You Throw Like a Girl

“You throw like a girl.”  Yeah, so?

Last week at work we got a dunk tank, pretty cool for work.  As usual the dunkee harassed the dunker.  When two different male dunkees harassed their male dunkers saying “You throw like a girl” or “You merge code like a girl” it got me a little peeved.  Since these were co-workers and not my little brother, I could not just respond with a swift punch to arm.

What surprised me was that usually I’m able to brush stuff like this off (I do have a younger, very sarcastic brother), but this time it bothered me for a couple days.  To my dismay I managed a weak “What’s wrong with that” response that I intended to sound sarcastic and strong.  Usually I don’t have trouble speaking my mind at work and using my strong woman voice, but this time it came out like my little three year old girl voice.

A few days later I realized what made it so hard for me respond.  By responding I was forced to highlight my “otherness.”  I finally recognized that it is difficult for me to work in a male dominated environment.  It is hard for me to accept and appreciate my otherness.  It is hard for me to live like a girl at work.

What is wrong with doing anything like a girl?  The obvious answer is nothing.  But then why did I feel at that moment that there was?

I decided the best solution for now is to start blogging like a girl.  I can begin by sharing my experiences and sharing what I learn and what I love.

Back to last Wednesday, I managed to dunk one out of the five dunkees (I have horrible aim; I’m a soccer player not a softball player).  The guy I managed to dunk was the first one to say, “You throw like a girl.”  Yeah I do!