Waxing in the Dark

I’m on Season 1 episode 4 right now and I’m feeling sorry for Helga, who is not “feminine” enough to be invited to a sleepover and is rejected by guys so she gives herself a makeover to fit in. It’s just another reason to love this show that is able to portray Helga, who is normally a obsessive jerk, as someone worthy of sympathy. That moment where she overhears all the girls making fun of her, even her best friend…

It makes me think of what exactly the definition of what “feminine” is? Was my sister in her baggy T-shirt stage any less feminine than me who have always liked wearing skirts? I think, just like Helga figures out by the end of the episode, that there’s a wide spectrum of kinds of girls and no one type should be elevated above another. When I was in elementary school, most of the girls played jump rope and the boys played kickball. It was hard for me to first get the boys’ respect enough so they would let me play. I was perceived as a “special” kind of girl because I could do “boy things” too. Now I look back and wonder why people make such divisions as to what is a “girly” thing and what things boys can do.

I know that if I ever have a daughter, I’ll be right there encouraging her whatever she wants to do, whether that’s kickball, jump rope or both. And I’ll be handing down my Barbies and my Star Wars action figures ;-)