The whole "learn to be a 'girl'" thing is very interesting... after all, when little boys really really want to insult another boy, what do they call him? A GIRL! I was also raised not to be "girly." Ditto most of what the women of the board have posted.
But here's the interesting that struck me about this topic: some of us women have felt that it was insulting to be called a "girl" because it meant bitchy moody, etc-- what Corri said.
Put that up against the parallel comments that some guys (Paul most recently) have said about how they don't want to be an "alpha male," as though alpha male automatically means a bully-jock-domineering abuser.
It seems as though both sides have been so set on avoiding the unpleasant stereotype that goes with Boy and Girl that we've been cutting off our noses to spite our faces.
