“Like a Girl” Means Power: Reclaiming a Phrase, Reclaiming Our Future
By Nancy Arenas:
When someone says “like a girl,” too often it’s meant as an insult—a way to belittle, minimize, or dismiss. But women everywhere are rewriting that meaning.
Yes, I want to do everything like a girl. To move like a girl. To think like a girl. To lead like a girl. To rise like a girl.
Because doing something “like a girl” has always meant doing it with awareness, resilience, intelligence, compassion, and strength—qualities that uplift communities, families, workplaces, and the world.
Women are not “less than.” Women are not “weaker.” Women are not “secondary.”
Women are fully human, fully capable, and fully powerful—and history proves it.
Reclaiming the Phrase: “Like a Girl” as a Badge of Honor.
To do something "like a girl" is to do it with:
Resilience—women have historically carried families, movements, and entire societies through crisis.
Emotional intelligence—a skill linked to stronger leadership, healthier relationships, and better decision‑making.
Awareness—women often score higher in empathy and social perception, crucial for collaboration and conflict resolution.
Respect—women leaders are consistently rated as more ethical and community-minded.
Strength—not just physical, but emotional, mental, and moral strength.
Doing something “like a girl” is not an insult—it is a praise, a recognition of the depth and dimension women bring to every space they enter.
Where Women Excel: Evidence‑Based Achievements
These are not stereotypes—they are documented patterns, backed by research, showing areas where women often outperform men on average, while still recognizing that individuals vary.
1. Emotional Intelligence & Empathy
Studies published in Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today show that women tend to score higher in:
Empathy
Social awareness
Relationship building
Conflict de‑escalation
These skills are essential for leadership, teamwork, and community health.
2. Leadership Effectiveness
Research from Zenger Folkman analyzing 60,000+ leaders, found women rated higher than men in 17 out of 19 leadership competencies, including:
Integrity
Initiative
Collaboration
Problem‑solving
Resilience
Women were especially strong in inspiring and motivating others.
3. Entrepreneurship
Women entrepreneurs are one of the fastest‑growing economic forces globally. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor:
Women‑led businesses are more likely to be socially responsible.
Women often outperform men in long‑term business sustainability.
Women build companies that last—and that uplift.
4. Education & Intelligence Measures
Across many countries, girls and women:
Outperform boys academically
Earn degrees at higher rates
Excel in fields requiring sustained focus and complex reasoning
This doesn’t mean men aren’t intelligent—it means that women’s intelligence has been historically underestimated and is now unmistakably visible.
5. Crisis Leadership
During the COVID‑19 pandemic, multiple analyses (including from The Lancet and Forbes) found that countries led by women:
Had lower death rates
Acted faster
Communicated more clearly
Demonstrated higher public trust
Compassion + clarity = effective leadership.
Why This Matters: Respect Is Non‑Negotiable
Women deserve respect not because they outperform men, but because they are human beings with inherent dignity. But acknowledging women’s strengths helps dismantle the old narrative that women are “less capable.”
Women are:
Strong
Intelligent
Creative
Visionary
Capable of leading nations, companies, movements, and families
And when someone says “like a girl,” we should stand tall and say:
Yes—exactly. Like a girl. And that means powerful.
A Call to Action: Stand Up for Girls and Women Everywhere
When you hear someone use “like a girl” as an insult, challenge it. Reclaim it. Transform it.
Encourage girls to:
Lead
Speak
Create
Build
Innovate
Fight for justice
Take up space
Women are not just “as good as men.” Women are excellent, full stop—and sometimes, yes, even better in areas where compassion, awareness, and emotional intelligence are essential.
The world needs more women leading, shaping, and healing. The world needs more people doing things like a girl.
Nancy Arenas is a passionate vegan advocate, nutrition coach, and founder of Red & Green VegFest Albuquerque. She leads Sprouting Compassion, a nonprofit promoting plant-based living. Through her podcast, Vegan Pulse, she educates and inspires others about ethical, environmental, and health benefits of veganism. Her mission is to spread compassion.
Links to find out more about Nancy Arenas and her work:
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