Member-only story
Am I part of the problem with feminism?
How my goal to be “one of the boys” was doing more harm than good for women.
If you were to describe my interests, they would be categorized as masculine. I like weight lifting, video games, and until a few months ago, drinking beers with my friends. As a total “daddy’s girl” and older sister, I think I gravitated towards those interests because my father was my hero and I wanted to protect my little brother.
As a child, we’re taught certain expectations. The girl is always the little princess, the damsel in distress, while the boy is the adventurer, the protector of the weak. It just resonated more with me to take on the typical boy role; I didn’t want to be seen as weak. I even went as far as making my brother be the damsel and I’d save him from various villains when we’d play outside. I would spend more time hanging with boys and would be equally avoidant of other women. I just wanted to one of the boys.
Let’s cut that out right now. You can be a female AND be strong. We’re just as capable as men and we need to start seeing the benefits, me especially. Here are some of the things I learned when I stopped isolating myself from other women and started making female friends.
