“Run like a girl”: How the Culture around Athletic Women Needs to Shift

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Throughout my childhood, I consistently heard the phrases “You run like a girl” or “You fight like a girl.” Surprisingly, this language was not only heavily used by boys, but by women as well, and started as young as elementary school. Ideas of gender stereotypes begin at a young age and continue to impact our self-worth as we grow older. “You run like a girl” is used as an insult, a way to antagonize femininity. No matter which gender utilizes it, the message is harmful.

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This phrase stems from deep-rooted stereotypes of athletic women, implying women cannot live up to the expectations of putting their all into athletic movements. There is a negative connotation surrounding femininity, painting it out to be weak and powerless. How could you be feminine and also be athletic and strong?  Women go through their whole lives having to constantly prove themselves and their work ethic because of this sentiment of feminine weakness that has been ingrained into society. The false dichotomy of being athletic or feminine has led people to think they are mutually exclusive traits. This false impression has come from a long history of women's abilities being constantly overshadowed. The idea that women are powerless has been implemented in our society for centuries.  Looking to the past, women didn't gain the right to vote until 1920 and didn’t have marital or economic independence until the 1840s; this had to be reaffirmed with the passing of Title VII in 1974. Title VII banned any employers from failing to hire, creating a hostile environment, or firing anyone based on sex, race, religion, or national origin.

These stereotypes have not only been externally reinforced but have also extended to women internalizing these beliefs themselves. The continuous push and pull between challenging these stereotypes while also trying to find beauty in femininity can be draining. With women’s capabilities being constantly undermined by hurtful notions of womanhood, we find ourselves being judged by a predetermined bias of what women should be. People use feminine characteristics as an insult without stopping to consider the negative weight it places on women and our self-image.

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“You [insert activity] like a girl” is one of the most common displays of this concept. It creates an association between doing a typically athletic activity as a woman and doing it incorrectly or with frailness. This highlights the discrimination of women in sports and makes it clear that doing any activity “like a girl” is seen as distasteful. In reality, doing something “like a girl” should be seen as empowering and associated with doing an action with maximum effort. The feminine hygiene brand Always launched an ad campaign tackling the issue this phrase brings to women's self-worth. They launched commercials where they spoke to girls and young adults about how they viewed the phrase “like a girl.” The campaign displayed individuals being asked to do certain motions “like a girl” compared to the way little girls would do those same movements. While the older individuals would do the movements in a frail manner,  the young girls would run or hit to the best of their ability. The commercials clearly illustrated the impact negative stereotypes have on women and their impression of their skills as they get older. The campaign brought up the question:

“Why can’t run like a girl also mean win the race?”

Strike Out,

Author: Emily Montarroyos

Editor: Cristina Angee

Tallahassee