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Girly
when i grew up i watched Disney princesses and Barbie galore
i sported fluffy dresses, sparkly bows, and wore fushia velour
practiced ballet, played with dolls
baked vanilla cupcakes, applied shimmery lip gloss
but when i was asked if i wanted to be a princess, model, or actor
you were asked if you wanted to be the president, a firefighter, or a doctor
so as i painted my nails a fiery, cherry red i wondered
why am i cringey when singing at the top of my lungs to Taylor Swift and 1 Direction
while you are passionate and dedicated as you wear a team’s jersey to show your affection
i like rom-coms and pearly jewelry yet i ponder
why you are dominant, assertive, and strong
while am i emotional, manipulative, bossy, or wrong
why when we do well we are
“try hards”
“sweats”
and
“teacher pets”
but when you do the same you are
“smart”
“goated”
and
“the man”
this i will never bring myself to understand
as we cry tears of glitter and oppression onto lush satin pillows
wanting to stand up, no longer needing fairy-tale heroes
why we say sorry and walk with our heads down insecurely
can i still wear pink and bash the patriarchy, or is that not “girly”
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I love that there are no rules for poetry. you can just let your brain loose and ideas flow out of you. it really helps me cope and overcome any challenges I am facing because getting my thoughts down in words forms a sense of clarity. I will forever be grateful for the power of words and poetry. In this poem specifically, I wanted to try to express the frustration I was feeling with stereotypes, gender norms, and double standards. I hope it will make my fellow teen girl feel heard!