Arielle Mojica: Gender Bio

Ask anyone who grew up with me and they will all tell you that I was not in the least bit girly. I found no interest in dresses, pink frilly objects, or rummaging through my mother’s makeup. I had fun playing soccer and climbing the numerous trees in my backyard with my brother and several other male cousins. The two female cousins I have that are close in age tormented me when we were younger and excluded me from all of their activities. I have no idea how I would have acted if they were to include me in their play together and thus, I don’t know if my affinity for roughing it with my boy cousins was developed naturally or because I had no other choice. My disinterest in “girly” attire manifested itself as my mother literally forced dresses over my head for church and holidays. At all other times I was wearing baggy pants and sweaters. I eventually grew out of this stage, thanks in large part to my chance encounter with a girl who would eventually become my best friend throughout middle school. I think it’s important to note that during my boyish stage, which did not coincide with socially defined characteristics of what it means to be a little girl, I faced no ridicule from my parents aside from when my mother wanted me to look nice. They never tried to influence into playing with girl-associated toys and allowed me to dress how I wanted for the most part. My cousins refrained from ridiculing me as well for not being girly although nowadays they make fun of me for how different I’ve become since then. I believe my love for soccer and competition contributed to my desire to be less feminine when I was younger as they probably increased certain characteristics usually associated with being a boy. It’s funny to think of how opposed to “girly” attributes I used to be when I was younger and how I now seem to perpetuate the idea of socially acceptable standards for male and female.