“I’m just a girl.”
In the vast landscape of social media trends, one recurring phrase has caught the attention of many: “I’m just a girl.” It’s a seemingly innocuous statement used by Gen Z girls when they’re faced with challenges and expectations they would rather avoid. However, abdicating responsibility with the excuse of being “just a girl” undermines decades of hard-fought battles against gender stereotypes. And beneath its casually humorous appeal lies a very troubling reality; one that contradicts the very nature of the progress we’ve made as a society in the ongoing fight towards gender equality.
“I’m just a girl.” These four simple words, which subtly abdicate responsibility, belittle abilities, and acknowledge outdated gender norms, continue to be a dangerous trend among Gen Z. How can such a trend persist in an era when feminism has become a slogan for empowerment and equality? How can a society that seems so focused on achieving equality and dismantling gender-based stereotypes allow itself to indulge in a phrase that so blatantly undermines our progress? We are so open-minded, claiming that no one should be discriminated against and that we can do anything, yet why are we so easily fooled by such a social media trend? We as a society tend to thoroughly analyze every piece of news and focus on the who, why, and when of everything, but we are definitely missing the bigger picture when it comes to this trend that clearly discredits women.
We have our first female Vice President, but is there still something “we girls” can’t do? We can vote. We can hold CEO positions. We can run for office. But we can’t be expected to be financially literate, because suddenly “I’m just a girl” becomes an excuse to avoid responsibility. We need to wake up as a society and discredit such movements. Otherwise, we will discredit our progressive culture and as a result, our voice will become disjointed. We hold rallies and campaigns for the right to be leaders, we ask men to treat us equally, we want to be financially independent, but when faced with a challenge, we simply say “I can’t do it, I’m just a girl.” This has a huge impact on today’s culture by taking us back to history. If we can’t stay organized, can’t decide what we want, and are only half-capable, how can we expect to be respected when we are clearly “just girls”?
Consider this: According to a study conducted by Status of Women Data, women make up nearly half (46.8%) of the U.S. workforce. Yet, despite this progress, trends like “I’m just a girl” still thrive. As we dig deeper into these nonsensical statements, it becomes increasingly clear that their impact goes beyond social media conversations. Every “I’m just a girl” statement subtly reinforces gender stereotypes — perpetuating the idea that women are less capable, less competent, and less worthy of agency. In a world where the legacies of pioneers like Susan B. Anthony and Ruth Bader Ginsburg loom large, how can we justify a return to the stereotypes they fought tirelessly to dismantle? The very issues these women fought for are being undermined by the “I’m just a girl” narrative, where women belittle themselves and their capabilities. Ginsburg fought for women’s rights in a landmark discrimination case, while Anthony argued tirelessly for women’s suffrage, arguing that women have the same intellectual capabilities and inalienable rights as men. By succumbing to the fashionable stereotype of “I’m just a woman,” we ultimately discredit Ginsburg and Anthony, who challenged the status quo and advocated for change to eliminate the notion of women as inferior.
A major issue that is destroying the legacy of pioneers like Ginsburg and Anthony is that the phrase “I’m just a girl” is used primarily by women themselves, which may seem to some as a reason for its acceptability. However, this actually strengthens the argument for its harmfulness. The trend has surfaced on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, but is also widely used on TikTok, the birthplace of videos using the phrase “I’m just a girl.” TikTok users use different variations of this trend, such as “I wear mascara just to get him to snap back,” “I shop online during class,” “I spend $10 on a Starbucks coffee,” and “I have five pairs of the same leggings,” and tack all of these on at the end with “Because I’m just a girl,” as if that absolves them of making poor choices. To say we do something “because I’m just a girl” is to belittle our actions and undermine our capabilities. Does being “just a girl” mean that we have to shop online during class and devalue our education? By engaging in such behavior, we are self-deprecating and reinforcing outdated stereotypes.
In essence, this “funny” and seemingly harmless trend is undermining women’s confidence in their capabilities and reinforcing gender-based discrimination. No one should be allowed to hide behind “I’m just a girl” because it perpetuates the idea that there is a difference between men and women in terms of capabilities. While this trend may make us laugh, we must be vigilant and watchful of trends that can lead us down a dangerous path. We need to stop phrases like “I’m just a girl, so don’t expect me to be able to do it” from becoming commonplace. We are better than that, stronger than that, and capable of anything we want to achieve. We must not allow ourselves to be discredited, especially by our own words. It is time to fight the idea that women are somehow inferior and strive for a society where women do not feel compelled to devalue themselves with four simple, degrading words. We are creating inequality ourselves and it must stop.
the study
- https://msmagazine.com/2020/12/29/ms-top-feminists-2020/
- https://statusofwomendata.org/earnings-and-the-gender-wage-gap/womens-labor-force-participation/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02690/full
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9871900/
- https://www.hercampus.com/school/bristol/im-just-a-girl-should-we-be-worried-about-this-tik-tok-trend/
- https://chatgpt.com/c/030fdecd-6c42-4c93-8c4e-fedfc99d625b
