Reclaiming ‘running like a girl’

I watched short clip recently on what it meant to run like a girl. It felt like it broke my heart.

What does ‘running like a girl’ mean to you?

I asked my daughter, my brave smart 5 year old how to run like a girl. She zoomed off, little arms pumping and legs pounding, fast as she could. “That’s how you run like a girl.” And it was. Fast and strong, feeling your heart pumping in your chest.

Being a girl is great. When did we lose the surety of the 5 year old? Every 5 year old girl knows that being a girl is great, that boys are not stronger, not better. Running like a girl is something to be proud of; it means trying hard, being yourself, enjoying moving, plaits bobbing as you run.

Mummy runs like a girl, she runs far and fast. Wanting her 5 year old daughter to ALWAYS be proud of running like a girl.

We’re reclaiming the phrase. From now on in our house, to run like a girl means to be awesome, to be proud of being like a girl, of running like a girl. It’s a positive phrase, a strong phrase.

Daddy wishes he could run like a girl too.