Do we ever really grow out of girlhood?

Lately I’ve been wondering whether girlhood is something we truly grow out of - or rather something that changes its shape but never really disappears.

Life pushed me into “adulthood” quite early: emigration, work, responsibility. And yet it didn’t make me more serious or less girl-like. There’s still a lot of lightness in me, a kind of carelessness, even a touch of teenage naivety - and I’m no longer sure whether that’s a weakness or a strength.

I also find myself thinking that mature femininity doesn’t have to be rigid, composed, or well-behaved. That it can be alive, curious, a little playful - and still deeply real.

How do you feel about it? Is girlhood a phase we leave behind, or something that stays with us, just in a different form?

 

For me, femininity is not a strict set of qualities, but our reality of being born female. I don't see the point in attributing gender to personality traits – as you said, femininity doesn't have to be rigid. And that's how I understand freedom. Well-behaved, curious, carefree – it's still you. Man, woman, old or young.

I think something childish stays with us anyway. It's not a bad thing. Moreover, in my opinion, it's not a weakness, but a strength – to carry that teen spirit throughout your life.

 

Exactly. You're You, a collective of every age you've ever been. Delight in your kid-ness, that sense of enthusiastic, lighthearted wonder about everything, it can be a valuable resource to draw from as a counterpoint to the 'heavier' You maturity too often reduces us to.