femininity is overrated

There are many words to describe me, but feminine is not one of them. As far back as I can remember, I have never been a real girly girl. I mean, I played with barbies of course, but most of the time they just ended up in the bedroom. Let's just say Ken was a very happy man. Some may say that this was because I watched Lifetime movies with my mom from the age five. If you have ever seen these movies, you should know that they can get pretty racy, their main audience being lonely housewives. This could be why my barbies were less than classy, but I doubt it. I just thought that is was funny.

When I think of my childhood, the things that stand out the most is the fort my friends and I built in the woods near my house. It wasn't one of those "No boys allowed" forts, mainly because I built it with boys. There were bugs and dirt, but this is where a good portion of my summer was spent.

I also remember my bike. I loved my bike. Hot pink and purple with shiny tassels. Classic girl bike, but its appearance was the only girly thing about it. I mainly used it for racing the neighborhood boys. I didn’t have anything against the girls, it’s just that the girls never provided me with enough of a challenge. I also remember this dirt track my friends and I found. I can't count the hours I spent on that thing, pretending I was racing motor-cross bikes or whatever they're called, that is until I got yelled at by some angry old person for being on their property. Yeah, rebel even at that age.

My legs tell novels I don't think there is a spot on them that hasn't been darkened by a wound now turned scar. Most of them are from my clumsiness, but a lot of them date back to my childhood. I was an adventurous one, I don't think I ever didn't have a band-aide on me. It was never one of those girl band-aides either with princesses and hello kitty, straight brown, keep it simple. I would rather have left it open, but you know how moms are. The battle wounds never did keep me away from the trees taller than buildings or an aggressive game of tag.

I would get lost on my grandparents farm, walking to the nearby cemetery or picking boysenberries. I remember trying to coerce the pigs to come over to me, stealing food from the fridge. This was highly forbidden, playing with the pigs. But could rules ever really stop me? It was hard to hide when you came back smelling like crap though.

In short, I was a tomboy. I shied away from girlie things, and excelled in boy activities. But, I bet a lot of girls were tomboys when they were children. The only difference between them and me is that they grew out of it. 

I guess I have just recently been noticing it. Perhaps this is because we are almost adults, and more and more girls are acting lady like. But like a lot of other things, that’s boring. I can act like a lady if I want to. I can cross my legs, avoid burping, and talk about how I plan on marrying a rich doctor, but I’d be much happier slouching in my chair, belching the ABC’s, and not marrying at all. In short, I am not a girl.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a vagina and everything, but like my bikes’ appearance, that’s about the only girl thing about me. It seems that recently, I have been getting a lot of crap for this. Comments like, ‘Why can’t you be more like a girl’ and ‘Why are you such a boy’. I guess people are starting to notice what I have known all along. But is that so bad? I'm happy this way, or comfortable at least. 

I make farting jokes, ask my guys friends if they hit that, and I’d rather watch a game of baseball than desperate housewives. I’m crude, unrefined, and perhaps the missing link to the definition of vulgar. But If being a girl means being what I’m not, then I’m perfectly content being one of the guys. 

peace.