as a girl
it frustrates me; being a girl. you may be wondering why. well dear reader, youâre in luck, as I am just about to tell you. my frustration is not triggered by the fact I am a girl⌠but rather how I am treated because of it. while having a conversation with a male, while being completely engaged and articulate, he felt the need to stop me mid sentence, just so he could point out the âunnaturalâ facial hair upon my upper lip that I apparently, âhad to get removedâ. I composed myself however, forced out a disheartened chuckle and went about my day. but upon walking through my front door that afternoon, I cried to my mother- telling her to âtake it of, take it offâ⌠something I did not feel the need to concern myself with, has now become one of my biggest insecurities as, evidently, the words that pass my lips do not matter, but something as human as the small hairs above them, do. as a girl, I am expected to be sweet and bubbly. I am expected to be a constant ray of sunshine- all smiles and giggles. I am expected to uphold this act without excuses. so when I sit in a coffee shop and begin to write, engrossed in words that begin to pour out of me, a man feels the need to tap me on the shoulder simply to tell me to âsmile, because Iâd look prettier without such a harsh expressionâ. and of course, I do. give him a grandiose grin, before he walks off⌠my body is looked at, judged, and rated, on a regular basis throughout my school day. they think I donât see them, they think I donât hear them⌠but I do. and as a girl, it seems I do not deserve kind words delivered to me face to face. no. as a girl, I must simply have to make do with numbers out of ten I hear directed at me, followed by a whistle, as I walk past a group of boys. they have no trouble looking at my body how they want, treating my body how they want, but anything natural that comes with it is is seen as quite the opposite.
unnatural.
if I have a bad day, I must be PMS-ing. when Iâm on my period, Iâm seen as disgusting. If I wear makeup, Iâm seen as fake. when I donât wear any, Iâm told I should. I am told to love my body, yet am given âtips and tricksâ on how to change it by losing weight. my bushy eyebrows prove that I am untidy, and my teenage skin implies that I am not beautiful. as a girl, I can never win. there is always something I have to do, I have to be, I have to say. I can never be content with my natural self. why? because as a girl, society has influenced me not to be.
