What makes a “Good” Girl?

[samvara]

maharetr and transcendancing and I were discussing the way Aussie culture has some revolting stuff floating around this particular concept. Today a lady called me a ‘good girl’ and I thought about the number of times I’ve been called that (not many) and what makes me feel like one.

Good Girl!

• Helping older ladies with knee problems pick up their lunch after it fell on the floor
• Being kind to my friends
• Listening to people when they need to talk
• Doing my (tedious) laundry and cleaning my desk
• Exercising when I want to sloth
• Eating food of the colour green

Not a Good Girl :(

• Lying to self or other people
• Punishing other people for not being like me
• Not controlling myself when I’m irritable
• That thing that happened with the eggs… and that thing with the mirror
• Being thoughtless and seeing that reflected in other people suffering as a result

Comments

[lilysea]

I found this interesting, thank you!

Many years ago (1995? 1996?) I noticed that my GP had special post-vaccination bandaids for kids -

there were "good girl" bandaids and "brave boy" bandaids.

I remember feeling indignant and thinking
"why not brave girl, or good boy?"

[samvara]

Yeah, I am trying to watch how I talk to children and not to talk to girls in terms of their appearance and boys in terms of their actions - it is simultaneously easier and harder than I thought it would be.