Girlhood in itself is that surrounding the everyday life of being a girl. It’s a celebration of every one of our memories. No matter how messy or how challenging, it’s never a dull moment. 

I think we all have one singular moment that occurred early in our lives that would define what girlhood means to us. Personally, mine happened around age 10, when I formed a lasting bond with two girls in my neighborhood. 

We all had brothers, and we all bonded over being casted out by them and their games. Instead of always being outside, because I absolutely hated the outside world full of bugs and heat, we would spend every waking minute of the weekends going back and forth between our houses. It was a couple hours spent in my room doing unbearably loud karaoke. Then it was a few minutes spent outside on my neighbor’s trampoline, giggling and joking about nothing important. We finished the day by walking down the street to my other friend’s kitchen, where we would annoy her mother until she eventually allowed us to bake cookies. 

Early on, I knew I could trust women above all else. I have always connected with them in both simplicity and complexity, where the guys I knew failed to compensate. 

With my girlfriends, it has always been the smoothest transition from laughing ourselves into a coma, to bawling our eyes out. We can go hours without speaking, just being in each other’s presence is enough to hold us over. Weirdly, it’s always been this way, for as long as I can remember. 

For seven years of my life, I was a competitive volleyball player. I was surrounded by the most empowering, supportive women I’ve ever known. We were together at school, then at practice, and then on weekends, yet we never got tired of one another– never ran out of things to talk about. I mean the craziest, and somehow most relatable of topics: conspiracies, cutest guys we saw, complaints of teachers, complaints of our bodies, impressions of coaches, celebrating our accomplishments, the worst moments of our lives and then the very best. 

The summer before I entered high school, my school team traveled to Auburn’s volleyball camp. We spent five, exhausting days there. One night I recall us being up until 2am, sharing tragic stories of our lives. Between us, we created the safest space that I’ve ever experienced. 

Now being a freshman in college, my most cherished memories here are those spent on the fluffy rug in my dorm, with the greatest girls I’ve ever known. We’ve stayed up until the late hours in the night, playing cards and sharing secrets. My friends have slept on this rug, cried on this rug and ate late into the night on this rug. 

In relation, my significant moments of girlhood tend to play on loops in my mind. I miss the days where I chased my older brother and his friends while they rode bikes, and then the day I finally could make it 10 feet on a bike of my own. I can remember arriving at my first ever volleyball practice when I was 9. 

Then, the first makeup my mom bought me when I was 11. When my heart got broken for the first time in middle school by no one more than a crush. An unbelievable beach trip with my closest friends the summer before sophomore year. The first pair of diamond earrings my dad got me at 15. Saying goodbye to my most cherished friendship at 17. Traveling to Italy, drinking in wine country with my friends and their moms at age 18. Finding real relationships in college that keep me sane and motivated. These moments celebrate my girlhood. 

Girlhood consists of our most monumental memories, but also the simplest of exchanges. It’s the wild texts we send to one another. It’s unhinged powerpoint presentations. It’s relatable Tiktoks sent back and forth. It’s the different coded glances we have embedded in us. It’s the support we give to each other when we’re too delusional to function. It’s saying “I’m just a girl” at any minor inconvenience. And it’s the planning of girls trips we know we’re too broke to go on. 

I encourage everyone reading this to just take a few minutes to reflect on the memories that make you, you. It’s so important to remember who we are, and that includes who we have been in the past. Don’t forget about these parts of you. Remember them, and carry them with you throughout this journey through life.