Girls That Run With Boys-And Katniss Everdeen
Without Prejudice
I grew up with four brothers. I preferred to " run" with the boys as they always seemed to be having more fun. I was a Tomboy. I competed, outsmarted, learned to lead, fight physically, and to turn on the tears if I was out numbered. A Tomboy had a name as being a bit of a ratbag, hair not brushed, mine often streaked green from too many chlorinated pools, freckles from being out in the sun, and I could not have cared less.
I grew up with four brothers. I preferred to " run" with the boys as they always seemed to be having more fun. I was a Tomboy. I competed, outsmarted, learned to lead, fight physically, and to turn on the tears if I was out numbered. A Tomboy had a name as being a bit of a ratbag, hair not brushed, mine often streaked green from too many chlorinated pools, freckles from being out in the sun, and I could not have cared less.
Wikipedia states that
There have been few studies of the causality of women's behaviour and interests, when they do not conform to the female social gender role. One report from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children suggests that preschool girls engaging in "masculine-typical" gender-role behaviour, such as playing with toys typically preferred by boys, is influenced by genetic and prenatal factors.
Tomboys have also been noted to demonstrate a stronger interest in science and technology.
In many fictional stories, giving a female child character the attributes of a tomboy allowed cultural norms to be superseded so that a girl's stronger will and more independent mind could be regarded affectionately, her spirit celebrated and her membership of the group accepted. Famous fictional tomboys include the character of "George" (Georgina) in Enid Blyton's series The Famous Five, said by the author to be modeled on herself; the character of Nancy Drew in the mystery fiction series; Scout Finch in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Katniss Everdeen in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games
I had no need of the pretty dresses my older sister wore. I preferred a pair of shorts, a pair of bathers, nothing if I could get away with it. I was never ashamed of my body, to me it was just a body, a functional working thing. And if I could make it stronger, faster, then I could beat the boys. My main ambition.
From the first time I can remember I was with boys, my brothers, their friends, an honorary boy. They were older than me, three of them and one younger. The oldest was 11, then another one year younger at 10, then a sister, aged 6, another brother aged 4 , me at 2, then my baby brother born in Australia, and by the time I was 4, I was totally besotted with him. A placid happy baby.
My Sister was a lady like girl and tended more to the house and Mum and Dad and was always singing, she has a beautiful singing voice, the lucky thing. She also learned to play bass guitar and my oldest brother sang and played normal guitar. She rehearsed with Dad a lot and was well in her way to being an entertainer, she is very confident and outgoing.
We always came home from Sunday School and sang at home, my Sis would lead with "Calvary " or " Onward Christian Soldiers " and we sang as a family when we were doing dishes. There was a lot of us and we all had to help with dishes. I remember being so little I had a chair to climb to put the dishes away.
And the first memory of being a Tomboy, being " different " was my liking for the opposite sex and getting into trouble for playing Doctors and Nurses with a boy over the road at a Birthday party, of all things, and was told off by my Mother. I didn't see anything wrong with it, I was a little girl who was curious and wondered how things worked. I was about 3.
The next time a girl from down the street came to play with me, and I didn't like her. My Mother was rinsing me off in a big basin out the back of the house at Jervois Street in Port Augusta. I just stood up in the water, naked and stood looking at her. I knew she would be offended and go away. She did and she didn't bother me again.
My Motber ticked me off, once again but I had no care. I obviously had a strong sense of self, even at that age. Of course, I thank my Dad for that. He adored us girls. No boy was allowed to hit us, no boy could be crude or ill mannered in front of us. And my brothers were protectors of us girls. And we of them.
My Sister and I would get stuck into bullies that threatened our brothers and used skills that were manly but also girly. We lay in wait for bullies, and then surprised them, whooping out loud, running down sand hills and hidden paths and hitting out at them with our school bags. My Sister sat on on once and made him beg for forgiveness. He was crying, the big girls blouse.
The bullying stopped.
My first Christmas want that I can remember was an Annie Oakley outfit. A waistcoat, a skirt, fringed of course, complete with twin holsters and cap guns. My brothers received Davy Crockett hats with racoon tail and we played Cowboys and Indians and The Alamo until dark each night.
I have very few photos of me as a child but whenever I was in a dress I was miserable and would get back in shorts or swimmers as soon as possible.
We always came home from Sunday School and sang at home, my Sis would lead with "Calvary " or " Onward Christian Soldiers " and we sang as a family when we were doing dishes. There was a lot of us and we all had to help with dishes. I remember being so little I had a chair to climb to put the dishes away.
And the first memory of being a Tomboy, being " different " was my liking for the opposite sex and getting into trouble for playing Doctors and Nurses with a boy over the road at a Birthday party, of all things, and was told off by my Mother. I didn't see anything wrong with it, I was a little girl who was curious and wondered how things worked. I was about 3.
The next time a girl from down the street came to play with me, and I didn't like her. My Mother was rinsing me off in a big basin out the back of the house at Jervois Street in Port Augusta. I just stood up in the water, naked and stood looking at her. I knew she would be offended and go away. She did and she didn't bother me again.
My Motber ticked me off, once again but I had no care. I obviously had a strong sense of self, even at that age. Of course, I thank my Dad for that. He adored us girls. No boy was allowed to hit us, no boy could be crude or ill mannered in front of us. And my brothers were protectors of us girls. And we of them.
My Sister and I would get stuck into bullies that threatened our brothers and used skills that were manly but also girly. We lay in wait for bullies, and then surprised them, whooping out loud, running down sand hills and hidden paths and hitting out at them with our school bags. My Sister sat on on once and made him beg for forgiveness. He was crying, the big girls blouse.
The bullying stopped.
My first Christmas want that I can remember was an Annie Oakley outfit. A waistcoat, a skirt, fringed of course, complete with twin holsters and cap guns. My brothers received Davy Crockett hats with racoon tail and we played Cowboys and Indians and The Alamo until dark each night.
I have very few photos of me as a child but whenever I was in a dress I was miserable and would get back in shorts or swimmers as soon as possible.
