I had never given much thought to why I preferred to dress “comfortable” or in baggy clothes. Ever since I was a child, I specifically chose clothes that were big on me and avoided clothes that had pink or purple in them. Growing up I loved to play sports, first it was football, and then it was basketball. When I played football with my cousins, I wouldn’t mind diving for the ball and landing on the ground because being covered in dirt did not phase me. I took pride in the scars and bruises I had, whether it be from falling off my bike or a scrape from sliding on my knees. One moment sticks out to me when I think of my preferred style and how it relates to our recent moxie week on girl’s empowerment.
During picture day in elementary school, it must’ve been 4th or 5th grade, I wanted to wear my Dallas Cowboys jersey. The Dallas Cowboys are my favorite sports team and I’ve been a dedicated fan since I was born.
I distinctly remember at the time that I was nervous to wear my Cowboys jersey because it wasn’t normal. Girls always dressed nice, in a dress or a skirt and curled their hair, but I wanted to wear my jersey. I didn’t want to be restricted by a dress and I thought my picture would be cooler than my classmates. Reflecting on it now, I was nervous because this was not the norm. I believe that this relates to the theme of our 6th week of Moxie, when we spoke about girl’s empowerment. At a young age, even though I was not aware of it, I decided to not be restricted by my gender norms, and decided to wear what I wanted. I felt empowered at a young age and attribute that to my success in both school and sports. I’m not saying that girls dressing how they want is the only type of empowerment, but for me it worked. Exploring gender roles is a normal part of growing up, but I feel that it was acceptable for me to explore while it may not be the same for boys. I feel that empowerment for girls can often be hindered by what they’re expected to do or wear, but along with freedom to develop as they wish helps shape a strong and confident woman.
In my work placement, my coworker told me that she was in charge of planning a baby shower for her friend and that she was having a hard time making the shower gender neutral. She intentionally avoided pinks and blues, but despite this she had a hard time finding decorations and gifts that fit the theme. Listening to this, I was prompted to reflect on how early we are socialized. In the womb, individuals are subject to societal expectations that are gendered and rooted in sexism and patriarchy. And by the time we are old enough to develop our own cohesive thoughts there is already so much to unlearn.
I’m glad that you felt empowered to push the boundaries of gender norms as you were a kid! I have hope that as time goes on, society will begin to remove barriers and expectations and make space for people to truly live self-determined lives.