Being a woman comes with its own culture. Women ex- ist in all different ethnicities and religious groups, and they have culture within that, but just being a woman comes with a community.
That look that girls give other girls when they don’t feel safe, every woman knows exactly what it means, that’s our language. The so-called “Girl Dinner,” that’s our cuisine. So many girls trek through life without knowing that there will always be a culture behind her that has experienced the same exact thing, that she is not alone.
Addie McCreadie, a freshman at CHS, has seen first- hand the unity amongst girls strengthen since the release of the “Barbie” movie this summer. In the movie there are powerful messages on what it means to be a woman in a man’s world, and showcases common experiences that most women face, whether it’s mansplaining or sim- ply not knowing what you are made for. The “Barbie” movie created a sense of community.
“The ‘Barbie’ movie can connect to women in the world. It’s really special that we can have a sense of com- munity,” McCreadie said. “There is this unspoken thing of supporting each other. Especially with the inequali- ties that women will face in the world. You’re born with this built in sisterhood, girlhood.”
Before watching the “Barbie” movie McCreadie didn’t think very often about her female support system, but after she took the time to examine how being a girl has shaped her life. The wave of social media support for women following the movie sparked her realization that girls do have an unspoken community.
“It was eye opening for me to see how the “Barbie” movie has impacted other people and how even when I don’t realize it impacts me,” McCreadie said.
The “Barbie” movie not only brought out teenage girls but also every generation of women flocking to theaters to watch the movie. From babies to elderly women, the movie gave a voice to all women. Being a part of girl- hood doesn’t mean currently being an adolescent girl, but rather it’s a community that connects women to each other. No matter your age, even if you’re 102 you’re still going to be a part of girlhood, you’ll always have a place there.
There is always going to be an older generation of women to learn from. For me, it was my Abuelita who was the most important woman in my life. She taught me not just what it’s like to be a girl, but also what it means to be Latina.
The biggest lesson I ever learned from her was that you keep moving forward, even if you aren’t on the path you need to be on yet, you don’t dwell in the past because
that does nothing for your future.
My grandmother moved her family from Utuado,
Puerto Rico to New York City in the 70’s, after her youngest son (my father) was taken from her. The move wasn’t easy, she had two young children, spoke no En- glish and worked in a tile factory just to be able to pro- vide for her children, all while dealing with the loss of a child.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
She made a life so my aunt and uncle could go to college, own a house and have the future she always dreamed of for her children. And even after her death, I don’t think anyone will ever be able to teach me more than she did. Her story is the definition of what being a woman means to me.
Growing up being the youngest of three girls Mc- Creadie always had plenty of female role models in her life, but her twin pillars of strength have been her two older sisters, Kaitlin and Elle.
“I kind of got an idea of how the world works before I even experienced it,” McCreadie said. “My sisters taught me to know my worth and how I should be treated. They really set a strong foundation for me to learn from them but also be who I am.”
McCreadie has spent her entire life trying to be like her sisters even when they pushed her out of her com- fort zone. She distinctly remembers ice cream days with them. Her sisters would order first then make McCreadie order something different than what they got, teaching her independence and to speak up for herself. But ice cream isn’t the only thing that her sisters took her out of her comfort zone for; they made a constant effort to give McCreadie the chance to speak for herself.
“Choosing what ice cream flavor you choose doesn’t really matter, but it set me up for bigger things so I can choose what I want to do with my life,” McCreadie said.
There’s always going to be someone out there looking out for you when you’re a girl. Even in a world that feels like it’s against you, you have all these women that are holding you up and supporting you. McCreadie believes that the unique side of girlhood is that even if you don’t like someone or don’t even know them, if they are in trouble you will be there for them.
“If they’re going through something, if you see they’re in an unsafe situation girls put aside their other thoughts and really focus on women supporting women and be- ing that support system for them,” McCreadie said.
No matter the trials and tribulations that come with being a woman, girls will always find a home within the walls of girlhood.
