So, I made some interesting decisions this week. For example, I knew I had to be at work at 7 a.m. this past weekend but I still stayed awake until midnight and then couldn’t sleep due to anxiety of sleeping through my alarm. Therefore, I only got four hours of sleep. Conversely, I had a month to do a midterm research paper for one of my classes, and I did half of it two weeks ago and the other half the day it was due. The paper had to be at least eight pages long. To both of these incidents, I say, “I’m just a girl.” But the real question is, what does that even mean?
The iconic “I’m just a girl” phrase is a social phenomenon that started out as a meme in response to the phrase “boys will be boys.” While, in essence, both phrases are derogatory and sexist, Tiktok has repurposed the “I’m just a girl” phrase into a way in which girls “justify” or lightly make fun of something that they did poorly. Usually, TikToks on the matter are coupled with a 1995 single by rock band No Doubt titled “Just a Girl,” which is a song that calls out society for perpetuating a culture that deems women as weak and incapable.
While it is obvious that “I’m just a girl” is just a trend made popular by social media, people have interesting viewpoints on the phrase. A lot of women on social media and in real life have given the phrase a new meaning and made it into a joke that other girls and women relate to as a way to give grace to themselves and justify their poor actions. To some, it comes off as empowering as women are held to a very high standard across the board, and when saying “I’m just a girl,” they are portraying themselves to also be human beings who are capable of making mistakes. Others online are concerned that this phrase has gone too far and is overused. Some say that it is being used to justify bad actions, which just perpetuates the belief that women are indeed incapable.
In my view, it is not that big of a deal. I personally just view this as another TikTok trend that the girlies are having fun with. While I do agree that sometimes these social media trends get out of hand, I also believe that most people do not take these types of trends that seriously. I also find it a bit appalling that the phrase “I’m just a girl” is getting more heat than the phrase “boys will be boys.” The latter has been used to justify bad actions taken by boys and often times perpetuates rape culture. The people who take issue with “I’m just a girl” should have equal or perhaps even more issues with “boys will be boys.” After all, if you are going to call someone out on their poor behavior or actions, why not just hold everyone to the same standards?
