ReneeH20
Full Member
Posts: 452
Jun 28, 2014 16:00:48 GMT
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Post by ReneeH20 on Jul 2, 2014 15:35:09 GMT
This reminds me of a conversation I had with a young female engineer co-worker. She was pretty fresh out of college and insisted there is no longer any discrimination against women because she had never experienced any.
I am old enough (46) to remember this phrase as a huge put down to ones athletic abilities. I am old enough to remember not being allowed to play hockey because girls weren't allowed to. So I did figure skating instead. I remember my sister and I being the only girls in the t-ball league in the 70's. No girls leagues back then. I am grateful for Title 9 and all the opportunities we now have for daughters.
Words are important and can wound more deeply than blows. I have seen those shirts "X like a girl" when my DD did sports (she's 20 now). I see it as trying to take back the meaning and make it positive.
I guess it's kind of good there are women that have never heard those phrases, but at the same time I think we have to remind them of how far we've come as women.
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Post by dynalady on Jul 2, 2014 18:34:48 GMT
That. I'm old. I fought long and hard for a lot of the progress that women have made over the years. It really scares me that so many of the things we had to fight for are now so taken for granted that they are being allowed to slip away.
To the point of the thread, regardless of how anyone was raised, the fact is that the phrase "like a girl" has always been meant as an insult.What is new is girls now turning it around and using it to show pride and power in what they can do. I like that!
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,215
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Jul 2, 2014 18:53:09 GMT
"Like a boy" is a compliment. When I was in P.E. and the girls played football, I played QB because I could throw "like a boy". Like a boy has never been an insult.
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scrappammie
Junior Member
Posts: 78
Jun 25, 2014 21:31:40 GMT
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Post by scrappammie on Jul 2, 2014 21:44:10 GMT
My parents raised me as an equal to boys. But I also grew up in the real world where 'like a girl' was never used as a compliment. It seems like the people in the video grew up in that world too. --Dalai Mama
For someone so comfortable in their own skin, it's a little thin.
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Post by pierkiss on Jul 2, 2014 21:53:27 GMT
The phrase "just like a girl" is offensive when put into the context it is most often used. To say, "she throws like a girl" or "she runs like a girl" implies that she is doing it improperly and silly. That her effort isn't good enough, and that she shouldn't even try because in the end, it will never be as good as the way a boy does it.
I used to play softball. And let me tell you, hearing you throw like a girl is one hell of an insult, and will likely get a ball thrown very hard in your direction.
I am amazed that you don't see the phrase "just like a girl" as an insult. It's been one for as long as I can remember, and I'm 33. I'm pretty sure it was around before I was born.
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Post by Kelpea on Jul 2, 2014 22:02:05 GMT
Just watched the vid again. And I have to say, so many of you are not understanding the context of it.
Basically they ask younger girls, those who have perhaps not been as exposed to the real world as much as a teen girl, how to run like a girl. They run like crazy! No affectations, no silliness; just running like they're on the playground and they just kicked a ball for dodge ball.
Same question posed to the teen girls? They're hesitant. They're self-conscious. They don't really know how to run like they used to because they are changed by their perceptions of them by others during the oh-so-turbulent teen/tween years.
So yeah, it's definitely an ad about how girls are affected by society's perception of their strength. It's a pretty straight-shooting video at that.
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janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,641
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
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Post by janeliz on Jul 2, 2014 22:39:25 GMT
It's a fantastic commercial. So powerful.
I am surprised by those who say they've never heard anyone use "like a girl" as an insult. I thought that was pretty common. Shitty, but common.
Just last weekend, a mom from my youngest daughter's softball team yelled to her daughter "stop throwing like a girll!" This girl had just made an incomplete throw from 3rd to 1st (hardly an unusual event in an 8U softball game). That was disappointing, to say the least.
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paget
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,009
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:39 GMT
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Post by paget on Jul 2, 2014 22:44:03 GMT
I know it's used as an insult but I don't let that crap define me or my girls. I'm proud to be a girl and I can play basketball and a million other things better than plenty of people including guys. If someone told Me to throw like I girl I'd say "ok, I'll throw awesome" and then do so. In my world it's awesome to be a girl and we are proud of it.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 19, 2024 21:30:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 22:49:22 GMT
I know it's used as an insult but I don't let that crap define me or my girls. I'm proud to be a girl and I can play basketball and a million other things better than plenty of people including guys. If someone told Me to throw like I girl I'd say "ok, I'll throw awesome" and then do so. In my world it's awesome to be a girl and we are proud of it. Paget, I agree with you. Unfortunately, believing this way doesn't make the phrase any less insulting when it's used almost exclusively as an insult.
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Post by tinafb on Jul 2, 2014 22:51:01 GMT
I've heard my own sons say one of their brothers is acting "like a girl" and believe me, they're not using it as a compliment. It was when one of their brothers was whining and complaining about not getting his turn on the x-box. They stopped very quickly when I said, "And just what's wrong with being a girl? How is that an insult? Is there something wrong with me since I'm a girl?" Since they know that I lift weights, can outrun any of them, and am the more emotionally stable parent, they shut up real quick. I haven't heard them say it since.
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Post by happymom on Jul 3, 2014 0:34:30 GMT
I saw the "like a girl" on facebook but didn't realize it was sponsored by always. I guess I am in the minority but I thought it was offensive to tell girls that grown women mKe fun of them and their skills, attributes And talents.
I wouldn't want the young confident girls In My life to see that rubbish.
It is like making a commercial about not saying the "R" word- would we show that to children with special needs?
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Jul 3, 2014 2:23:05 GMT
I don't really understand the term "new trending slur", but it's not new... it's been around forever and it's never been used in a positive way. I was raised by very pro-equality, feminist parents, and while no one ever told me it was an insult, I've always known and felt it was. I agree some of the shirts/phrases are "taking back" the insult, and I think that's a good thing, but just because it's finally made it's way to a national advertisement doesn't make it a new insult. I don't know if I'm right, but I am interpreting "trending slur" to mean that it is being addressed now. Thankfully, some women are pointing out that it isn't ok to say. Not that it will go away any time soon, but hopefully little girls will be empowered to mentally dismiss and disregard people who use that phrase. At least, I hope so. Yes, that is what I meant about 'trending slur'. this came across my news feed on my phone and computer and I had never heard it before! So it is trending and new to me!
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jul 3, 2014 3:10:44 GMT
My ice hockey playing daughters favourite shirt says "You wish you played like a girl".
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Post by mirabelleswalker on Jul 3, 2014 3:34:20 GMT
I saw the "like a girl" on facebook but didn't realize it was sponsored by always. I guess I am in the minority but I thought it was offensive to tell girls that grown women mKe fun of them and their skills, attributes And talents. I wouldn't want the young confident girls In My life to see that rubbish. It is like making a commercial about not saying the "R" word- would we show that to children with special needs? Grown women were not making fun of girls. They were demonstrating what people mean when they say "like a girl." Just because they were willing to go through the motions doesn't mean that they were participating in the degradation. I think they were probably equally disheartened by their own demonstrations and what they mean societally. If you think that those young women were making fun of girls, I really think you missed the point.
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AmeliaBloomer
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,842
Location: USA
Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Jul 3, 2014 4:31:33 GMT
I once had words with a 20 year-old neighbor playing catch with his much younger brother in front of my house. Big brother continually jeered "Girl!" "Little girlie," "Do you need a pink mitt, Honey?" when he thought a throw or catch was sub-par. My young daughter was within earshot, as were other girls. Burned my britches, so I asked him to stop. He was flabbergasted. Thought I was crazy.
My objection had nothing at all to do with political correctness. If Big Brother had been hurling racial epithets in response to poor throwing, I would have reacted the same.
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AmeliaBloomer
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,842
Location: USA
Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Jul 3, 2014 4:39:58 GMT
Recently, I've noticed a decided uptick in the expression "Crying like a little girl" - on TV shows, by radio commentators (especially sports radio), and in real life conversations. I've also read it - mostly on the web. I'm around college-aged kids alot, and it's surfaced there.
Usage is among adults, describing other adults of both genders. (Literal or figurative crying.) I'm waiting to hear "Crying like a little boy." Maybe it's out there, but I haven't heard/read it. Why is that?
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Post by elaine on Jul 3, 2014 4:43:24 GMT
That. I'm old. I fought long and hard for a lot of the progress that women have made over the years. It really scares me that so many of the things we had to fight for are now so taken for granted that they are being allowed to slip away. To the point of the thread, regardless of how anyone was raised, the fact is that the phrase "like a girl" has always been meant as an insult.What is new is girls now turning it around and using it to show pride and power in what they can do. I like that! Yes! That is what I tried to say earlier in this thread, but not as eloquently.
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Post by lucyg on Jul 3, 2014 17:09:03 GMT
I don't understand all of this back and forth about it. It doesn't matter if you've never heard the term before or if you didn't realize it was meant as an insult or even if you contort your brain into explaining why it really isn't an insult at all. It doesn't matter if you try to downplay the negativity by calling the objections "political correctness."
The fact remains that it is (and has been for generations) intended and used as a put down toward boys and girls, men and women, and it HAS wormed its way into how girls and women view themselves. Maybe not you in particular, but society in general.
I love the t-shirts and posters and slogans that show girls are taking back the words and making them work for us instead of against us.
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,215
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Jul 3, 2014 17:15:48 GMT
I am tired of the phrase politically incorrect as well. I would like to think people are becoming enlightened and recognize that what you say can be insensitive, racist, rude, hateful, etc. Just because people used to say it, doesn't make it okay. It would be nice to see phrases just disappear.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 19, 2024 21:30:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 17:30:19 GMT
I am tired of the phrase politically incorrect as well. I would like to think people are becoming enlightened and recognize that what you say can be insensitive, racist, rude, hateful, etc. Just because people used to say it, doesn't make it okay. It would be nice to see phrases just disappear. Agree. And honestly I don't believe that some have never heard it used negatively. Just don't buy it at all.
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Post by maryland on Jul 3, 2014 17:35:51 GMT
I would think it is a compliment (but I am a Redskins fan). My girls play on co-ed soccer teams and I have to say, the girls are way tougher, more aggressive (not a good thing in this case, they play dirtier than the boys do), and less fearful than many of the boys. We have had our team with half girls play an all boys team (with boys on the high school soccer team) and we win. So to me, "like a girl" means a better athlete.
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Post by swtpeasmom on Jul 3, 2014 17:54:34 GMT
The commercial hit me hard - not sure why, but it did. I'm glad they made it. How anyone has not heard the phrase "like a girl" in a negative light, is beyond me. In case anyone hasn't seen the video: Commercial for "Like A Girl"
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 19, 2024 21:30:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2014 19:40:50 GMT
Just saw a tweet with a picture of a spider on the top of a man's computer monitor, with the comment, "I screamed like a little girl when I saw this." I have a little boy and I guarantee you he can scream with the best of them, but I've never heard anyone say, "I screamed like a little boy" to mean something scared/startled them and they overreacted. Why is that, you think?
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Post by greenlegume on Jul 3, 2014 19:54:09 GMT
My parents raised me as an equal to boys. But I also grew up in the real world where 'like a girl' was never used as a compliment. It seems like the people in the video grew up in that world too. --Dalai Mama For someone so comfortable in their own skin, it's a little thin. So true !
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AmeliaBloomer
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,842
Location: USA
Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Jul 4, 2014 0:07:31 GMT
Just last weekend, a mom from my youngest daughter's softball team yelled to her daughter "stop throwing like a girll!" Lovely.
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Dalai Mama
Drama Llama
La Pea Boheme
Posts: 6,985
Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Jul 4, 2014 0:38:20 GMT
Just last weekend, a mom from my youngest daughter's softball team yelled to her daughter "stop throwing like a girll!" Oh my f#%^!
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