(17, VA, USA) Anonymous - Girlhood

Girlhood. One of the most confusing, roller coaster rides of my life. With its ups and downs, goods and bads, it is truly one of the greatest pleasures. The female experience is a joyride of emotions, and although parts of it can be terrifying and scary and make you wish you never existed, it is all worth it. When people think of girlhood, they think of being moody on our periods and having mind-consuming period pains. Which…they aren’t wrong but there is so much more behind closed doors. Women are truly so inspiring, they have and continue to make impacts on our future for generations. To all the little girls and women out there, you are so much more than your face or your body, or whatever makes you think you are less than. We live now in a generation where everything can become possible, in a generation where young minds are blooming. You will make a difference, being a woman is your greatest gift, not your curse. I can’t expect anyone to ever completely understand what being a girl is like, unless you are one. It is almost impossible to tell someone about what it means to live and breathe as a woman. You just have to experience it, explaining it just does not give it justice. But we can try… Girlhood is…loving your friends with your whole, raw heart. From using each other's lip gloss, running barefoot together, having code names for people, compliments, to sharing wardrobes, doing makeup together, and simply existing together in the same universe at the same moment. Girlhood is sitting in the bathroom on the floor while your friend showers just to keep her company. It is the hair tie on our wrist that we did not buy ourselves. It is using your big girl money that you earned yourself, to buy things that heal your inner child. It is trusting one another to watch our drinks on a night out and keep each other safe. It’s the random poses we all make when “discreetly” checking our friend to make sure she is good. It is celebrating each other's wins and always being down for a girls night when we lose. It is talking all night about falling in love when in reality, we are the love story. But girlhood is also having to lock your car doors while getting gas alone. It is everyone automatically assuming we’re on our periods when we feel any type of big emotion. It is the fear of walking at night without protection. It is never getting taken seriously because you are a girl. It is destroying yourself until you fit society’s unrealistic standards for you. It is healing your mothers trauma while healing your own at the same time. It is doing everything around the house while your brother gets to play video games. It is getting scolded for doing anything remotely unladylike. Being a woman is a spectrum of emotions. We suffer, but we also win so many things. We share unconditional love with one another and that is the beauty of it all. A woman’s body has been home to many human beings who have grown up and impacted their generation. We may not all be sisters by blood, but as women, we are all sisters by heart. Women are half the earth’s population, and yet our experiences are somehow so sacred. So to all the little girls still in girlhood, and to all the powerful women in womanhood, you are magnificent and will do so many wonders.