New Moon Girls

New Moon Girls

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Feminine and Strongby Charlie

My cousins and I used to pretend we were characters in Star Wars. My cousins, who were boys, would play heroes like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.

I had one option: Princess Leia.

Since she was the love interest, all of her capabilities seemed to be thrown out the window. She was now just the princess-love-interest-in-distress.

All I could do was stand and watch as my cousins battled with their toy lightsabers, because I was the kidnapped princess who needed to be saved. In our minds, a princess stayed in the corner, waiting to be swept off her feet like in the fairytales.

When The Force Awakens came out, we went to watch it in the movie theater. The moment the Jedi Master character Rey stepped on screen, something inside of me awakened. My own force.

Not the kind of Force that Jedi warriors use, that moves stuff around with the mind. The kind of force that led me to writing this. A feminist force.

Some people think girls who wear tennis shoes and play sports are “better” than girls who wear high heels and dresses. Heck, even Taylor Swift had this point of view at one point in her life. But like her, I had a wake-up call and realized that’s not true. Because no matter what they choose to wear, all women are strong.

A skirt does not limit you to a life of housework. Wearing a pink jacket doesn’t mean you can’t play sports.

People often debate nature vs. nurture. Are girls naturally born weaker, more sensitive, and pickier than boys? Or is this something that is drilled into their minds from such a young age that little girls and boys have no choice but to believe it?

I know now that my femininity is not a weakness. Wearing a necklace does not make me less of a warrior, and caring about my appearance does not make me weak. How much makeup I wear does not affect my intelligence. The only thing that changes when I put on lip gloss is my confidence.


That evening after the movie, like always, my cousins and I went to play Star Wars. But this time, I wanted to be Rey instead.

Seeing a woman be strong and feminine at the same time, without being a love interest, taught me that even if strong women are still in the minority on the big screen, they exist. If I wanted, I could join in the lightsaber battles and do just as well as the boys.

There is an ancient belief that doing things that are stereotypically feminine means you’re less intelligent and strong. But if Rey Skywalker can go out there and kick some Storm Trooper butt, all while having a great hairstyle, then you can, too.
Charlie, 14, CA is a writer and nerd. She has been writing since third grade, plays the ukulele, has a collection of frog hats, and loves cartoons. She is currently working on many novels, short stories, and other pieces, which she will hopefully… someday… finish.
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