Malika Bushey

English 06

Tomboys vs. Barbies

Argumentative

10/23/07

I have grown up being the youngest of four siblings. I have two older brothers and an older sister. I have always wanted to be like my older brothers and my older sister by following in their footsteps and trying to be like them all of the time.  Following them made me who I am and the person I have become. I grew up being a tomboy from that because my sister was very much so a tomboy. I never grew up with make-up or wearing dresses. I grew up playing with hot wheels, playing in the mud, and playing every kind of sport. It made it very hard for me in our neighborhood because the other girls just saw me as another “boy” instead of a girl. Being a girl usually consists of playing with Barbies and wearing lots of make-up, but in reality a girl can still play sports, explore the woods, play in the mud, and hang with the boys and be just as much of a girl as anyone else.

            All of the girls in my neighborhood would make fun of me and not let me play games with them. They would make fun of the fact that I was a tomboy and said I wasn’t allowed to play with them ever. I used to go home miserable because I couldn’t play with them, simply because I wasn’t the typical “girlie girl,” yet I was still a girl. In their eyes I was just a girl with a boy mind and because of that they turned me away whenever I would ask to play with them.

            I tried getting into the whole “girlie” norm but it didn’t work for me. I tried ballet and all sorts of stuff but it just didn’t suit me. I ended up quitting ballet for basketball. I tried everything I could think of to be “girlie” but also stayed true to myself; however, I just lost who I was when I tried to be someone I am not.

I am very against the social norm to where girls  have to start little with Barbies and wear “pretend” make-up and live up to a girlie life. I have grown up on Legos and a lot of boy’s toys that one wouldn’t normally see a girl playing with at that young of an age. I was one of the “guys” when I was younger and because of that I didn’t have many friends growing up. I was into action movies, enjoyed getting dirty, and did all of the activities a boy would normally do. In my neighborhood, this behavior was simply not acceptable for a girl.

            One thing that I hate bout being a girl is that it is assumed that getting ready in the morning takes over an hour. This is not the case for me! I take about 30 minutes or less to get ready and be out the door. The stereotypical girl takes 30 minutes to shower, 20 minutes to brush her hair, and another 10 to put on make-up.

            Growing up, other kids would say to me, “You are a girl, but not a real one.” That stuck in my mind forever. I believe that I am a girl even though I am not into girlie stuff. Even though I didn’t play with dolls, I am still a female. I hate that just because I was raised different than others my childhood suffered from it.

            Too many girls think that they have to be very feminine just to fit in with the other girls. I am proud of the way I was raised and I wish girls wouldn’t use Barbies as their icon growing up. A girl can play sports, get dirty, and hang out with the boys and still be very much so a girl.