girl

little girls should be seen and not heard
be silent and spread your legs
they say
because girls should be making babies
and dinner
girls don’t need to understand numbers
that’s man’s work
girls don’t need to understand cars
that’s man’s work
girls don’t need to understand science or mechanics or brain surgery
that’s man’s work
girls need to get married and find a man
someone needs to take care of them
they can’t do that themselves
because they need to concentrate on
taking care of man
and children
and parents

little girls should be pretty and clean
not playing in the mud like a dirty boy
not turning ratchets or fixing leaks or changing tires
that’s man’s work
ugly girls
chubby girls
it’s ok for them to be the subject of jokes and harassment
there’s no point in raising aggrievances to the authorities
because no one’s going to believe them
and everyone’s going to laugh at them
so best to be quiet
stay in the corner
because no one wants to see them or hear them

little girls should be should be helpless and weak
so a man can take care of them
don’t carry that weight
that’s man’s work
don’t be so muscular
that’s man’s work
never be strong or
try to show others
they can take care of themselves
the world will accuse them of trying to be boys
because the worst insult for a boy is to be called a girl
and the worst insult for a girl is to be called a girl
pretending to be a boy
because no one could actually want to look like that
girls like pink and dresses and soft things
boys like blue and shorts and hard things
because boys aren’t supposed to be soft
and girls aren’t supposed to be hard