There are some deeply rooted norms in society, norms that have century or even millennia deep roots. These things are often barely noticeable, half because of how used to them we are. It’s easy for people to misjudge the importance of the little things, though. Something that we spend no time whatsoever thinking about can be incredibly significant. Almost all thoughts are filtered, kept or discarded based on merits that are never questioned, merits fabricated by societies often long past. What I’m saying is, the thoughts that are so basic that the idea to question them never even came to mind are where society’s influence is often found. The things that we do without thinking, our natural disposition, and our tendencies to apply stereotypes, are things that are more acquired habits than actually conscious efforts. Gender stratification is not exactly difficult to notice, and tie to this concept. To the guys reading, when you notice someone about to walk through the same door as you, don’t you check their gender first before deciding whether or not to hold the door open for them? We don’t think, “Hmm, holding this door open would approximately require 5 seconds of my time, and based off of my current mood I may or may not hold this door open, depending on how much effort I may expend”, most guys’ thoughts in this situation aren’t complex enough to feature words; they look and decide, in nearly an instant, with little conscious thought. These are the little ‘mundane’ events that often can provide a lens into how society trains peoples’ brains at a basic level. The concept of doing something ‘like a girl’ being diminutive can be an example of this. Few people who ever hear the phrase bother to seriously consider its implications, as potentially harmful as it may be. -SoarSore789
Yes! Like what you said, there are the very deep roots about gender stratification in our society today from thousands of years ago. We are not even think of them, we act almost automatically. People don’t think which direction to brush their teeth, which side of the pants they wear first, and so what to do in front of the lady or gentlemen. The men just open the door for the lady and the lady just normally accepted it. Imagine the opposite, when you see the lady open the door for the men, many people may laugh or thinks that something wrong going on because it were against our social norms for gender behavior and expectation. Zero789
I really like what you are saying here, and I truly feel that a lot of times when things are referenced in this way, doing something "like a girl", it is not so much out of spite or to be hateful per say, but just because it is normal in society and no one questions it. It is more often just said to be said is what I am trying to get at here. I did not really think about it that way at first, probably because of the emotional approach with this video, but someone had replied to my comment and pointed this out and it was kind of like a different mindset on the situation.White789
You point is spot in. Our minds are filled with these small scripts that pounce on given circumstances within a second. We are taught these....SimplyMe345
We are taught these things. Even the girls were showing humiliating behavior towards other girls. Why is this? I do agree that gender equality is something that we need to work on across the world. I do believe it is far better here in the United States as it is in other countries, but I have delt with this my entire life. Here's an example. When someone finds out I played hockey, they always assume I was a goalie. I was a center and a right wing. I played Varsity as a freshman as the only girl on the team. MommaJ789
When someone says that someone else does something like a girl it sounds bad and humiliating, like one of the girls in the video said. For some reason the image a girl has is automatically weak or inadequate, even if the girl as an individual is not. Why does society as a whole do this? It is really sad to see what young girls go through emotionally during that time, and making them feel bad for being female is definitely not making it any easier, I know from experience. I have always been a girl who prefers to hang out with the guys, even as a young child, so I was kind of used to being picked on for it, but every now and then it would get to me, especially when I started growing up. I really like what the girl in the blue dress had to say, if what you are doing works then keep doing it. She is so right, there is nothing wrong with being a girl! Women can do anything that men can do and they can do it just as well if not better. I feel that if we had complete gender equality, the world would be a lot better and easier of a place to live. I feel like one of the world's biggest problems these days is equality, whether it be over race, gender, or even social standing. Although this is just a commercial for tampons, the message is so much deeper than that, I mean it really hits home. Lastly, when the woman asked the little boy if he thought he insulted his sister, I think that made an important point. When we decide to hurt others because of something about them, especially something they have no control over, not only are you saying it about that particular person, but also any person of the same category, which can often include someone you know and care about. So, if you would not say these things to the ones you love, why would you say it to anyone?White789
There are many good points here. The personal experience of hanging out with people of a different stratified group is something that I can relate to. I particularly agree with your last point; it’s hilariously silly to insult an entire group that not only a person close to you is a part of, but you could have easily been a part of if you were dealt a different hand. While I don’t think my biased answer to your question about why society does this will be very satisfying, my opinion is that society perpetuates phrases like these more out of habit, then actual spite. -SoarSore789
This video is so touching and inspirational. Just thinking what the girl said if someone said you hit like a girl. Her response would be I'm a girl! I should hit like a girl. I should swim like a girl and that's nothing to be ashamed of. This is the type of sexist comments our country makes to say men are better then woman. Which is not how we should teach our children. It's very small minded in my opinion. Girls are just as good as boys when woman rights became more in the 1960's. Women started to show there full potential. We almost had a woman president just last year. Women rights have came so far. We are seen as equals, not quite. The book states that in society a woman gets only 78 cents to a man's dollar. They say women are weaker then men? Has any man went threw child birth? During childbirth a mother feels up to 57 Del (units) of pain. That is similar to 20 bones getting fractured at the same time. That isn't as bad as a recovery from a c-section which they cut into four to five layers of skin and muscle. There is so much more to women now then being a stay at home mom. There are women being the bread winners. Since the 1990's women have beaten men in "The Grammy's". Society will always a be sexist toward women but like the video shows if women stand together and teach society women and men are equal we could change sexist behavior. -Gander789
I agree with you 100%. Me being a girl I hate to hear that I can't play video games because they are for guys. It makes me wanna beat all of them to prove that girls can play video games. These sexist comments are the reason our world as we know it is changing every single day. People have trouble talking to other people, or trusting our country. I agree with you, girls are no better than guys and guys are not better than girls. We all should be equal, no one is better. We all should be payed the same, we all should be able to do the jobs we want to. It should not matter what gender you are. Hopefully sexist comments in the future won't hurt people because we all equal. Smile123
I have definitely heard the saying “you hit like a girl” before but most times I heard it coming from a girl who would use it toward her male counterparts. In context to imply that the boy was not as masculine as other boys. This example clearly shows how gender inequality can go both ways and isn’t fair either way you look at it. Sure guys make more money then women and hold this sense of “Men are better” but that doesn’t reflect the masses just some. Yes, women deserve the same rewards and gratifications as men no doubt, especially if they’ve worked just as hard for the same position, etc. As a reminder women rock, just in case you don’t hear it or feel it enough!! mummyoftwo789
At the moment of conception, a human’s sex is determined by the male and before that individual is born, based on their gender members of society already attaches personal traits and social positions to being male or female. Certain standards, norms, and expectations are already predetermined on how that individual should act, think, and fell. Take for instance when you go to a baby shower the facility is decorated with pink colors, if the sex is female and if the sex is male the decorations are blue. Also, when buying toys people tend to buy dolls, oven sets, cleaning toys like brooms and vacuum cleaners for girls and cars, tool sets, basketballs, and footballs for boys. Girls are cuddled and treated like a piece of glass that will break easily. Gender is a dimension of social organization that shapes how we interact with others and how we think about ourselves. Involving, hierarchy placing men and women in different positions in terms of power, wealth, and other resources. Gender affects the opportunities and constraints we face throughout our everyday lives. Gender stratification is the unequal distribution of power, wealth, and privilege between men and women. In this video the characters were asked to do certain things “like a girl” (run, fight, and throw). The older women (to my surprise) and the man all pretended to run like a precious princess who can’t mess up her hair or sweat, and fighting and throwing like they were weak, some with their eyes closed. Even the young boy did the same thing. When the younger girls were asked to do the same exact things, they ran faster and powerful, threw with strength and balled up their fists to fight. It was very interesting to see how the older women pretended, being that they are girls I would have thought their reaction would have been the same as the younger girls. “Like a girl” what does that mean? Is it a good thing? One of the younger girl’s response that she’s “not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, it sounds like a bad thing, like your trying to humiliate someone”. I agree with the character in the video when the phrase “like a girl” is used as an insult, it does lower a young girl’s self-esteem and self-confidence. When I was growing up, Wonder Woman, played by Linda Carter, was my role model. She amazed me with her self-confidence, endurance, resilience, and strength. I wanted to be just like her and I tried. I still have the scars on my knees from when I was 7 years old and I jumped off the porch, screaming “WONDER WOMAN” and landed in a pile of bricks. Fortunately, our young girls today have a vast wide range of female entrepreneurs, sports figures, government officials, directors, and producers that they can look up to, like Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Venus and Serena Williams, and Shonda Rhimes to name a few. The list goes on and on. All these females strived to be the best that they can be no matter what their social position was, whether they grew up rich or poor, they all overcame and did their best. So, if this is what being “like a girl” is, I am very proud to be “like a girl” every day. Granny789
I found this video funny but informational a tad bit. They started the video off with show me what it means to throw like a girl. They used both women and males. The girls demonstrated those to what their body movements were, but the guys had to try and put a little more effort into the part. The second part where they used all girls, it was interesting because when the lady says run like a girl or throw like a girl, the girls didn’t have to try. In fact the girls did what they normally would with confidence without thinking twice on how to run or throw “like a girl”.The question that was asked “what does it mean to you when I say run like a girl” and the little girl simply says run as fast as you can. Or the other says she doesn’t know if its a bad thing or a good thing when someone says “like a girl”, but she then proceeds to say it sounds like you’re trying to humiliate someone. Those little girls that were part of this exercise I believe did exactly what they know of. We live in a society where everyone tends to label things girls or boys, as if boys cant do things girls can do and girls cant do things boys can do. When saying those things to a girl, I agree with this video. Saying those words can ruin self-confidence, their own self power, their image of themselves, but why do we do it or say those words if they are already a girl? You cant really expect them to do anything else in any other way when you say those words to a girl. Although society views women and men completely different, I dont believe in it. I believe we should encourage each gender equally. If a girl wants to do boy things and a boy wants to do girl things then we should encourage, cheer, and do whatever it is so they can do what they want. We shouldn’t divide the two into separate groups because everything that is done in this world can be done by both, just depends how much determination is put into it. unknownzeeha789
I agree that our society is so caught up in what is acceptable for boys to do and what is acceptable for girls to do. And unfortunately in our society it isn't acceptable for little Alexis to play with trucks or little Jaxon to play with dolls. Why is this so? I think society is confusing children even more with all of these rules. Telling a little boy or little girl that they can't do something is very detrimental to their character and confidence. I agree with you we should be encouraging each gender equally. I was proud of one of the young girls, who said she didn't really know if it was good or bad but that she did think it was to being said to humiliate someone. What a smart girl for being so young. AnimalLover789
I’m the very emotion person and very easy to wet my eyes. But not everything meaningless can make me cry. Although this video only has 3 minutes long, it was enough touched my emotion. May be because I’m a girl, so I kind of have the feeling of empathy for their action, especially when it came to the young girls turn. I laugh when I saw the older one mimic ‘like the girl’ action because the way they act was not look normal at all, it was the exaggeration! No human will walk, throw, or fight like that, so even the girl. While I watched their action, I said out loud with angry tone to the teenage girl: “Why don’t you walk like your normal walk? You are the girl so you don’t have to act like the girl.” And then I felt so proud when I watched the kids action. They are so honest, so innocent, and so real! Their minds were not being polluted by those social norms. The norms that divides men and women, girl and boy that passed down from generations from thousand years ago. Parents putted the seed into their child mind and overtime the environment and people around them watering this seed. Its roots were long and deep. And it so hard to pull the roots out. Social protected the seed and help it developed. The kids from the video had the seed but were not yet develop compare to those older. Who said like the girl is bad thing? Nobody said it, but most people believed it. They used the phrase ‘like the girl’ to compare a person too weak, freckles and soft. So, a person will try their best to avoid being like the girl because they thought it was bad and shameful if they were called like the girl. What was wrong with ‘like the girl’? I think the phrase “like the girl’ is the good thing. I’m the girl too and I never thought that I’m weak, soft, or freckles. I run fast, I throw strong, and I fight to protect myself. One people can be weak but not all other will weak. Every people are different, the same was for both gender. Zero789
I am pretty emotional, myself, and was very touched by the video—the pure innocence of the children. They have experienced the norms even at a young age, I think. For example, how they are treated if they roll around in mud versus if their brother did the same. They just don’t understand it and aren’t fully immersed in it yet, which I agree with you there. When you get into middle school and high school you feel the stress of needing to adhere to the norms and that causes a lot of problems with children, especially young girls who are at especially high risk during their adolescence. Catzfuhdays
i also was emotional during this video. Having 3 daughters of my own it really hit home. I don't want my daughter's ever told they can't do something as well as a man. I also don't want anyone to tell my son he can't do anything as well as a woman other then child birth. My mother drew a huge line on what was OK for me to do and what was OK for my brother to do. I couldn't have a dirt bike because I will get hurt or get dirty. I couldn't have a boyfriend my freshman year because I was to young. As for my brother he's had a dirt bike since he was five and a girlfriend since 7th grade by freshman year she could stay the weekends. I will try my best to not define my children by gender but by personality. I'm ok if my son was feminine. I'm ok if my daughter's are masculine. My mother is a construction worker for example and use to work in factories. Her raising us by our gender never made since to me. -Gander789
First let me say that this was a very touching video. The innocence of children. As you grow older, you start to learn more about gender roles and norms, how a girl should look or act and the same for boys. The video first asks older girls and boys to run or fight like a girl. They flailed their arms and were whining about their hair or something along those lines. Then they brought out younger girls who, when asked to fight or run like a girl, looked much different than the first group. Their responses were similar to if they would have been asked to portray super heroes: fast, powerful, and fierce. The norm to the little girls is that they are strong and powerful and that all girls are. The norm to the older group of girls is that women are weaker and men are stronger. When you grow up, you start to notice things as you grow older. The children had already been subjected to gender roles, even possibly without knowing it, but haven’t fully been submersed into it and learn more about it. As a woman, people treat you differently and you’re supposed to act a specific way, following the norms. As a woman, your personality is dictated for you. You can’t be athletic, smart is unattractive, and try listening to a car mechanic when they talk to women. They overcharge and speak down upon them. I went to a dealership to buy a car once and was talking to the mechanic about specific things I would like installed and I know car parts and prices and he tried adding on services in the quote that were unneeded and did not think I would catch it. As a society, we need to stop putting women in boxes and realize that there is still so much ground to cover when it comes to gender inequality. Catzfuhdays789
I noticed that the older girls and boy when they were trying to do something “like a girl” they were trying to act delicately, sweetly, softly, but when the young girls were trying to do something “like a girl” they acted with a strong attitude. On the other hand, it was interesting to observe that it was not a relation between how the older girls acted and what they really thought about to act “like a girl”, for instance one of the girls at the end says “I would run like myself”. This phrase “like a girl” when is used as insult to humiliate someone or drop self-confidence in someone is an example of how the socialization of gender is an element that lead to social inequality, and also how the socialization of gender increases the power of male over the female. This video encourages everybody to understand and to make that the phrase “like a girl” means amazing thing and it is time to rewrite the rules of a society that assigned social roles to the biological sex, a society that rules differences between men and women, a society that says what a boy can do or what a girl can do, a society that set a pink color to girls and blue colors to boys, a society that socialized women into housework and no to be part of the CEO of a big corporation, a society that socialized boys to be though, and girls to be cute and pink. Girls can act “like a girl” and boys can act “like a boys”, but girls are also champions with talent and skills to develop to their full potential to do amazing things. “If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.” Plato, The Republic the_soccer_league789
I think that this is something most people probably don’t think about in their day to day lives. Saying that someone is doing something like a girl does it has been an insult for as long as I can remember, but this video makes an extremely profound and awesome point that saying that phrase about someone shouldn’t be intended or taken as an insult. It should be an amazing and encouraging statement of strength and power. It should tell someone that they’re trying their best and it shows! How many women have won a gold Olympic medal for running, swimming, hitting, swinging, or any activity described in this video? Or for that matter, how many women have won any medals for doing anything ever described by someone else, insultingly, as being done like a girl? I am unfortunately ashamed to admit that I’m sure I have used this phrase as an insult myself before, but I will not do so again. This video has opened my eyes to a phrase used simply as a friendly jab at others, but it shouldn’t be used as an insult any more than insulting someone by saying that they are retarded or gay. If I asked Serena Williams, Mary Lou Retton, or Katie Ledecky if doing something “like a girl” is a bad thing, at the very least, I would get a strong wall of disagreement. At worst, I might fear for my safety because insulting girls is sexists, which is just as bad as racism. Its unacceptable and unrealistic, regardless of how the phrase was meant or intended. I am glad this video was made and I hope it spreads and the message it sends out is well received by everyone who sees it. -- Thanos789
I completely agree that we should be teaching the younger generation and even the older generations of girls, that being told that doing something like a girl is not a bad thing. It is a sign of strength and confidence. Over the years, us women have proved ourselves to be more than just a house wife or a stay at home mom, we can be that and so much more. I do believe that one day the world will finally come together to see racism and sexism diminished, granted it will be almost impossible to snuff out all of treatment of inequality. I am sure that we will see the phrase “like a girl,” become a sign of strength and boldness, as it should be seen as. MelRich895
It is practically tradition to dress little girls up in pretty dresses and to teach them to smile and to teach them how to be lovely young women, while we teach the boys to be strong, hard-working, gruff, and that those characteristics should not change. These social norms have been carried from the oldest forms of socialization through to today. It may look differently now, but the same concept remains. As young girls start to grow up the sayings “throwing like a girl,” or “running like a girl,” or “fighting like a girl” has become an insulting based on the ways children are raised. If a girl loves to play in the dirt and does not like to get dressed up, she is labeled as a tomboy because she has the same traits and interests as a young boy which is not the norm according to society and it is not how the child was raised. Being a girl should not become an insult or a ploy to diminish confidence in a young woman, a girl should be able to be who they are. The way the older girls, the younger girls, older boys, and younger boys described how they pictured the way girls act made them seem dainty, breakable, and incapable of being strong or athletic. This ascribed status will most likely follow women for as long as the human race exists, just as the existence of racism will never dissipate. One-day women as a majority might overcome their ascribed status, just as someone of different ethnicity will overcome racism. To me, to fight like a girl is a compliment and to be a woman in the newly growing modernized world is a blessing. I hope that this world continues to fight for equality so that everyone can experience equal opportunity. MelRich895
Socialization of Gender Expectations This video is so true of how society trains us as to what “like a girl means”. I was raised that as a girl I could anything that I wanted to do. When I was growing up I was able to run faster than all of my boy cousins and that was very rewarding. I was told growing up that I was a tomboy. I didn’t let that bother me though; I just let it go in one ear and out the other one. I wasn’t being a tomboy; I was being “Me”. I like how one of the young ladies had a second chance to run differently. The second time instead of “running like a girl” (weak, timid, lacked confidence) she said she was “running the way she runs” (strong, determined, confident). She was conditioned by society that her first demonstration of how girls run was what the people wanted / expected to see. It also caught my eye that it was a variety of people age and sex that demonstrated what running like a girl looked like. That definitely shows the impact that society has on how we think. I was really blown away and very happy to see that the young girls interviewed didn’t have the same simple perspective as the older people interviewed. When they were asked what does run like a girl, throw like a girl and fight like a girl looked like it was strength, determination, confidence, outgoing, and they believed in themselves. Hopefully as a society we continue to encourage young girls and boys to believe in themselves and that can break any chains that come their way. My sisters and I have T-shirts that say “I run like a girl” (on the front) and “Try and keep up” (on the back). I had a lady who only saw the front of my shirt; ask me why I would wear such a shirt. She seemed like my shirt offended her. I turned around and showed her the back and she smiled and gave me a high five. AnimalLover789
I agree with you completely. It’s important for us to set the example so that way all of the younger kids know that they should not be ashamed of who they are, even if they are a girl. Never be ashamed of who you are, whether you are a different race, different religion, anything. But onto the point of this video, being a girl does not mean you are weak, stupid, or not as good as the rest. You can be anything you want to be. As we grow, we learn this. But as the younger ones are still learning who they are, they do come across people who try to bring them down by saying this like this and this shouldn’t be acceptable. Schmidt789
I, personally, enjoyed this video and especially the ending. It started out with adults asking young kids what they thought when people would ask them to “walk like a girl, run like a girl” or to do anything that a girl would do. At first, they would be a little humorous and do it as what anyone else would portray that action. It refers to when a person would say “like a girl.” By people saying this, it makes it sound like there’s something wrong with girls, like girls are too weak, slow, or they’re not good enough. But girls are so much more than that. Be proud of yourself, even when you hear the preference “like a girl.” There is never anything wrong with being a girl. Girls are very strong, independent people and they are just as good as boys are. Girls can be surprising and turn out to be stronger than most boys. Never assume anything. You would be surprised by how equal girls and boys are. There was a great speech a young woman did that made a great point. She said how she was going to keep running like a girl, keep swimming like a girl, and keep waking up like a girl. Because that should not be something she should be ashamed of. The point of this video is to try to get the saying “like a girl” to mean something amazing. Another girl says “Why can’t “run like a girl” mean win the race,” which is a great point. I really loved the ending. It is very important for the older and wiser people to set the example for the younger kids. They need to know that we are all the same. Being a girl means nothing but that we all get a chance and the same opportunity. Schmidt789
As I watched the video and noticed the lady behind the camera ask the girls and one boy to “act out” certain things, it didn’t feel real. Why not just ask the girls/the one boy to run in order to have a more realistic approach to the topic? I totally get the point made, we have all been taught that girls should be more softer and nuturing while boys are said to be strong and dominating. The family structure is balanced in this aspect. But why does running and fighting like a girl produce arms frailing all over the place and subtle punches? Because society has connected those gestures to females and even boys who act this way on a continuous basis are considered gay or called a girl. Labeling plays a part as well. I really loved the end of the video where one girl said I want to run like myself. Comparing the older girls to the the younger ones, the younger girls gave it their all and ran as fast as they could after being asked the same questions as the older females. The boy felt as though he insulted girls in general by portraying “girly acts” but not his sister? Girls can do anything a boy can do if not better! The truth of the matter is pointing out these differences or placing emphasis on them at an early age help shapes the next generation of boys and girls. If we want gender equality the mold has to be broken. But will doing so cause a shift in roles within society? No matter the role though girls shouldn’t fall underneath boys. In closing us girls have a ton of rules to follow well before we are born and guys have it easy with only having to be tough and get dirty while making more money than gals, I say have them push a baby out naturally we’d all be on the same page then. Ha. mummyoftwo789
I get how people see that as an insult and I agree that girls/women can do just as good as boy/men. Plus you are right boys who act this way when they are younger get called gay or a girl and then are bullied. I feel like it is a good thing boys and men are connected to their feminine side. Most of them are but do not show it unless they trust the person they are with. Women or girls are more open with it because we were taught to be. The mold does have to be broken! Woman want equal rights as men and men need some equal rights with woman that they don’t have now! If change is to happen we need to break the mold with our youngsters! Ha and I love the ending of your comment. Maybe if men could feel what woman feel every month or if they could experience child birth the way we have to they would treat us more fairly. -Slimjim789
Society norms are that “Like a girl” means weaker, slower, softer or not as good. Which is not at all true. This issue is deeply rooted in society that doing something “Like a girl” can be interpreted as an insult. We have female athletes, female senators, female lawyers, female welders and female mechanics. Anything a man can do a woman can do to. Woman are expected from birth to be sweet, to have a stay of innocence, and to be kind and gentle. Plus, many more attributes, but men show them too! Men are kind, men are compassionate, men are man-babies. It shouldn’t be you hit like a girl, or you punch like a man, it should be you are who you are and that is what matters. Men and woman are treated differently growing up which causes the gender expectations. Maybe in order to fix social inequality we should fix gender roles. Become more equal for example in a role for a sport and how much a man and woman get paid. Both may have different ways of handling situations but both also get the job done. Woman are now allowed to fight in front enemy lines in the military. Woman can go to space to. Woman drive, they work, they give birth. Women are strong! Men are strong too! We should all be equal, equal pay, equal rights, equal say, and equal power. Some may say that we are equal but we are not. Women are expected to work now, on top of keeping house, raising children, taking care of pets and extracurricular activities. Some men do help while others see it as the woman should stay home take care of everything a house needs while the man works. But that is rarely the case anymore. Both woman and man of the house have to work to stay afloat. So not only is she expected to work she is expected to do everything else too. Men also should have equal rights like woman. Even though women don’t usually take full maternity leave they should. Employers should pay for the maternity leave. There is a life being brought into this world and it should be celebrated. The men should get full paid maternity leave also. After a woman gives birth it is hard to do it by herself. There is so much pain that is involved with giving birth and after. The man should be there to help. This rarely ever happens because men don’t have the right to maternity leave like women do. Point being is that no matter what the situation is we all should be treated fairly and equally no matter what gender we are. -Slimjim789
This video was very inspiring to watch, because you get to see different view from little kids’ perspective and an older person’s perspective. When someone says you do something “like a girl” it is ruled because they mean it as you are weaker and not as good as a guy. But I really liked how one of the girls said that when someone tells her they do something like a girl, she takes it as a compliment and says because she is a girl not a guy. On little girl’s perspective, growing up they were taught to run as fast as they can when they see a stranger, which out grew them. But when the little boy was asked if he felt like he insulted his sister he said no, because that was his sister but if he said that to a random girl he would have insulted that particular person. But in my experience when someone tells me that I act and do things like a girl I take as a compliment and it gives me courage to do more of it because I am a girl and I am proud to be one but in some cases people don’t like to be told that because they feel weaker and not as powerful as guys. In a guy’s view if they were told they did something like a girl, they would be extremely insulted because they won’t feel as manly and the feel really weak. In some countries it is not acceptable to say that someone does things like a girl because men and women have the same amount of rights and are as strong as men and maybe even stronger. Ria789
It's so true. When someone wants to insult a man, they'll often tell him 'stop being such a girl'. How many action movies have you watched where the lead gets decked in the face, spits out a little blood and grins just to say 'You punch like a girl!' and then wins the fight against the bad guy? You do----like a girl is an insult. Calling a man a girl is an insult. On the flipside, we hear this so often it might as well be in the dictionary 'Be a man'. Telling men to be stronger, to stop crying, to suck it up and not let their emotions show. We refuse to allow men to have a weak side, a soft side, and then we complain that men don't have a weak side and a soft side. Stoicism and bottling up their emotions can't be good for a man, just like being seen as lesser and fragile certainly isn't good for a woman. I really want to check out #Likeaguy. See what always has to say about that.
As a mother of three daughters the beginning of this video is disturbing to me. The stereotypical weakening of female’s self-esteem by demeaning them by saying they are “acting” like a girl. I love the end of the video, where it describes how girls shouldn’t be ashamed to run like a girl, because they are girls. I found it sad that even the girls who were asked to run like a girl did it in a very weak, humiliating way. But, when it was explained that this may hurt someone’s feelings, it changed their opinions. Why is it that we as a society teach and are taught that girls aren’t strong, aren’t fast, aren’t tough, aren’t winners? I like that when the boy was asked if he insulted his sister, he said no, not his sister, just girls. We need to increase self confidence and self-esteem and inner beauty to our young generation. Please keep running and scoring and finishing the race like a girl, because you are a girl. You are a strong, beautiful, smart, fast, incredible girl! I actually watched the “Like a guy” video as well. It was humiliating as well to some of the men. And if you watch it, you will notice that it seems that even they agree that women work harder in certain areas. I am not a feminist, but I do feel that there is a sense of laziness in men at some ages. I would think this would make them look weak. I wouldn’t be ashamed of acting “like a girl”, especially if I was being compared to “acting like a guy”. MommaJ789
I also watched the like a guy video. Very interesting to say the least. I would say it shows that there are some true inequalities amongst men and woman. The issue isn't in the differences, but how we treat them. I agree that we need to encourage self confidence and self-esteem and inter beauty to our younger generation. Both boys and girls struggle to fit into societies gender roles so much. So, to encourage self confidence we need to encourage self, and freedom of thought. We should not let our kids be bound by social norms. QuinkThick789
I also found it sad that even the girls ran in weak humiliating way. I think we need to promote self-acceptance and self-esteem so much to everyone younger because it seems that “like a girl” always starts so early on in life. I think girls need to know that it is okay to be run fast like a girl, maybe girls should just start looking at like a girl a good think because like the video said it is okay because they are a girl. EPIC789
Thank you for sharing this video, Dr. White. This was something I've always thought about, and how wrong it is for this to be a common term in our culture. I've never thought that the way girls do things differently from males was a bad thing. But I have thought that the way most people perceive it is lesser is bad. The differences between males and females is fluent throughout the animal kingdom, and we must respect that. It is time to start seeing people as they actually are, not what society has made up. I believe that there is some inequalities amongst men and women and we should honor those and learn how to use each sex's skills for benefit, instead of oppositions. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I see it as the truth. Women are typically better at organizational and detail oriented jobs, while men are typically better at hard labor. If we stopped getting hung up on these inequalities, we could progress as a society. Like the girl in the video said, she is a girl so why would anyone get offended for someone saying "You _____ like a girl!" We need to stop destroying the confidence of girls during puberty. There are too many social stigmas of what girls and boys should be, shouldn't they just be themselves? Gender roles are a funny thing. Because when someone becomes independent and steps into their true self, usually they realize how silly some of the roles they were playing were. QuinkThick789
How pervasive are the things we hear every day? It really impacted me, to see older girls purposely feigning like they could hardly run, even though they had strong, athletic looking bodies, just because they were told to pantomime 'running like a girl'. Moreso than a man doing it, moreso than a boy doing it. Because these women have absorbed this. They've heard this all their life. Media, family, friends, school, all the great influences of society pressing it into their heads. 'Girl means weak.' 'Girl means slow' 'Girl isn't good'. They believed it. And it breaks my heart a little that they didn't question it. That they didn't look that producer dead in the eye and run across that stage like they were going for an olympic medal. I hope some girls did, and they just didn't use that footage because it was counterproductive to their message. That's why the part that really tugged at my heartstrings was when they asked that young woman if she'd like a second chance to run, and she did. She ran so beautifully. Like a girl. When had she stopped seeing running like that as running like a female? Why had running to her full potential stopped being a feminine thing to do? Instead 'running like a girl' was something to mock, and everyone who did it smile and giggled like it was funny to even attempt. The little girls who ran, on the other hand? Straight face, complete concentration, they were running you down like you had committed a crime and they were about to tackle you and bring you to justice. They were serious about it. To the others, 'running like a girl' was a laughable concept. And when you see them do it, it is. I couldn't help but giggle when that little boy pranced around, but in reality- he had no clue what he was doing. He had no clue how this could effect the girls around him. He didn't really grasp how this was an insult, how this could hurt. Another girl mentioned that it 'sounded like it was humiliating', but she didn't know WHY. They're children, still learning about the world around them and taking social cues from their elders and the major social influences that they admire in media and in their peergroups. They're still building their opinions and perceptions on reality, and how information is presented to them is incredibly important.
It all comes to gender inequality where women are perceived to be weak therefore not capable of doing the same kind of work than men “men is the right way” the reality is that women are capable of doing the same work of men and sometimes even better because they pay more attention to details than men. Doing the same work that men do but getting paid the same because of the gender inequality this is an inherited problem that comes way back when women didn't have rights to vote or work doing the same type jobs that men did. Koi789
“Why can’t run like a girl also mean win the race?” That sentence really has such a powerful meaning to it. Growing up and always playing sports, I always heard people say things and ending it with “like a girl.” I never stopped to think about why doing things “like a girl” is considered a bad thing, when really it is just no different than what the boy is doing. I think these kinds of things are taught at home, that men are supposed to be stronger and girls are supposed to be softer hearted and not be physically strong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a girl! It was interesting to me that even the one girl ran all weird when they said to run like a girl, same with the little boy. Even someone who is a girl still is taught to have this mindset of what exactly a girl is supposed to look like when she is doing something. When the little boy said he has not insulted his sister spoke a million words because to him he was taught that being a girl is weak and proper, when really, we are all the same. Being a girl or boy should not come with “expectations” you should be able to do whatever without someone labeling something behind of it. EPIC789
It is interesting to me to see how they reacted when they where told to act like a girl in different things and they decided to do it in almost in an insulting-like way because that is was the stereotyping of that's what girls do because they are the weak gender and man always do things as man-like way. I think about this and I can only infer that this an inherited way of thinking because women didn't have the same power making decision or taking action about their own decisions because they where meant to take care of the house and bare children while the men where working to provide for the family. Now when they where asked what was running like a girl fighting like girl like. Their response was complete different and realized that the times have changed for good and that women can do the same things that a men do and that women may have different ways of getting the same type of work done but to be proud of doing as long as the result is the same or even better the style doesn't matter if it gets done. Society is changing in this regard slowly but surely even when we see gender inequality about paying jobs that men and women are doing but the men gets paid more just because they are men. Koi789
There are some deeply rooted norms in society, norms that have century or even millennia deep roots. These things are often barely noticeable, half because of how used to them we are. It’s easy for people to misjudge the importance of the little things, though. Something that we spend no time whatsoever thinking about can be incredibly significant. Almost all thoughts are filtered, kept or discarded based on merits that are never questioned, merits fabricated by societies often long past. What I’m saying is, the thoughts that are so basic that the idea to question them never even came to mind are where society’s influence is often found. The things that we do without thinking, our natural disposition, and our tendencies to apply stereotypes, are things that are more acquired habits than actually conscious efforts. Gender stratification is not exactly difficult to notice, and tie to this concept. To the guys reading, when you notice someone about to walk through the same door as you, don’t you check their gender first before deciding whether or not to hold the door open for them? We don’t think, “Hmm, holding this door open would approximately require 5 seconds of my time, and based off of my current mood I may or may not hold this door open, depending on how much effort I may expend”, most guys’ thoughts in this situation aren’t complex enough to feature words; they look and decide, in nearly an instant, with little conscious thought. These are the little ‘mundane’ events that often can provide a lens into how society trains peoples’ brains at a basic level. The concept of doing something ‘like a girl’ being diminutive can be an example of this. Few people who ever hear the phrase bother to seriously consider its implications, as potentially harmful as it may be.
ReplyDelete-SoarSore789
Yes! Like what you said, there are the very deep roots about gender stratification in our society today from thousands of years ago. We are not even think of them, we act almost automatically. People don’t think which direction to brush their teeth, which side of the pants they wear first, and so what to do in front of the lady or gentlemen. The men just open the door for the lady and the lady just normally accepted it. Imagine the opposite, when you see the lady open the door for the men, many people may laugh or thinks that something wrong going on because it were against our social norms for gender behavior and expectation.
DeleteZero789
I really like what you are saying here, and I truly feel that a lot of times when things are referenced in this way, doing something "like a girl", it is not so much out of spite or to be hateful per say, but just because it is normal in society and no one questions it. It is more often just said to be said is what I am trying to get at here. I did not really think about it that way at first, probably because of the emotional approach with this video, but someone had replied to my comment and pointed this out and it was kind of like a different mindset on the situation.White789
DeleteYou point is spot in. Our minds are filled with these small scripts that pounce on given circumstances within a second. We are taught these....SimplyMe345
ReplyDeleteWe are taught these things. Even the girls were showing humiliating behavior towards other girls. Why is this? I do agree that gender equality is something that we need to work on across the world. I do believe it is far better here in the United States as it is in other countries, but I have delt with this my entire life. Here's an example. When someone finds out I played hockey, they always assume I was a goalie. I was a center and a right wing. I played Varsity as a freshman as the only girl on the team. MommaJ789
DeleteWhen someone says that someone else does something like a girl it sounds bad and humiliating, like one of the girls in the video said. For some reason the image a girl has is automatically weak or inadequate, even if the girl as an individual is not. Why does society as a whole do this? It is really sad to see what young girls go through emotionally during that time, and making them feel bad for being female is definitely not making it any easier, I know from experience. I have always been a girl who prefers to hang out with the guys, even as a young child, so I was kind of used to being picked on for it, but every now and then it would get to me, especially when I started growing up. I really like what the girl in the blue dress had to say, if what you are doing works then keep doing it. She is so right, there is nothing wrong with being a girl! Women can do anything that men can do and they can do it just as well if not better. I feel that if we had complete gender equality, the world would be a lot better and easier of a place to live. I feel like one of the world's biggest problems these days is equality, whether it be over race, gender, or even social standing. Although this is just a commercial for tampons, the message is so much deeper than that, I mean it really hits home. Lastly, when the woman asked the little boy if he thought he insulted his sister, I think that made an important point. When we decide to hurt others because of something about them, especially something they have no control over, not only are you saying it about that particular person, but also any person of the same category, which can often include someone you know and care about. So, if you would not say these things to the ones you love, why would you say it to anyone?White789
ReplyDeleteThere are many good points here. The personal experience of hanging out with people of a different stratified group is something that I can relate to. I particularly agree with your last point; it’s hilariously silly to insult an entire group that not only a person close to you is a part of, but you could have easily been a part of if you were dealt a different hand. While I don’t think my biased answer to your question about why society does this will be very satisfying, my opinion is that society perpetuates phrases like these more out of habit, then actual spite.
Delete-SoarSore789
This video is so touching and inspirational. Just thinking what the girl said if someone said you hit like a girl. Her response would be I'm a girl! I should hit like a girl. I should swim like a girl and that's nothing to be ashamed of. This is the type of sexist comments our country makes to say men are better then woman. Which is not how we should teach our children. It's very small minded in my opinion. Girls are just as good as boys when woman rights became more in the 1960's. Women started to show there full potential. We almost had a woman president just last year. Women rights have came so far. We are seen as equals, not quite. The book states that in society a woman gets only 78 cents to a man's dollar. They say women are weaker then men? Has any man went threw child birth? During childbirth a mother feels up to 57 Del (units) of pain. That is similar to 20 bones getting fractured at the same time. That isn't as bad as a recovery from a c-section which they cut into four to five layers of skin and muscle. There is so much more to women now then being a stay at home mom. There are women being the bread winners. Since the 1990's women have beaten men in "The Grammy's". Society will always a be sexist toward women but like the video shows if women stand together and teach society women and men are equal we could change sexist behavior. -Gander789
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. Me being a girl I hate to hear that I can't play video games because they are for guys. It makes me wanna beat all of them to prove that girls can play video games. These sexist comments are the reason our world as we know it is changing every single day. People have trouble talking to other people, or trusting our country. I agree with you, girls are no better than guys and guys are not better than girls. We all should be equal, no one is better. We all should be payed the same, we all should be able to do the jobs we want to. It should not matter what gender you are. Hopefully sexist comments in the future won't hurt people because we all equal. Smile123
DeleteI have definitely heard the saying “you hit like a girl” before but most times I heard it coming from a girl who would use it toward her male counterparts. In context to imply that the boy was not as masculine as other boys. This example clearly shows how gender inequality can go both ways and isn’t fair either way you look at it. Sure guys make more money then women and hold this sense of “Men are better” but that doesn’t reflect the masses just some. Yes, women deserve the same rewards and gratifications as men no doubt, especially if they’ve worked just as hard for the same position, etc. As a reminder women rock, just in case you don’t hear it or feel it enough!!
Deletemummyoftwo789
At the moment of conception, a human’s sex is determined by the male and before that individual is born, based on their gender members of society already attaches personal traits and social positions to being male or female. Certain standards, norms, and expectations are already predetermined on how that individual should act, think, and fell. Take for instance when you go to a baby shower the facility is decorated with pink colors, if the sex is female and if the sex is male the decorations are blue. Also, when buying toys people tend to buy dolls, oven sets, cleaning toys like brooms and vacuum cleaners for girls and cars, tool sets, basketballs, and footballs for boys. Girls are cuddled and treated like a piece of glass that will break easily. Gender is a dimension of social organization that shapes how we interact with others and how we think about ourselves. Involving, hierarchy placing men and women in different positions in terms of power, wealth, and other resources. Gender affects the opportunities and constraints we face throughout our everyday lives. Gender stratification is the unequal distribution of power, wealth, and privilege between men and women.
ReplyDeleteIn this video the characters were asked to do certain things “like a girl” (run, fight, and throw). The older women (to my surprise) and the man all pretended to run like a precious princess who can’t mess up her hair or sweat, and fighting and throwing like they were weak, some with their eyes closed. Even the young boy did the same thing. When the younger girls were asked to do the same exact things, they ran faster and powerful, threw with strength and balled up their fists to fight. It was very interesting to see how the older women pretended, being that they are girls I would have thought their reaction would have been the same as the younger girls.
“Like a girl” what does that mean? Is it a good thing? One of the younger girl’s response that she’s “not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, it sounds like a bad thing, like your trying to humiliate someone”. I agree with the character in the video when the phrase “like a girl” is used as an insult, it does lower a young girl’s self-esteem and self-confidence. When I was growing up, Wonder Woman, played by Linda Carter, was my role model. She amazed me with her self-confidence, endurance, resilience, and strength. I wanted to be just like her and I tried. I still have the scars on my knees from when I was 7 years old and I jumped off the porch, screaming “WONDER WOMAN” and landed in a pile of bricks. Fortunately, our young girls today have a vast wide range of female entrepreneurs, sports figures, government officials, directors, and producers that they can look up to, like Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Venus and Serena Williams, and Shonda Rhimes to name a few. The list goes on and on. All these females strived to be the best that they can be no matter what their social position was, whether they grew up rich or poor, they all overcame and did their best. So, if this is what being “like a girl” is, I am very proud to be “like a girl” every day.
Granny789
I found this video funny but informational a tad bit. They started the video off with show me what it means to throw like a girl. They used both women and males. The girls demonstrated those to what their body movements were, but the guys had to try and put a little more effort into the part. The second part where they used all girls, it was interesting because when the lady says run like a girl or throw like a girl, the girls didn’t have to try. In fact the girls did what they normally would with confidence without thinking twice on how to run or throw “like a girl”.The question that was asked “what does it mean to you when I say run like a girl” and the little girl simply says run as fast as you can. Or the other says she doesn’t know if its a bad thing or a good thing when someone says “like a girl”, but she then proceeds to say it sounds like you’re trying to humiliate someone. Those little girls that were part of this exercise I believe did exactly what they know of. We live in a society where everyone tends to label things girls or boys, as if boys cant do things girls can do and girls cant do things boys can do. When saying those things to a girl, I agree with this video. Saying those words can ruin self-confidence, their own self power, their image of themselves, but why do we do it or say those words if they are already a girl? You cant really expect them to do anything else in any other way when you say those words to a girl. Although society views women and men completely different, I dont believe in it. I believe we should encourage each gender equally. If a girl wants to do boy things and a boy wants to do girl things then we should encourage, cheer, and do whatever it is so they can do what they want. We shouldn’t divide the two into separate groups because everything that is done in this world can be done by both, just depends how much determination is put into it.
ReplyDeleteunknownzeeha789
I agree that our society is so caught up in what is acceptable for boys to do and what is acceptable for girls to do. And unfortunately in our society it isn't acceptable for little Alexis to play with trucks or little Jaxon to play with dolls. Why is this so? I think society is confusing children even more with all of these rules. Telling a little boy or little girl that they can't do something is very detrimental to their character and confidence. I agree with you we should be encouraging each gender equally. I was proud of one of the young girls, who said she didn't really know if it was good or bad but that she did think it was to being said to humiliate someone. What a smart girl for being so young.
DeleteAnimalLover789
I’m the very emotion person and very easy to wet my eyes. But not everything meaningless can make me cry. Although this video only has 3 minutes long, it was enough touched my emotion. May be because I’m a girl, so I kind of have the feeling of empathy for their action, especially when it came to the young girls turn. I laugh when I saw the older one mimic ‘like the girl’ action because the way they act was not look normal at all, it was the exaggeration! No human will walk, throw, or fight like that, so even the girl. While I watched their action, I said out loud with angry tone to the teenage girl: “Why don’t you walk like your normal walk? You are the girl so you don’t have to act like the girl.” And then I felt so proud when I watched the kids action. They are so honest, so innocent, and so real! Their minds were not being polluted by those social norms. The norms that divides men and women, girl and boy that passed down from generations from thousand years ago. Parents putted the seed into their child mind and overtime the environment and people around them watering this seed. Its roots were long and deep. And it so hard to pull the roots out. Social protected the seed and help it developed. The kids from the video had the seed but were not yet develop compare to those older. Who said like the girl is bad thing? Nobody said it, but most people believed it. They used the phrase ‘like the girl’ to compare a person too weak, freckles and soft. So, a person will try their best to avoid being like the girl because they thought it was bad and shameful if they were called like the girl. What was wrong with ‘like the girl’? I think the phrase “like the girl’ is the good thing. I’m the girl too and I never thought that I’m weak, soft, or freckles. I run fast, I throw strong, and I fight to protect myself. One people can be weak but not all other will weak. Every people are different, the same was for both gender.
ReplyDeleteZero789
I am pretty emotional, myself, and was very touched by the video—the pure innocence of the children. They have experienced the norms even at a young age, I think. For example, how they are treated if they roll around in mud versus if their brother did the same. They just don’t understand it and aren’t fully immersed in it yet, which I agree with you there. When you get into middle school and high school you feel the stress of needing to adhere to the norms and that causes a lot of problems with children, especially young girls who are at especially high risk during their adolescence. Catzfuhdays
DeleteCatzfuhdays789*
Deletei also was emotional during this video. Having 3 daughters of my own it really hit home. I don't want my daughter's ever told they can't do something as well as a man. I also don't want anyone to tell my son he can't do anything as well as a woman other then child birth. My mother drew a huge line on what was OK for me to do and what was OK for my brother to do. I couldn't have a dirt bike because I will get hurt or get dirty. I couldn't have a boyfriend my freshman year because I was to young. As for my brother he's had a dirt bike since he was five and a girlfriend since 7th grade by freshman year she could stay the weekends. I will try my best to not define my children by gender but by personality. I'm ok if my son was feminine. I'm ok if my daughter's are masculine. My mother is a construction worker for example and use to work in factories. Her raising us by our gender never made since to me. -Gander789
DeleteFirst let me say that this was a very touching video. The innocence of children. As you grow older, you start to learn more about gender roles and norms, how a girl should look or act and the same for boys. The video first asks older girls and boys to run or fight like a girl. They flailed their arms and were whining about their hair or something along those lines. Then they brought out younger girls who, when asked to fight or run like a girl, looked much different than the first group. Their responses were similar to if they would have been asked to portray super heroes: fast, powerful, and fierce. The norm to the little girls is that they are strong and powerful and that all girls are. The norm to the older group of girls is that women are weaker and men are stronger. When you grow up, you start to notice things as you grow older. The children had already been subjected to gender roles, even possibly without knowing it, but haven’t fully been submersed into it and learn more about it. As a woman, people treat you differently and you’re supposed to act a specific way, following the norms. As a woman, your personality is dictated for you. You can’t be athletic, smart is unattractive, and try listening to a car mechanic when they talk to women. They overcharge and speak down upon them. I went to a dealership to buy a car once and was talking to the mechanic about specific things I would like installed and I know car parts and prices and he tried adding on services in the quote that were unneeded and did not think I would catch it. As a society, we need to stop putting women in boxes and realize that there is still so much ground to cover when it comes to gender inequality. Catzfuhdays789
ReplyDeleteI noticed that the older girls and boy when they were trying to do something “like a girl” they were trying to act delicately, sweetly, softly, but when the young girls were trying to do something “like a girl” they acted with a strong attitude. On the other hand, it was interesting to observe that it was not a relation between how the older girls acted and what they really thought about to act “like a girl”, for instance one of the girls at the end says “I would run like myself”. This phrase “like a girl” when is used as insult to humiliate someone or drop self-confidence in someone is an example of how the socialization of gender is an element that lead to social inequality, and also how the socialization of gender increases the power of male over the female. This video encourages everybody to understand and to make that the phrase “like a girl” means amazing thing and it is time to rewrite the rules of a society that assigned social roles to the biological sex, a society that rules differences between men and women, a society that says what a boy can do or what a girl can do, a society that set a pink color to girls and blue colors to boys, a society that socialized women into housework and no to be part of the CEO of a big corporation, a society that socialized boys to be though, and girls to be cute and pink. Girls can act “like a girl” and boys can act “like a boys”, but girls are also champions with talent and skills to develop to their full potential to do amazing things.
ReplyDelete“If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.” Plato, The Republic
the_soccer_league789
I think that this is something most people probably don’t think about in their day to day lives. Saying that someone is doing something like a girl does it has been an insult for as long as I can remember, but this video makes an extremely profound and awesome point that saying that phrase about someone shouldn’t be intended or taken as an insult. It should be an amazing and encouraging statement of strength and power. It should tell someone that they’re trying their best and it shows! How many women have won a gold Olympic medal for running, swimming, hitting, swinging, or any activity described in this video? Or for that matter, how many women have won any medals for doing anything ever described by someone else, insultingly, as being done like a girl? I am unfortunately ashamed to admit that I’m sure I have used this phrase as an insult myself before, but I will not do so again. This video has opened my eyes to a phrase used simply as a friendly jab at others, but it shouldn’t be used as an insult any more than insulting someone by saying that they are retarded or gay. If I asked Serena Williams, Mary Lou Retton, or Katie Ledecky if doing something “like a girl” is a bad thing, at the very least, I would get a strong wall of disagreement. At worst, I might fear for my safety because insulting girls is sexists, which is just as bad as racism. Its unacceptable and unrealistic, regardless of how the phrase was meant or intended. I am glad this video was made and I hope it spreads and the message it sends out is well received by everyone who sees it. -- Thanos789
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we should be teaching the younger generation and even the older generations of girls, that being told that doing something like a girl is not a bad thing. It is a sign of strength and confidence. Over the years, us women have proved ourselves to be more than just a house wife or a stay at home mom, we can be that and so much more. I do believe that one day the world will finally come together to see racism and sexism diminished, granted it will be almost impossible to snuff out all of treatment of inequality. I am sure that we will see the phrase “like a girl,” become a sign of strength and boldness, as it should be seen as.
DeleteMelRich895
It is practically tradition to dress little girls up in pretty dresses and to teach them to smile and to teach them how to be lovely young women, while we teach the boys to be strong, hard-working, gruff, and that those characteristics should not change. These social norms have been carried from the oldest forms of socialization through to today. It may look differently now, but the same concept remains. As young girls start to grow up the sayings “throwing like a girl,” or “running like a girl,” or “fighting like a girl” has become an insulting based on the ways children are raised. If a girl loves to play in the dirt and does not like to get dressed up, she is labeled as a tomboy because she has the same traits and interests as a young boy which is not the norm according to society and it is not how the child was raised. Being a girl should not become an insult or a ploy to diminish confidence in a young woman, a girl should be able to be who they are. The way the older girls, the younger girls, older boys, and younger boys described how they pictured the way girls act made them seem dainty, breakable, and incapable of being strong or athletic. This ascribed status will most likely follow women for as long as the human race exists, just as the existence of racism will never dissipate. One-day women as a majority might overcome their ascribed status, just as someone of different ethnicity will overcome racism. To me, to fight like a girl is a compliment and to be a woman in the newly growing modernized world is a blessing. I hope that this world continues to fight for equality so that everyone can experience equal opportunity.
ReplyDeleteMelRich895
Socialization of Gender Expectations
ReplyDeleteThis video is so true of how society trains us as to what “like a girl means”. I was raised that as a girl I could anything that I wanted to do. When I was growing up I was able to run faster than all of my boy cousins and that was very rewarding. I was told growing up that I was a tomboy. I didn’t let that bother me though; I just let it go in one ear and out the other one. I wasn’t being a tomboy; I was being “Me”. I like how one of the young ladies had a second chance to run differently. The second time instead of “running like a girl” (weak, timid, lacked confidence) she said she was “running the way she runs” (strong, determined, confident). She was conditioned by society that her first demonstration of how girls run was what the people wanted / expected to see. It also caught my eye that it was a variety of people age and sex that demonstrated what running like a girl looked like. That definitely shows the impact that society has on how we think. I was really blown away and very happy to see that the young girls interviewed didn’t have the same simple perspective as the older people interviewed. When they were asked what does run like a girl, throw like a girl and fight like a girl looked like it was strength, determination, confidence, outgoing, and they believed in themselves. Hopefully as a society we continue to encourage young girls and boys to believe in themselves and that can break any chains that come their way. My sisters and I have T-shirts that say “I run like a girl” (on the front) and “Try and keep up” (on the back). I had a lady who only saw the front of my shirt; ask me why I would wear such a shirt. She seemed like my shirt offended her. I turned around and showed her the back and she smiled and gave me a high five.
AnimalLover789
I agree with you completely. It’s important for us to set the example so that way all of the younger kids know that they should not be ashamed of who they are, even if they are a girl. Never be ashamed of who you are, whether you are a different race, different religion, anything. But onto the point of this video, being a girl does not mean you are weak, stupid, or not as good as the rest. You can be anything you want to be. As we grow, we learn this. But as the younger ones are still learning who they are, they do come across people who try to bring them down by saying this like this and this shouldn’t be acceptable. Schmidt789
DeleteI, personally, enjoyed this video and especially the ending. It started out with adults asking young kids what they thought when people would ask them to “walk like a girl, run like a girl” or to do anything that a girl would do. At first, they would be a little humorous and do it as what anyone else would portray that action. It refers to when a person would say “like a girl.” By people saying this, it makes it sound like there’s something wrong with girls, like girls are too weak, slow, or they’re not good enough. But girls are so much more than that. Be proud of yourself, even when you hear the preference “like a girl.” There is never anything wrong with being a girl. Girls are very strong, independent people and they are just as good as boys are. Girls can be surprising and turn out to be stronger than most boys. Never assume anything. You would be surprised by how equal girls and boys are. There was a great speech a young woman did that made a great point. She said how she was going to keep running like a girl, keep swimming like a girl, and keep waking up like a girl. Because that should not be something she should be ashamed of. The point of this video is to try to get the saying “like a girl” to mean something amazing. Another girl says “Why can’t “run like a girl” mean win the race,” which is a great point. I really loved the ending. It is very important for the older and wiser people to set the example for the younger kids. They need to know that we are all the same. Being a girl means nothing but that we all get a chance and the same opportunity. Schmidt789
ReplyDeleteAs I watched the video and noticed the lady behind the camera ask the girls and one boy to “act out” certain things, it didn’t feel real. Why not just ask the girls/the one boy to run in order to have a more realistic approach to the topic? I totally get the point made, we have all been taught that girls should be more softer and nuturing while boys are said to be strong and dominating. The family structure is balanced in this aspect. But why does running and fighting like a girl produce arms frailing all over the place and subtle punches? Because society has connected those gestures to females and even boys who act this way on a continuous basis are considered gay or called a girl. Labeling plays a part as well. I really loved the end of the video where one girl said I want to run like myself. Comparing the older girls to the the younger ones, the younger girls gave it their all and ran as fast as they could after being asked the same questions as the older females. The boy felt as though he insulted girls in general by portraying “girly acts” but not his sister? Girls can do anything a boy can do if not better! The truth of the matter is pointing out these differences or placing emphasis on them at an early age help shapes the next generation of boys and girls. If we want gender equality the mold has to be broken. But will doing so cause a shift in roles within society? No matter the role though girls shouldn’t fall underneath boys. In closing us girls have a ton of rules to follow well before we are born and guys have it easy with only having to be tough and get dirty while making more money than gals, I say have them push a baby out naturally we’d all be on the same page then. Ha.
ReplyDeletemummyoftwo789
I get how people see that as an insult and I agree that girls/women can do just as good as boy/men. Plus you are right boys who act this way when they are younger get called gay or a girl and then are bullied. I feel like it is a good thing boys and men are connected to their feminine side. Most of them are but do not show it unless they trust the person they are with. Women or girls are more open with it because we were taught to be. The mold does have to be broken! Woman want equal rights as men and men need some equal rights with woman that they don’t have now! If change is to happen we need to break the mold with our youngsters! Ha and I love the ending of your comment. Maybe if men could feel what woman feel every month or if they could experience child birth the way we have to they would treat us more fairly.
Delete-Slimjim789
Society norms are that “Like a girl” means weaker, slower, softer or not as good. Which is not at all true. This issue is deeply rooted in society that doing something “Like a girl” can be interpreted as an insult. We have female athletes, female senators, female lawyers, female welders and female mechanics. Anything a man can do a woman can do to. Woman are expected from birth to be sweet, to have a stay of innocence, and to be kind and gentle. Plus, many more attributes, but men show them too! Men are kind, men are compassionate, men are man-babies. It shouldn’t be you hit like a girl, or you punch like a man, it should be you are who you are and that is what matters. Men and woman are treated differently growing up which causes the gender expectations. Maybe in order to fix social inequality we should fix gender roles. Become more equal for example in a role for a sport and how much a man and woman get paid. Both may have different ways of handling situations but both also get the job done. Woman are now allowed to fight in front enemy lines in the military. Woman can go to space to. Woman drive, they work, they give birth. Women are strong! Men are strong too! We should all be equal, equal pay, equal rights, equal say, and equal power. Some may say that we are equal but we are not. Women are expected to work now, on top of keeping house, raising children, taking care of pets and extracurricular activities. Some men do help while others see it as the woman should stay home take care of everything a house needs while the man works. But that is rarely the case anymore. Both woman and man of the house have to work to stay afloat. So not only is she expected to work she is expected to do everything else too. Men also should have equal rights like woman. Even though women don’t usually take full maternity leave they should. Employers should pay for the maternity leave. There is a life being brought into this world and it should be celebrated. The men should get full paid maternity leave also. After a woman gives birth it is hard to do it by herself. There is so much pain that is involved with giving birth and after. The man should be there to help. This rarely ever happens because men don’t have the right to maternity leave like women do. Point being is that no matter what the situation is we all should be treated fairly and equally no matter what gender we are.
ReplyDelete-Slimjim789
This video was very inspiring to watch, because you get to see different view from little kids’ perspective and an older person’s perspective. When someone says you do something “like a girl” it is ruled because they mean it as you are weaker and not as good as a guy. But I really liked how one of the girls said that when someone tells her they do something like a girl, she takes it as a compliment and says because she is a girl not a guy. On little girl’s perspective, growing up they were taught to run as fast as they can when they see a stranger, which out grew them. But when the little boy was asked if he felt like he insulted his sister he said no, because that was his sister but if he said that to a random girl he would have insulted that particular person. But in my experience when someone tells me that I act and do things like a girl I take as a compliment and it gives me courage to do more of it because I am a girl and I am proud to be one but in some cases people don’t like to be told that because they feel weaker and not as powerful as guys. In a guy’s view if they were told they did something like a girl, they would be extremely insulted because they won’t feel as manly and the feel really weak. In some countries it is not acceptable to say that someone does things like a girl because men and women have the same amount of rights and are as strong as men and maybe even stronger.
ReplyDeleteRia789
It's so true. When someone wants to insult a man, they'll often tell him 'stop being such a girl'. How many action movies have you watched where the lead gets decked in the face, spits out a little blood and grins just to say 'You punch like a girl!' and then wins the fight against the bad guy? You do----like a girl is an insult. Calling a man a girl is an insult. On the flipside, we hear this so often it might as well be in the dictionary 'Be a man'. Telling men to be stronger, to stop crying, to suck it up and not let their emotions show. We refuse to allow men to have a weak side, a soft side, and then we complain that men don't have a weak side and a soft side. Stoicism and bottling up their emotions can't be good for a man, just like being seen as lesser and fragile certainly isn't good for a woman. I really want to check out #Likeaguy. See what always has to say about that.
DeleteBuwowski222
As a mother of three daughters the beginning of this video is disturbing to me. The stereotypical weakening of female’s self-esteem by demeaning them by saying they are “acting” like a girl. I love the end of the video, where it describes how girls shouldn’t be ashamed to run like a girl, because they are girls. I found it sad that even the girls who were asked to run like a girl did it in a very weak, humiliating way. But, when it was explained that this may hurt someone’s feelings, it changed their opinions. Why is it that we as a society teach and are taught that girls aren’t strong, aren’t fast, aren’t tough, aren’t winners? I like that when the boy was asked if he insulted his sister, he said no, not his sister, just girls. We need to increase self confidence and self-esteem and inner beauty to our young generation. Please keep running and scoring and finishing the race like a girl, because you are a girl. You are a strong, beautiful, smart, fast, incredible girl! I actually watched the “Like a guy” video as well. It was humiliating as well to some of the men. And if you watch it, you will notice that it seems that even they agree that women work harder in certain areas. I am not a feminist, but I do feel that there is a sense of laziness in men at some ages. I would think this would make them look weak. I wouldn’t be ashamed of acting “like a girl”, especially if I was being compared to “acting like a guy”. MommaJ789
ReplyDeleteI also watched the like a guy video. Very interesting to say the least. I would say it shows that there are some true inequalities amongst men and woman. The issue isn't in the differences, but how we treat them. I agree that we need to encourage self confidence and self-esteem and inter beauty to our younger generation. Both boys and girls struggle to fit into societies gender roles so much. So, to encourage self confidence we need to encourage self, and freedom of thought. We should not let our kids be bound by social norms. QuinkThick789
DeleteI also found it sad that even the girls ran in weak humiliating way. I think we need to promote self-acceptance and self-esteem so much to everyone younger because it seems that “like a girl” always starts so early on in life. I think girls need to know that it is okay to be run fast like a girl, maybe girls should just start looking at like a girl a good think because like the video said it is okay because they are a girl. EPIC789
DeleteThank you for sharing this video, Dr. White. This was something I've always thought about, and how wrong it is for this to be a common term in our culture. I've never thought that the way girls do things differently from males was a bad thing. But I have thought that the way most people perceive it is lesser is bad. The differences between males and females is fluent throughout the animal kingdom, and we must respect that. It is time to start seeing people as they actually are, not what society has made up. I believe that there is some inequalities amongst men and women and we should honor those and learn how to use each sex's skills for benefit, instead of oppositions. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I see it as the truth. Women are typically better at organizational and detail oriented jobs, while men are typically better at hard labor. If we stopped getting hung up on these inequalities, we could progress as a society. Like the girl in the video said, she is a girl so why would anyone get offended for someone saying "You _____ like a girl!" We need to stop destroying the confidence of girls during puberty. There are too many social stigmas of what girls and boys should be, shouldn't they just be themselves? Gender roles are a funny thing. Because when someone becomes independent and steps into their true self, usually they realize how silly some of the roles they were playing were. QuinkThick789
ReplyDeleteHow pervasive are the things we hear every day? It really impacted me, to see older girls purposely feigning like they could hardly run, even though they had strong, athletic looking bodies, just because they were told to pantomime 'running like a girl'. Moreso than a man doing it, moreso than a boy doing it. Because these women have absorbed this. They've heard this all their life. Media, family, friends, school, all the great influences of society pressing it into their heads. 'Girl means weak.' 'Girl means slow' 'Girl isn't good'. They believed it. And it breaks my heart a little that they didn't question it. That they didn't look that producer dead in the eye and run across that stage like they were going for an olympic medal. I hope some girls did, and they just didn't use that footage because it was counterproductive to their message. That's why the part that really tugged at my heartstrings was when they asked that young woman if she'd like a second chance to run, and she did. She ran so beautifully. Like a girl. When had she stopped seeing running like that as running like a female? Why had running to her full potential stopped being a feminine thing to do? Instead 'running like a girl' was something to mock, and everyone who did it smile and giggled like it was funny to even attempt. The little girls who ran, on the other hand? Straight face, complete concentration, they were running you down like you had committed a crime and they were about to tackle you and bring you to justice. They were serious about it. To the others, 'running like a girl' was a laughable concept. And when you see them do it, it is. I couldn't help but giggle when that little boy pranced around, but in reality- he had no clue what he was doing. He had no clue how this could effect the girls around him. He didn't really grasp how this was an insult, how this could hurt. Another girl mentioned that it 'sounded like it was humiliating', but she didn't know WHY. They're children, still learning about the world around them and taking social cues from their elders and the major social influences that they admire in media and in their peergroups. They're still building their opinions and perceptions on reality, and how information is presented to them is incredibly important.
ReplyDeleteBuwowski222
It all comes to gender inequality where women are perceived to be weak therefore not capable of doing the same kind of work than men “men is the right way” the reality is that women are capable of doing the same work of men and sometimes even better because they pay more attention to details than men. Doing the same work that men do but getting paid the same because of the gender inequality this is an inherited problem that comes way back when women didn't have rights to vote or work doing the same type jobs that men did. Koi789
Delete“Why can’t run like a girl also mean win the race?” That sentence really has such a powerful meaning to it. Growing up and always playing sports, I always heard people say things and ending it with “like a girl.” I never stopped to think about why doing things “like a girl” is considered a bad thing, when really it is just no different than what the boy is doing. I think these kinds of things are taught at home, that men are supposed to be stronger and girls are supposed to be softer hearted and not be physically strong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a girl! It was interesting to me that even the one girl ran all weird when they said to run like a girl, same with the little boy. Even someone who is a girl still is taught to have this mindset of what exactly a girl is supposed to look like when she is doing something. When the little boy said he has not insulted his sister spoke a million words because to him he was taught that being a girl is weak and proper, when really, we are all the same. Being a girl or boy should not come with “expectations” you should be able to do whatever without someone labeling something behind of it. EPIC789
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to me to see how they reacted when they where told to act like a girl in different things and they decided to do it in almost in an insulting-like way because that is was the stereotyping of that's what girls do because they are the weak gender and man always do things as man-like way. I think about this and I can only infer that this an inherited way of thinking because women didn't have the same power making decision or taking action about their own decisions because they where meant to take care of the house and bare children while the men where working to provide for the family. Now when they where asked what was running like a girl fighting like girl like. Their response was complete different and realized that the times have changed for good and that women can do the same things that a men do and that women may have different ways of getting the same type of work done but to be proud of doing as long as the result is the same or even better the style doesn't matter if it gets done. Society is changing in this regard slowly but surely even when we see gender inequality about paying jobs that men and women are doing but the men gets paid more just because they are men. Koi789
ReplyDelete