Purple's My Favorite Color!

Girls

So this is a rant.

Society is a weird thing. They form unrealistic expectations, then get frustrated when they can't reach said expectations. It's the result of having too many conflicted ideas and philosophies all inhabiting this one land, our planet Earth. Because in such circumstances, the only way to thrive is to listen to and support the ideologies of the masses. But what happens if you don't?

I've also realised that we human beings tend to generalise things far too much, instead of paying attention to the fine details that make each one of us unique from one another. Having said that, this is where stereotypes come into play. We've managed to ignorantly lump detailed, complex individuals under one huge, ill-fitting label that cannot be used to fully describe an individual, but yet is used in that sense anyway. To illustrate, I will be using high school stereotypes, as that is what I'm most conversant with:

The Jock
Incredibly athletic
Ranges from downright stupid to averagely intelligent
Is most likely a playboy
Sees sport as larger than life
Has probably had three or more girlfriends
Is most definitely not a virgin
A bully

The Cheerleader
Most likely blonde
Bitchy
Obsessed with appearance, fashion, social media and boys
Is an airhead
Ranges from downright stupid to averagely intelligent
A bully
Annoyingly petty....

Wait a minute. I'm getting carried away. Sorry.

Between boys and girls, girls are the ones more affected by stereotypes. Picture our average girl. Loves everything pink. Adores fashion. Cares too much about superficial things. Can never be interested in things such as trap music, video games and anime. Loves skirts, dresses and is a sucker for all the latest fashion trends. Loves heels. Gives boys confusing signals. Overly soft and sensitive, and will cry if a bee stings her. Overly petty, too.

Ah yes. This was the best way the human race could decipher the female subspecies of the Homo sapiens. 

Thanks to centuries of stereotyping and its associated problems, women all over the world have struggled, and are still struggling, to break this superficial view of the female subspecies, but to no avail. Whether we know it or not, each one of us girls is struggling not to conform to such stereotypes. We all don't want to be "like other girls", so in our attempt to prove ourselves, we subconsciously deny ourselves of some of the things we love as girls.

Take me, for example. I don't want to be classified under a stereotype. I don't want to be like other girls. That aside, let me describe myself. I love anime and video games. I love the colour black. I couldn't care less about the latest celebrity gossip, who the cutest boy is, or about fashion trends. I really don't give much thought to my appearance. I don't cry easily. I hate heels.

But I have nothing against skirts. I hate poofy dresses, but casual dresses aren't so bad (I don't own any dress or skirt at the moment though). I am a sensitive person, so things can get to me. And they do sometimes. In fact, even my skin is sensitive. I like to do my hair and my nails (I don't fix acrylic nails and I never will). I love the colour pink. I certainly wouldn't want everything of mine to be drowned in pink (nobody would. That's stupid) but it does have a way of brightening things up, and it does go well with black. And I do care about my appearance to a certain extent.

If I'm being honest with myself, I try to deny most, if not all of the  stereotypical "girly" stuff about me, just so I don't conform to the stereotype. If someone asked me whether I liked skirts, I would say no. I sometimes pretend I couldn't care less if I looked like a frog or an over pampered princess. I love pink, but I would never admit it to anyone. 

I know I'm not the only one who lies to herself so that she wouldn't be "like all the other girls". But you know what? Don't be afraid to be yourself. Forget all about whether you're like other girls or not. You're too unique to be like the next girl. We're all too unique to be like one another. So don't bother about stereotypes. Do what you want. If you love fashion and the latest celebrity gossip, go for it! (Although it is a bad idea to pry into people's private lives, celebrity or no). 

Whether you prefer heels or sneakers, rock it the way only you can. If you have an eye for cute boys, don't hide it. Drool and fangirl all you want. Whether or not you like anime or video games, it doesn't matter. You'll never gain anything from trying to turn yourself into someone you're not.

If we're going to fight against stereotypes, we might as well do that without creating new ones. In this fight, the only way to break the rules is to follow them. 

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Author's Note (which I needed to separate since it isn't part of the rant)

All the stereotypes I described are merely caricatures of real stereotypes. This does not apply in real life. Any people you may meet displaying such traits is purely coincidental. Hehe. 

Tag anyone whom you think needs to read this here ;)