My first encounter to the prejudice of what it means to be a girl, happened when I was ten years old. I was in fourth grade, and that meant I could finally join any club or team in my school. I had been longing for this school year to come as my last shot swished in the net. Enthusiasm had captivated me but I hadn't talked to anyone about my decision, so I called my best friend and told her that I was going to join the basketball team.

“What in the world Klea! Are you serious?” was the response I got from her. In a state of surprise, I asked her what was wrong and my mind never crossed what she was about to say.

“What’s wrong is that you are a girl, and you know that basketball is such a boyish sport.”

I was confused and a bit sad from how my interest was perceived, still not being able to comprehend what she had just said. Looking back at this now, I understand that my friends' reaction was just a childish judgment more so than gender-based, however, it does represent the beginning of gender differentiation in our society. Our world is unable to achieve comprehensive equality because the indoctrination of gender divergence starts at a young age and grows within people.

In the meantime, I decided to tell my parents that I was going to join the basketball team. This time I was preparing myself for a more enthusiastic reaction. My parents always encouraged me to pursue my interests. My dad had even bought me my first basketball, so I thought they would understand.

“Your father and I were thinking ballet would suit you more, so how about you give it a try? Emi is joining too and there are going to be many girls you can become friends with.”

My mom cautiously suggested, not putting importance to what I had just said, while my dad approved her suggestion by nodding his head and smiling. I was devastated. I tried to fight back the tears, but they rushed down my cheeks without hesitation. Conceptualizing what was going on was hard for me because my mom knew I despised ballet and yet she still was pushing for me to pursue it.

Reflecting on my mom's actions now, I see how her thoughts were contradicted due to poison her mother in law would instill. I heard about stories of when my parents found out they were having a baby. The first thing my grandmother approached my mom with was, “I hope you have a boy who will continue to honor our last name,” but we know how that turned out. Meanwhile, after I was born, my mother would get constantly judged on how she was raising her child. It was very important to my grandmother that her niece would portray a good image and in her head playing sports wasn't the way to enhance my feminism.

At the time, I didn't know why everyone wasn’t very fond of me engaging in a sport that is considered “boyish” because I was raised to judge things based on their value and what they meant to me, not differentiate them from a “girl's perspective.” After a long talk with my parents, my mother decided to step away from the implemented ideas. By letting me pursue my passion despite the labels put on it, I was able to make my parents proud.

As the years have passed, I have seen how judging a woman has become a monotony in our world. Telling young girls what suits their gender best has become a priority. Instead of empowering people, encouraging them to be the best version of themselves, we tear them down, instill doubt in them and indoctrinate them with society's stereotypes. Many say that the way a woman is perceived nowadays has drastically changed for the better, and that is true. However, there is great room for improvement and there will always be.

Comprehending this short glimpse of a story and more similar encounters I’ve come across in my life, drives me to the conclusion that everyone in our society, including myself, purposely or not, create stereotypes of the female gender and give limitations and regulations, although, we can change the prejudice of what it means to be a girl, starting with the opinions we create for ourselves and the people closest to us.