Every afternoon was like the one before on Gasper Place in our small town of Harahan. Growing up on Gasper, I was the only young girl on my street. With that being said, I slowly became like one of the boys. I did not mind if my knees were a little scraped, if my clothes were a little stained, or if my hands and fingernails were a little muddy. I also loved to play sports and games. Being the tomboy I was growing up, sports were my passion, whether I was playing them or watching them on the television with my dad. I was definitely the son my dad never had.  

However, it was not until one especially hot afternoon, when I stood up for myself and my role at Gasper Place changed forever. On that day, I was finally “accepted” for being a girl by the other boys on my street. That hot and sticky afternoon, I rode my bike over to my neighbor's yard where the same five boys of my neighborhood always played their games. I would ride my bike with the boys and play some sports games with them but when it came to flag football game, I would get scared to ask to play with them. This particular day, I gathered up all the strength I had to ask the boys if I could play flag football with them. Their facial expressions said it all, and they immediately started busting out laughing. They quickly mocked me and responded, "girls do not play football," "you probably throw like a girl," and "why don't you go play with your barbie and baby dolls." This made me very furious, because I played sports. I knew how to play football and I understood the game. At that moment, I wanted to prove them wrong and show them what I can do. I wanted to make them take those words back. So after much convincing, they let me play one flag football game with them with me as the quarterback. After the first pass I threw, the boys were mind blown of how good of arm I had. They were shocked that I could actually throw a perfect spiral at a far distance. From the day forward, I was the designated quarterback every time we played. The boys never made another comment to me about being a girl after that day. The assumption the boys made was that because I was a girl, I was incapable of being athletic. In fact, I was probably the most athletic one out of all of them. The boys assumed that because I was a girl, I should only play with Barbie dolls, baby dolls, and other "girly" things. I am sure at some point of every woman's life, she has experienced something very similar to my story. Women of all ages are constantly treated unfairly, because they are simple a girl or a female. Still to this day, women are underrepresented in many industries from businesses to professional sports. These allegations about the ability of women derive from gender bias in our society. The preconceived notions about women that stem from gender bias has caused society to disregard and ignore the ability of women. Society has taught and pressured women to label and categorize themselves, ultimately hindering and concealing their many talents and abilities. Women are capable of so many amazing things and should not be limited and labeled to just being the “pretty one,” the “smart one,” or the “talented one.” To the tomboy, sporty girls growing up today, do not be afraid to go show boys how a girl does it. To all the other women who suffer from the effects of gender bias, we must debunk these preconceived notions set by society and we must teach and show the younger girl how powerful and beautiful they are. The truth I learned from this experience is that I will never let someone again tell me what I can and I can't do or accomplish. I also learned that there is always much more to a person, therefore, their abilities should not be restricted by a title. No matter the age of a woman, she is just as capable and as strong as man if she puts her mind and heart to it.