Growing up as a girl means that you will hear the phrase “like a girl,” at least once in your life. This simple phrase is meant to belittle the female gender. It assumes that doing actions “like a girl” is something that we are supposed to be embarrassed of.

Many people, usually men, tend to say things like, “you throw like a girl,” as if there existed another way to throw when you are a girl. When people say this, they are mocking the fact that girls “do not throw hard enough.” This leads to girls feeling doubtful of themselves; their self-confidence may be lowered. “I just don’t understand why someone has to point out that I do something like a girl,” said senior Ahniya Plaud. “I am full aware that I am a girl, thank you.”

The company Always launched a campaign titled #LikeAGirl in 2014. This campaign was meant to empower women to take pride in their gender and to feel confident in how they complete actions. The company decided to film a short video, which consisted of asking women to do a certain task “like a girl.” This resulted in many girls performing tasks such as running, in a very stereotypical girl way. However, the results changed when the same question was asked to younger girls. These young girls demonstrated what it is to do a task like a girl, which is to perform the best you can.

The phrase “like a girl” should not have to be considered an insult. Instead of making girls feel ashamed of their gender, girls should be encouraged to take pride in themselves. Everybody has their unique qualities, being a girl does not invalidate these. Doing things like a girl is not an insult, it is simply stating the obvious.