Not Here to Be Liked

Because everyone loves a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.

Because feminism, contrary to popular belief, isn’t about hating on guys like me. It’s all about all of us working toward equality, together.

Your parents want what's good for you, but they don't always know what's best for you.

And the next time you want to fill my locker with menstrual products, do me a favour and make them pads. I've never been a tampon girl myself

To be human is hard enough. Don’t make it harder for yourself.

Why couldn't Lady Justice just wear jeans and a T-shirt?' I complain. 'I mean, if she had a choice.' 'Good question,' says Winona. 'Because,' says Serena, swiping on the lipstick in two expert strokes. She grabs my arm and shepherds me over to the full-length mirror. 'Maybe she liked the way she looked in a dress.

Is it possible to be hungover from too much boba?

Keeping things from Mom is one thing. That's just basic Asian-kid survival.

I thought I knew everything about everyone, but I guess sometimes I didn’t even really know myself.

Because everyone likes a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.

and that’s understandable. You feel that something is being taken away from you. And perhaps, in some ways, the situation has been unfair. But life, my dear, is often unfair. The solution, however, is never to dig in deeper where you are. The solution is to reach a hand over the trenches and, as our dear friend Forster would say, connect. Only connect.

You can’t not submit it,” I say. “You won’t even have a shot if you don’t enter.” “Yeah, but then I can’t be rejected, either.” Winona’s so quiet when she says this, I almost don’t even hear her. But understanding dawns on me, and I finally put all the pieces together. This is why she rewrote so obsessively. This is why she pushed to reshoot so many times. Because if something isn’t finished, it can never really be judged. You’ll never have to reckon with the fact that maybe it—and you—didn’t live up to your expectations. (...) “This is the real deal, Eliza,” Winona says. “And I guess . . . especially because I’ve now literally put myself into the film, I don’t want to know that it’s not good enough. I don’t want to know that I’m not good enough.

(...) To discuss such, ah, personal matters on the air, especially in an educational setting, is really quite in poor taste.” (...) Dr. Guinn clears his throat. “I meant your discussion about . . . feminine hygiene.” It takes me a minute to understand. “Are you trying to say that tampons aren’t allowed on the morning announcements?” Dr. Guinn studies me for a moment. (...) “I’m just trying to ensure that this is an environment where everyone feels comfortable.” Look, I get it. Tampons are embarrassing. Periods are embarrassing. (...) The whole specific business with the bleeding, though, is still not cool, except in certain woke corners of the internet. (...) But it’s weird to have Dr. Guinn tell me how embarrassing periods are. The man has never had one in his life—why does he get to have an opinion about it? “Could it be,” I say, in as conciliatory a tone as I can manage, “that maybe it’s not an environment where everyone feels comfortable . . . if we’re not allowed to talk publicly about something that is a normal, healthy part of life for every menstruating student and teacher at Willoughby?

everyone loves a girlboss until she tries to tell you what to do.