Am I not allowed?
To love cute skirts and wear pink dresses
To use perfume and dye my tresses
To paint my nails and read romance
To watch dramas and learn ball dance
Without once being labelled
A girly girl with my head in the clouds
A dumb blonde with no more dreams
Than to marry a noble rich prince
Am I not allowed?
*
She hangs back, uncertain, not willing to participate. They've got the girl pushed up against her locker, like vultures cornering their prey. The girl is quiet, her head low, and doesn't talk back, even when she gets pushed violently in the shoulder.
Why doesn't she fight back?
They turn to her. Come join, they say, their voices soft and persuasive. She deserves it, they say. Didn't you see her talking to your boyfriend yesterday? While wearing make-up and a skirt? It's clear she's got the hots for him. Why else would she approach him? You believe her when she says she's just asking homework? While dressed in a skirt?
Watch out for this slut, they laugh, she's after your man.
Still she hesitates. Then she walks close. Half-heartedly she pushes the girl's books to the ground. They cheer and she says, consider this a warning.
The people around barely look.
After all, this is just another girl thing.
*
Am I not allowed?
To wear the latest fashion trends
To on my clothes my money spends
To have a healthy self-esteem
To pull off a look no one has seen
To walk with pride and my head held high
Without once being labelled
As an arrogant chick who thinks she's queen bee
Who'll twist her high heels in your knee
Who looks at every other girl with contempt
Am I not allowed?
*
She wants to be one of the guys. She wants to be one of them, the girl with no girlfriends and a whole group of guy friends. She wants to stand out from the other typical girls, she wants to get picked to be one of the guys.
So she cuts her hair short, and proclaims her disdain for Korean dramas. Yes, I'm a huge soccer fan she says, and I game all night! She starts insulting girls who like to shop and trashes all her skirts, buying shorts instead. She bins all her make-up, even the acne cream, because guys don't use that. She starts hanging out with guys, because they have less drama. She rolls her eyes when she sees girls giggling over a particular handsome celebrity.
She doesn't have time for all that. She doesn't do all that stuff.
Because she's one of the guys now.
And as the other girls talk and bond over their interests, she eyes them with contempt. Girly girls with brains of fluff she says.
Just another girl thing.
*
You ignore the pain
That shoots through your sides
That craves through your heart
That manifests itself
As the sneering
The insulting
The jeering and the mocking
The catfights
The hair-pullings
"Slut", "Whore" - the name-calling
You can no longer talk to him
Your good friend your bestie
Your childhood companion
Your shoulder to cry on
Because now she sees it as
A threat
An advance
A petty attempt to steal
What now belongs to her
A smile
A laugh
A prettier-than-usual dress
Equates to
Flirting
Seducing
A slut's signature move
You walk home
Alone
New scars add on to old
You know
Tomorrow
New wounds will soon appear
What has happen to you
Eve's generation
Eve's blood and
Eve's kin
To fight among yourselves
To rupture from within?
You pull out the knife
Feel the cold blade on your wrist
Feel the pain that has passed
And the pain that will come
Will they care?
Will they know?
Will they mourn for your loss?
You know the answer
You know what they will say
You know what they will brush it off as -
Just another girl thing.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Just to clarify a few things about this particular chapter - it's not part of the novel, but it is important enough to earn its spot here. I have written this in response to the #GirlLove challenge, which aims to stop girl-on-girl hate.
Seriously folks, we have to stop looking at every other girl with wary eyes. The fact that she wears make-up to gym doesn't mean she's an attention seeker, maybe it just means she likes to use that particular eyeliner! The same with those who like skirts. If a girl can like jeans why can't she like skirts? So she might not be as tomboy as you. So she prefers watching romance and chasing entertainment news. So she follows the Kardashians. So what?
It doesn't mean she looks down on you. It doesn't mean all she wants is to get into another guy's pants. It doesn't mean she's the obstacle to your success in life! As girls we should bond together and help each other, instead of scrambling and stomping over one another as we strive to climb up the social ladder.
And then there's those girls who try so hard to dissociate themselves from girls. There's nothing wrong with loving to game and loving sports and loving all those so-called male stuff, BUT it's not right when you start faking it. It's not right when you use it as an excuse to say "Look at me! I am SO not your typical feminine girl! So let's push down and discriminate against all these other girls - because they're just so girly!" You're a tomboy - nothing wrong with that. But please do not bully those who happen to be more to the feminine side.
Take a look at Sheryl Sandberg for example. I have to say that she is my model for women empowerment. I've read her book "Lean In" and it was really eye-opening. It's time women start sitting at the table, and most importantly, see that there is room for all women at the table. You don't need to fight for your space. Hey, worse comes to worse we'll just build a bigger table!
So remember - it's time we girls stop fighting against each other, and fight back against the bigger issues. Stop the hate, spread the love.
Now I need to tag five friends, and they are as below. Please support this movement as much as you can! You don't even need to do what I just did - if you're too busy you can just add the tag or sticker to any one of your books. Do check out "The #GirlLove Challenge" book for more details. Thanks a lot guys!
1. sheenyee33
2. TabbyMax
5. JazziBear33
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How About Seven? ✔
Action[ 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 #44 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 ] -- It's an oft-quoted quote, and I'm sure you guys have heard of it. Two's company and three's a crowd. But I just can't help thinking . . . How about seven then? Every family has their own dram...
