The Pros And Cons Of Growing Up A Tomboy

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Growing up a tomboy has made me the woman I am today. I love who I am, but I have not always loved the assumptions people made about me when they looked at my clothes or behavior. Growing up as a tomboy does not contribute to the regular gender norms of femininity and masculinity. In this paper, I will synthesize two articles written by Aaron Devor and Mariah Burton Nelson and explain how they relate to me growing up as a tomboy. Growing up a tomboy had its pros and cons. It was always a plus to be able to dominate the handle- ball court at recess, and at a certain time in my like it was the biggest compliment to be considered “one of the boys.” Being a tomboy gave me a strong platform to be competitive, aggressive, and tough. It also helped contribute to my very comfortable fashion sense. One con of being a tomboy was that I always felt a bit left out from my two older sisters. They were extremely girly, playing with dolls, dress-up, or using an easy bake oven. Just because I was a tomboy my sisters falsely assumed I Softball, also taught me how to play by the social norms. While trying to avoid the assumptions of being labeled a tomboy I unintentionally played the femininity game. Mariah Burton Nelson wrote about the femininity game in the article I Won. I’m Sorry. “Most female women play the femininity game to some extent, using femininity as a defense, a shield against accusation such as bitch, man –hater, lesbian. Feminine behavior and attire mitigate against the affront of female victory, soften by hard edges of winning” (526). As I grew older I learned, to use femininity when the occasion called for it. I was still extremely competitive, but I made sure I wore a bow in my hair to add a bit of femininity to my competitiveness. I know longer wore the same baseball t-shirts to school my wardrobe began to

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