You Can Be More Than One Thing, Ladies!| Let’s Talk About It

What is your opinion of memes?

You know, those funny images that people like to share and repost online to show off their sense of humour and even parts of their personality.

There is one meme going around at the moment that is driving me mad and I can’t sit on top of these opinions anymore.

I can guarantee you’ll have seen it – the one that shows two contrasting images with a caption saying something along the lines of ‘me… also me’ or ‘you and me’.

Now, before I go off with this mini rant I just want to say that I do have a sense of humour and I do know that memes shouldn’t be taken seriously. But I’m also very opinionated and a chronic over-thinker, so nothing is that simple with me.

I’M NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS

Of course I’d manage to turn this topic into a feminist subject – it’s what I do best!

But in all seriousness, I think one of the reasons why these ‘contrast’ memes grind my gears so much is because they’re normally aimed at or about women.

Having a meme that proudly boasts how different you are actually perpetuates this notion that women are always in competition with each other.

It might seem like a stretch too far, but hear me out.

Women are always considered to be in competition with each other, whether it’s for a job, a partner, and even in some cases respect.

We’re told that there isn’t enough room for women at basically every table, so we need to find ways to make ourselves stand out and seem different.

The ‘I’m not like other girls’ phenomenon is something that I’d argue all women go through at some point in their lives as a way to make themselves seem different and therefore ‘better’ than the competition, which we have been taught to believe is other women.

The statement ‘I’m not like other girls’ is something that I’d expect from teenagers and it was certainly a phase I went through myself during these years – before I realised how rubbish it was.

However, it’s something that is no longer reserved for teenagers and I see women of all ages using this kind of statement to make themselves stand out.

A lot of the time, women will use these ‘contrasting’ memes as a way to show that they are not like other girls.

They are not like other girls because they don’t look polished all the time or they don’t like pink or they don’t have long hair.

Whatever their situation is, they’re basically saying that they’re not like other girls so they should be respected.

THE SISTERHOOD

Every person on this planet is different and there are no two the same.

The things that make up who you are – from your appearance, to your background, to the things you are into – are a truly unique mixture.

So I understand why you would want people to know how cool and different you are, which is why these kinds of memes are made in the first place.

But here’s the thing – what’s so wrong with having similar qualities to other women (or men or those in between)?

We all already know that every single human being on this planet is unique in their own way, so why do you want to further alienate yourself by pushing away any kind of common ground?

There is no shame or weakness in admitting that your like ‘feminine’ things or connecting with other women about the things that you have in common, which is something we tend to see discounted in these kind of memes.

In fact, deep friendships are often made from some small similarity you have with a person – I know that’s how it’s worked for me in the past.

COMPLEX BEINGS

By trying to make yourself seem so cool and unique that you don’t even have anything in common with other people or yourself, you could be missing out on some meaningful connections.

People are complex and we are all a mixture of contradictions. I’m sorry to spoil things for you, but this is what you actually have in common with people.

I’m tired of people thinking that they cannot be more than one thing or that they’re ‘so weird’ because they have some contradictions in their personality.

You can be so different to everyone else you have ever met, but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t get on with people.

I think we just need to start seeing ourselves as complex human beings that can encompass a range of contradictions. Basically, we need to start looking at ourselves the way we look at other people.

We also need some more inventive memes because I can’t handle this anymore!

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Tell me a contradiction about yourself.

Speak soon,

Rachael.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash