Member-only story
From Girl, To Woman, To Lady
An essay about the constant evolution of the human female experience
When I was a girl, I spake as a girl, walked as a girl, carried on as a girl. Naivete is a treasure we hold unbeknownst to us. As a girl, they gave me frilly things, Barbie things, and sometimes red and pink things. As human females, we find ourselves not necessarily going 180 degrees towards life, but 360 degrees in a never-ending circle.
Girl — a female child, or relatively young woman.
The other day, I had the sudden urge to pull out a Barbie doll.
I do not own one, but why did I all of a sudden want to get a Barbie doll and plait its hair and place it in a car or Barbie home? I think it’s because a particular moment hit me all of a sudden while watching an animation: I thought of those weekends that I’d be home with my sister, all too happy to get out our dolls and play with them until the sun set.
Mom and dad would be downstairs with friends, or one of them would be napping.
The most worry I had as a child was school coming up on Monday. Otherwise, I was happy to use my imagination as we set up blanket tents along the stairs and the living room where I would tell ghost stories, pretend we were camping.
