tomboy


 * Tomboy. ** Olympia Karageorgiou

tom·boy noun /ˈtämˌboi/ A girl who behaves in a manner usually considered boyish. This, according to Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, is a tomboy. I beg to differ. A tomboy, in my humble opinion, is a leader, a free-willed, free-spirited, rambunctious woman, young or old, who cares not for the shackles placed on women by conventional society. Tomboys pave the way forward not only in regard to women’s rights, but also rights for minority groups around the world. There is no specific mold for the “typical” tomboy. There are no specific guidelines, albeit the potential tomboy must be a female. There are no rules, regulations, no stamp or seal that proclaims one a “genuine” tomboy. Thus, it is up to one to declare herself a tomboy. However, most tomboys share a set of qualities that set them apart from other females. Many tomboys partake in activities traditionally considered “unfeminine.” For example, Danica Patrick, famed racecar driver and third place finisher of the Indy 500, is one of only about 20 female professional racecar drivers alive today. This is less than the amount of cheerleaders at Hebron High School. A portion of tomboys choose not to wear make-up or skirts and dresses. Others choose to cut their hair short, opting for functionality over looks. Generally speaking, a tomboy frankly doesn’t care about what other people think of her and has reached a certain level of comfort with her self-image. And some tomboys are even fans of entertainment generally reserved for the opposite gender, like Star Wars, Star Trek, Call of Duty, and Airsoft. It is evident that there is no solid definition of a tomboy, but rather similarities between people who consider themselves a tomboy. The tomboy role is prevalent in literature. Most literary tomboys tend to add a fresh splice of life and wit that other traditional female characters cannot. However, it seems that for every “girly-girl,” there is a tomboy, picked on and made fun of. For example, in the novel Airhead, Emerson Watson is a tomboy who gets harassed by her peers at her preppy school in Lower Manhattan. She’d much rather spend her Friday nights playing //JourneyQuest// with her best friend Christopher (note how her best friend is of the opposite sex) than party with her more popular classmate, Whitney. However, until she becomes Nikki, international supermodel, she is negatively portrayed and treated like dirt. Classmates call her a “fat cow” and don’t respect her. It seems that even her best friend doesn’t recognize that she isn’t just “one of the guys.” In a society where there is one of two paths, to be feminine or not, it seems like the easier path is the one of least resistance. Em, however, sticks to her personality and is mocked because of it. Louisa May Alcott, in her book Little Women, portrays second child Josephine as a golden hearted, although misguided, young teenager of the 19th century. She tries to take the role of father, because her own is fighting in the Civil War for the Union. Her sister Amy is her antithesis, and described as a natural doe-eyed beauty, whereas poor Jo has a wild brown mane of hair, and a nose a bit too big for her face. And although Jo is the obvious protagonist of the novel, she has major character flaws; she is hot tempered and ill-mannered, the black sheep of the family. But is she so wrong in her desperate endeavors to lash out at society? In a time period where women weren’t even taken seriously, all Jo March wanted was freedom… a freedom that was impossible for her to gain. However, this archetype isn’t confined to book circles run by stay at home mothers or dusty bookshelves; tomboys can be found in television and pop culture as well. For example, Sam Puckett from ICarly is represented as nothing short of a pig inhabiting a human body. She has terrible table manners, is very rude, and considered a bully at her school. She seems to hold every negative characteristic associated with a tomboy. If that’s not bad enough, her mother is even worse, a middle aged example of what people think will happen tomboys who “don’t grow out of it.” Although there are many negative examples of tomboys, there is still some hope for my kind. For example, Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls is a crime fighting super hero. She’s witty and tough and although she may be hot-tempered and at times mean spirited, she is awe inspiring and a justice delivering crime fighter and my personal favorite of the Powerpuff Girls. Toph from Avatar the Las Air Bender is Aang’s mentor and friend. She was first introduced to the show as “The Blind Bandit.” She is stronger than any man, and plays a vital role in the success of Aang. And as for Jo March? Although she has some negative aspects, she’s loveable and vulnerable with a quality that is simply endearing to the reader. She is a role-model to young tomboys because of her valiant character and deep love for others. In fact, Louisa May Alcott modeled Jo in her own image. And more important than any fictional character is a real person. Louisa May Alcott was a very successful writer and has been my personal role model ever since the day I decided to pick up Little Women from the library in the third grade. She was arguably the biggest female writer of her epoch, comparable to Stephanie Meyers of Twilight and JK Rowling of Harry Potter. Alcott is the embodiment of the tomboy- smart, boyish, and a mover and shaker of her time. Another renowned tomboy is pop singer Pink. Not only is she a famous singer with a beautiful voice, but she is also a philanthropist with a special spot in her heart for PETA. She shows that although tomboys may be “too tough,” they can have a softer, deeper side. Tomboy is just a word. Nerd is another. And jock, and dumb blonde and loser and social pariah. Until people start to look beyond the word, and into the spirit of the character, it won’t matter if there are one or a million exceptions to the negative standard of the stereotype. The smart kid will still get harassed, and I will still be laughed at for having such short hair. I am a human being first and a tomboy second. And I would like to be treated as such. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Works Cited Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. New York: Signet Classic, 1868. Print. "Buttercup." Powerpuff Girls Wiki. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . Cabot, Meg. Airhead. New York: Point, 2008. Print. "Danica Patrick." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Louisa May Alcott - Essay: The Character of Jo March | American Masters | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Pam Puckett." ICarly Wiki. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Sam Puckett." ICarly Wiki. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Tomboy - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Toph Bei Fong - Avatar Wiki, the Avatar: The Last Airbender Resource." Avatar Wiki | Avatar: The Last Airbender Characters, Episodes, Elements, and More! Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Pink Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com." Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. .