Defining Myself

Starting from day one, my parents have played a very influential role in my development as a person. Thankfully, they’ve always wanted what’s best for me and for me to be happy with who I am. They did however, encourage me to enjoy more feminine activities. When I was younger, they would dress me up in skirts and dresses, put bows in my hair, and offer me baby dolls and Barbies. They also played movies and TV shows like My Little Ponies and Carebears for me to enjoy, which I did, but I also took pleasure in some “masculine” behavior. Sometimes when my mom would try dressing my up for school with a cute headband or skirt, I would try to make it a style of my own by adding leggings underneath and frizzing up my hair. Or when my parents would put on Carebears, I would change the channel to watch Powerrangers instead. I also liked being outside and playing with the boys instead of playing tea party with the girls. It was not that I was necessarily pushed into being a girly girl or that I rebelled against being feminine; I just wanted to express my own preferences and experience things in a way that I felt defined me.