I’m Just A Girl

I am strong, I am independent, I am enough, and I am just a girl

By Gabriella Di Dea 

“I’m just a girl” is the newest trending phrase that is all over the internet. 

Some may see this phrase and shake their heads in disappointment. They might say that women are taking a step back by not reclaiming their identities as independent and able-bodied. Perhaps they think that women are turning back time and regressing in terms of women’s freedom, rights, and overall respect. 

However, I think they’re wrong. 

I think “I’m just a girl” does exactly the opposite. It pokes fun at dated misogynistic ideologies in a satirical way. As a girl who uses this phrase quite often, I’m not saying that because I’m a girl, I cannot do or am not capable of the task at hand. Instead, I’m saying that even if I’m failing at something miserably, I’m choosing to see the humor in it by saying that it is because “I’m just a girl.” 

I am making the executive choice to transform this part of my identity that was once weaponized as an insult against me, to see through the obstacle I am facing and find lightheartedness in it, to make my experience into a humorous anecdote. 

While it isn’t the most feminist saying to grace the internet, it does tie together girls in some way, as we share these common experiences—whether that’s indulging in stereotypically “girly things” like wearing makeup or not wanting to take the trash out. 

And I have to admit: I do like wearing makeup, and I don’t like taking the trash out. I refuse to deny these personal traits solely for the sake of not wanting to seem like I’m misogynistic or anti-feminist. None of these things make me any less of a strong, independent woman. 

In fact, I am both: I am a strong, independent woman, and I am also just a girl (and I love claiming both of these identities).

In this debate, I’m reminded of Amy March’s monologue in Little Women, where she states that she is just a woman. She says this with an overwhelming sense of sadness weighing down her speech. And to that, I say, yes, she is a just woman, and that is just enough. 

Rather, she is enough, and so much more. 

So, the next time you face a minor inconvenience, I encourage you to see the humor in it and say, “I am just a girl.” If someone tries to make you feel like you’re being regressive regarding women’s rights and belittling the status of women in society, remind them that they, too, are just girls.