I Know I’m a Girl, but I Want to Climb Trees Too!

I learned I was a girl because when I looked at my mother, I looked like her. As a result, boys were people who did not look like she or me, but like he—my father.  As I went through school, I began to realize that girls and boys were supposed to behave a certain way.  For instance, girls were people who wore pink dresses with bows and liked to play with dolls and dance.  They wore pantyhose’s and had ruffle socks, and carried around a purse to put things in.  Boys were people who wore blue and red, and wore pants or suspenders.   They played outside, climbed trees, and got to play sports and wear bow-ties when they went to church.  Now, that’s all fine and dandy but soon that description is not enough and it becomes a bit harder to describe who a girl is and how they differ from boys based on looks and characteristics alone.  I’ve always wondered who made these rules, and what happened if you broke them. Regardless of what I thought, these images were constantly being embedded into my head with countless advertisements and commercials being pushed by the media. Even Phil and Lil were differentiated by the color shoes they were and of course Lil’s bow in her hair.

From as early as I can remember, the signs were all there telling me I was a girl. Pictures I would look at showed me in dresses, with bows holding the curls in my hair.  I was in dance recitals, with long flowy skirts or at church with purses that matched my brand new Mary Jane’s holding in my perfectly folded ruffle socks. But there was only one problem. I knew then, that I was more than that! I wanted to play sports and wear pants to parties.  Even now, I envy how comfortable the men look at work in their shoes and slacks. I can’t blame my parents; they were just doing what they thought they were supposed to. All the advertisements made it easy. At the time, it was understood that for girls, you get them easy bake ovens and my little ponies.  Barbie dolls and hair accessories. Growing up, books by the Baby Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High confirmed this. It’s a good thing I came across The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Pippi Longstocking because I was exposed to a different image.

I’m constantly faced with this juxtaposition and having to prove myself to other people that I can do what the boys do—and sometimes better! I was never the girl with a bunch of female friends screaming and falling over guys when they walked by.  My family knew this and yet they still fell victim to the advertisements. It’s amazing the power of advertisements. For Christmas, I got jewelry, sweaters, dolls upon dolls, purses and dresses. My brothers, got the usually socks and underwear’s, but then they would get basketballs, Nerf guns, pairs of skates, and even a pair of Jordan’s from time to time. It’s like the communication was different. Didn’t they know I was on 2 basketball teams, 3 softball teams, 2 dance teams, and participated in the National Youths Sports Program every summer! Guess Not.

Recently I saw two commercials by Verizon for the Droid LTE. In it they show how a son and father communicate their feelings for each other in few words expressing how they will miss each other and the son goes away to what is presumably college  eventually saying they love each other with an elbow nudge.  The other commercial shows a mother and daughter with the same premise, except their form of communication is by CRYING! Whaat! I understand that this may be a way to highlight the empty nest syndrome but it really made me wish I knew how to put together a commercial to show women with more backbone than that. I went away several times, and each time my mother and I were cool. The crying came when I was already gone and realized I was alone.  And that was enhanced by the fact that my regular routine no longer existed.

I wonder, what makes a good commercial? Is it one that enhances the stereotypes or goes against it? I can only speak to my truths and no else’s, but it does make me think.

Images courtesy of:

• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RRibSauqpBo/T49iDX2DIfI/AAAAAAAABP4/w2pfOb83JcQ/s1600/boy_or_girl.jpg
• http://www.rugratonline.com/phillil.jpg
• http://www.funnyphotos.net.au/images/little-girls-with-pink-clothes-and-toys-and-everyt1.jpg
• http://images.suite101.com/547662_com_45kidgifts.jpg

Videos Courtesy of:

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNIsjZBnRR8
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utfpi5AATK8&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t-TB3-nuXI&feature=related