“I understand the desire to romanticise certain stages of life, and there is something beautiful about the mythology that surrounds girlhood: the sense of possibility, and that a whole life and a bright future lies ahead of the shining, Jo March-esque main character. Yet a focus on girlhood – potentially to the detriment of celebrating other, later stages of life – disturbs me…”
I wrote for Missing Perspectives about the ongoing cultural obsession with girls and girlhood. In 2024, why do we have a renewed attachment to girlhood and ‘girl-ness’? Why have trends like ‘girl maths’ and ‘girl dinners’ been adopted so readily, by so many? And when we focus to this extent on girls, what do we win – and lose?
I don’t expect to win many popularity points for this one – plenty of people use the term ‘girlies’, for instance, and some do so ironically. With my cultural critic hat on, however, I can’t help but believe that the resurgence of this term, and various related terms and concepts, speaks to a greater issue surrounding how women see themselves (and are encouraged to see themeselves). Miffed? Intrigued? You can read the full article here.
