I'm Just A Girl
I remember last fall semester Kathryn telling me that there was going to be a new awesome women’s studies class offered in Cocoa and that we have to take it. When it came time to register for fall classes I immediately signed up for it, I did not even read the course description. I decided to look the course description up now to see what it actually says,
“Girls' Studies, an emerging field within Women's Studies, focuses on the material experiences of girls in U.S. and global cultures using academic and popular texts.”
Honestly, that does not even begin to give it justice. For me girls’ studies was so much more than focusing “on the material experiences of girls.” It was an opportunity to dissect how society and our culture constructs girlhood and relate it back to our own experiences.
While women’s studies allowed me to learn about the struggles I might be facing now or in the future, girls’ studies gave me answers to the struggles I faced as a girl.
The most exciting part of this class was just knowing that I was not alone. Girlhood is a scary, stressful, and confusing time now days and you can’t help but think that you are alone and no one else knows what you are going through. This class allowed us to have such an open and safe environment for us to share our experiences and the struggles we faced during girlhood. From toxic friends, to periods, to body image issues we were all able to relate to this class and our text.
One of my favorite things about this class was looking at all the great activism that young girls do now days. I can’t help but be envious of these little feminist girls who help write New Moon or the Youth Together Against AIDS group. Gosh when I was a young girl I was too busy focusing on what to wear. I only wish that I had some idea as to what feminism was.
My only one complaint about text for this class was the emphasis on the Spice Girls. Yes the Spice Girls were popular. Yes they did the whole Girl Power thing. But there are other popular girl bands besides them. While No Doubt may only have one girl in the band, she is the lead singer and she writes some awesome songs. Who didn’t drive around blasting “I’m Just A Girl” in the 90’s? I mean I still do it. I wish they would have mentioned that song rather than spending five chapters on the Spice Girls.
Being a girl is a wonderful thing and our society doesn’t seem to give it the respect that it deserves. After this class I’m proud to be a girl. As I said in my first post, I still can’t seem to identify as a “woman”-but I’m fine with that now. I never want to stop being a GRRRL!
“Girls' Studies, an emerging field within Women's Studies, focuses on the material experiences of girls in U.S. and global cultures using academic and popular texts.”
Honestly, that does not even begin to give it justice. For me girls’ studies was so much more than focusing “on the material experiences of girls.” It was an opportunity to dissect how society and our culture constructs girlhood and relate it back to our own experiences.
While women’s studies allowed me to learn about the struggles I might be facing now or in the future, girls’ studies gave me answers to the struggles I faced as a girl.
The most exciting part of this class was just knowing that I was not alone. Girlhood is a scary, stressful, and confusing time now days and you can’t help but think that you are alone and no one else knows what you are going through. This class allowed us to have such an open and safe environment for us to share our experiences and the struggles we faced during girlhood. From toxic friends, to periods, to body image issues we were all able to relate to this class and our text.
One of my favorite things about this class was looking at all the great activism that young girls do now days. I can’t help but be envious of these little feminist girls who help write New Moon or the Youth Together Against AIDS group. Gosh when I was a young girl I was too busy focusing on what to wear. I only wish that I had some idea as to what feminism was.
My only one complaint about text for this class was the emphasis on the Spice Girls. Yes the Spice Girls were popular. Yes they did the whole Girl Power thing. But there are other popular girl bands besides them. While No Doubt may only have one girl in the band, she is the lead singer and she writes some awesome songs. Who didn’t drive around blasting “I’m Just A Girl” in the 90’s? I mean I still do it. I wish they would have mentioned that song rather than spending five chapters on the Spice Girls.
Being a girl is a wonderful thing and our society doesn’t seem to give it the respect that it deserves. After this class I’m proud to be a girl. As I said in my first post, I still can’t seem to identify as a “woman”-but I’m fine with that now. I never want to stop being a GRRRL!
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