mean girls.

I hate being a girl. Being a girl means that you are constantly viewed for how pretty your features are. Being a girl means that you don’t know whether your friend is really your friend or not. Being a girl means that you constantly worry about not being good enough for the boy that is everything to you. I don’t know if being a girl is different for girls who don’t live in the Santa Clarita Valley. But if it is, those are some lucky girls. I have lived in SCV for all 17 years of my life. Since 7th grade, I have made new girl friends each year. Each of these girls had different personalities and behaviors. What they all had in common: fakeness. I was once on the inside of the “girl squad.” I heard it all and was a victim of it all. Becky would talk trash about how Ashley “was annoying and couldn’t stick to one guy,” but would comment on her Instagram selfie how pretty she was a day later. I learned that the girls who stand on top of the grass hill preach positivity on twitter but make fun of a girl’s outfit as she walks by. I have never understood girls and will never understand girls. Why these girls enjoyed acting differently to each others faces than they did behind each others backs, I could never comprehend. But what I did know, was that I did not want anything to do with those girls. I am not a girl stuck in high school popularity. I have bigger things to accomplish than worrying about what Tanya has to say about me. I have goals bigger than getting an invite to the Halloween party that “everyone” is going to. I do not consider myself to be one of the girls. I consider myself to be an educated young woman. I am a young woman who is bigger than what goes on inside my school’s gates. I am a young woman who has an opinion on Brett Kavanaugh rather than someone’s subtweet. I am a young woman who will tell you when I am bothered, rather than posting about you on my Finsta account. I am a woman who will stand-up for my friends, rather than agreeing with the false accusations that the girls create. I am a woman who is not conforming to “what is cool.” I am a woman who stands up for and work hard towards my passions. I may hate being a girl, but I am proud of being a young woman.

- g.w.