This artist's comic shows us why the 'I’m not like other girls' attitude is super messed up

Every girl goes through a phase where she rejects conventional feminity. Whether it's playing video games, dressing up as a "tomboy," or even watching cartoons targetted towards boys, they feel like they're adding value to their immediate social circle and community by tilting towards masculinity. After all, when everything feminine is so undervalued and even mocked, where else do we expect girls to go? Most girls believe this is a unique experience that only they go through and that couldn't be further from the truth. Instead of othering girls into strict categories, it's important to show them that it's possible to be different from one another in unique ways. A comic strip created by artist Julie Hang sought to do just that.

Through a comic strip, she showed us why the whole 'I'm not like other girls' attitude is unhealthy. She depicts a young teenage girl walking down a hallway, discussing the ways that she's different from a typical girl. For example, the character says she likes wearing sneakers and t-shirts whereas other girls prefer high heels and short skirts. Yes, it's pretty much that awful Taylor Swift song in which she pits two women against each other for the attention of a man. But no, no more! Through Hang's comic, we see a better way to handle such a situation.

As the comic continues, the character is invited to hang out and spend time with a group of "stereotypical" girls by someone in the group. Readers can see the protagonist exhibit some slight hesitation (because, wow, Hang is a kickass artist!) but she decides to join them. As the group converses, she realizes an important and pivotal fact: there is no such thing, really, as 'other girls.' The character thinks to herself, "Other girls are unique in their own way... Just like me!" She calls the girls she spends time with kind, beautiful, creative, and smart and many other things of positive nature. 

Hang, through her simple comic, shows us the importance of solidarity between women and, perhaps more imperatively, that women aren't a monolith. There are multiple diverse ways to be a woman and no one way is right. Of course, there's definitely no way to be wrong, either. As long as we support and build each other up, we're solid. And really, who wouldn't want to be like other girls? Other girls are pretty darn awesome.