Naïve, passive, and soft: the stereotypical description of women. Despite the constant ignorant words being said daily, there is a hidden meaning of what it means to be a woman. It means love, comfort, obstacles, sadness, and happiness. To celebrate March, Women’s History Month, the students and staff at Charter shared what being a woman means to them:
“Being a girl means having to work a lot harder than we should because we’re perceived as not as strong or as smart as guys even though we are and have gone a long way. There are still some people who have old-time beliefs that women can’t do as much as men, so we have to fight for representation. For example, I only read books written by female authors because they are able to write women better than men.” – Morgan Bear, Freshman
“Being a girl is not complex but it is complex at the same time. Sometimes, I always sit in my room and just think ‘How would it be like to be a boy?’ No matter how hard and how much period pain I feel or the cramps that I feel, I’m still getting through; I’m still getting my grades up, and I’m still getting my work done. That just shows that being a girl does not make you weak, it makes you more pain resistant, it makes you more powerful mentally and physically, so being a girl is not that special but it’s special in its own way.” – Sheavitha Vijeyakumar, Sophomore
“Being a girl is about being strong and being able to stand up for yourself because sometimes people won’t take you seriously just because you’re a girl.”- Jada Garcon, Sophomore
“Well, I mean to me, being a girl is my whole life. We have power that guys don’t have, which I would say is one of my strongest assets… I love being feminine. I like being a girl. I think it’s because just being a girl is beautiful. I mean, being a guy is good in life, but they don’t experience things like we do. Like, we [women] can have strong friendships. I can connect with different types of people. They can’t. I could have the privilege of taking hours to get ready in the morning and be late. And I think women are just as capable as men are in a lot of aspects. There are things that we do that are better. There are things that women can do and there are things men can do, but I feel like we can do them as well.” – Alyna Hodgson Martinez, Senior
“A woman to me means being nurturing, caring, powerful, and motherly.”- Ms. McCormick, Science Teacher
With Women’s History Month becoming official in Mar. of 1987, women have been appreciated for all that they do. Mothers, for being the ones who brought us into the world and filling a big part of hearts. Women suffragists, for fighting and advocating for women so that they are entitled to the same rights as everyone else. Young girls, for not giving up on themselves because they were told that they could not be as good as anyone else.
To all the women and young girls out there: you are strong, rewarding, and you deserve to feel appreciated. Despite all the struggles that are—and will—continue to be thrown your way, don’t let them stop you from achieving your dreams.
