant for a particular race or gender. Society must become more understanding when it comes to the sports different types of people play and hinder from stereotyping anyone when they participate and perform well in that sport.
Some girls, like me have played a “boys” sport. Boys always told me I am not good enough to play. “Girls can’t carry the same weight as males” (Collins). I played on a co-ed team for about four years, and I wasn’t the best. Since we could walk, my dad would take my sisters and I out on the ice before or after his games. He would take us around the rink for a skate. Where I live there isn’t much hockey; no one knew about it. But now our community has a brand new rink,
"You're such a girl!" is something we hear quite often. But we don't exactly analyze its importance. Every man or women act and behave differently, and that is because of gender roles, "instructions for how to behave and appear as a woman or man (Wade and Ferree 2015; 61). We all "do gender", the ways in which we actively obey and break the gender rules of our society." (Wade and Ferree 2015; 61). We don't always obey these rules and regulation, we're all humans, and we all make mistakes, but it's other peoples reaction what's most interesting about breaking them. Once we break these rules, there is something known as gender policing, "responses to the violations of gender rules aimed at promoting conformity. (Wade and Ferree 2015; 71).
However, all my hopes of winning were crushed when he replied, “No.” Confused and a little angry, I asked him why. He crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air, “Girls aren’t any good at sports! You’d only bring us down.” And with that, he left to go join his team. Fuming with anger, I went to the opposite side. I’d show him.