Week Two Blog Post

What it means to be a girl, and how a girl is "supposed" to be a girl, are two different things. Society often tells us what a girl is "supposed" to be but that by no means actually carries any merit. In today's society girls are often told that they should be polite, obedient, pretty, and sweet. By societies standards these are the qualities that make a girl a girl. I have always felt what it means to be a girl is personal to each individual girl. No one can tell you the things you are "supposed" to do or the things you are "supposed" to believe, in order to make you who you are.

In The Sound Of Music the song that the characters Maria and Liesl sing discusses how the sixteen year old should approach dating and getting married. In the song it explains that a young girl must wait and be patient until the right man comes along and makes you his. This song basically says that a girl must prepare her whole life and wait for the day that she is taken as a bride and becomes a mans property. To be fair the song is dated and a little innocent in its lyrics, but it still suggests the same stereotypical material, that girls greatest endeavor in life is securing a husband to take care of them. I believe we have made quite a lot of progress as women to prove this stereotype false, however I still see a lot of young girls who feel that securing a husband should be the most important thing to them. 

I grew up in a really close minded community where 95% of the community was made up of LDS families. In the LDS faith women are encouraged to stay home and to start thinking seriously about marriage at a young age. Unfortunately because of this stressed belief, many of my friends focused their attention on getting married, and many never pursued further education beyond high school. The idea that girls must seek out a husband is still out there, and it isn't only talked about in the LDS faith. There are a lot more women today who understand their potential extends far beyond receiving a wedding ring, but I think society still needs to keep moving. Being a girl should be all about expressing yourself in any way that you please, and becoming who you want to be, not who society tells you to be.