My Gender Expression

I cannot remember a moment when I was told to act or be more femenine. I have always been a tomboy. My mom was also a tomboy growing up on a farm in northern Iowa, so she was not particularly an influence for me to “act like a girl.” Most of my friends were boys as a child and I have a younger brother that I would always play outside with. We would play in the dirt, ride our bikes or scooters, or be in our neighbor’s pool. I was never dressed in “girl” clothing unless it was for a big event like school picture day or a music concert, those were the days that I despised. I also played on a lot of coed softball and soccer teams as a child. 

It was not until middle school when I started to act more feminine. This was the time when I started having more girl friends and playing girl-only sports. They also acted a lot more feminine than I did, so I really wanted to fit in and be more like them. I would dress more like a girl, have long hair, wear mascara, and straighten my hair. In my classes, I would sit with my legs crossed under my desk and had overall more feminine body movements. 

It was not until my later years of high school that I relearned that I does not matter what others think of me. I stopped trying so hard to fit into my gender and being feminine. Today I just do whatever makes me happy and comfortable.