If you tell Lauren Greenfield that she runs or fights or talks "like a girl," she'll probably say thank you. After all, she is responsible for the fact that over 13 million people are now reconsidering what that phrase really means.The subject at hand is a PSA that asks people - including young girls - to perform various actions "like a girl". While older people of both sexes demonstrated stereotypes when asked to run or throw or fight like a girl, younger girls performed the actions in (for want of a better term) a normal manner.
So, how shall I teach my daughter to:
Run like a girl:
Florence Griffith Joyner (1959 - 1998); fastest woman in the world |
Fight like a girl:
SGT Leigh Ann Hester, USA. Silver Star, Iraq, June 2005 |
Drive like a girl:
Shirley Muldowney, "First Lady of Drag Racing" |
Fly like a girl:
Hazel Ying Lee, first Chinese-American woman pilot, later WAAF |
Do math and science like a girl:
Dr. Chien-Shiun Wu, "First Lady of Physics" |
Lead like a girl:
Elizabeth I |
Show courage like a girl:
Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize 1991 |
And, OF COURSE, shoot like a girl:
Excellent! An excellent post indeed!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWhat is sad is when you do act like a strong woman than they call you the B word or bossy!
ReplyDeleteThat's true. I suggest two causes:
Delete1. Cultural norm / stereotype that, as you say, means that "strong woman" = "b!tch"
2. Different communication styles between the sexes
I saw that video this morning and love your response to it. "Run like a girl" should not be an insult! There's nothing wrong with being a girl. :)
ReplyDelete