Since I was about 7-years-old, I have considered myself a tomboy. I don’t like to admit it, but even I went through the phase where I dressed in baggy shorts and t-shirt while sporting a ponytail during my middle school years. Although it took me a few years before the more girly side of me came out in terms of fashion, the tomboy inside of me is still very much alive, and I’m sure I’m not the only one out there. Given this, I figured it was time to write an article- from one tomboy to all other tomboys (and the world) out there- expressing what I believe to be the five things that every tomboy can relate to.

1) We don’t take hours to get ready

This one may seem interesting or even peculiar to some of you, but just hear me out. If you’re a tomboy, odds are you never had that phase in high school when you searched makeup tutorials online or put in any extra effort to making yourself look pristine. Sure, you went to Sephora once freshman year and had assistance picking out mascara, eye liner, foundation, and maybe a nice lip color that worked for you. Since then, your make-up routine has stayed pretty much the same, and that’s okay with you considering you can be ready for a night-out in about 10 minutes.

2) We like sports

I write these words carefully because tomboys are stereotyped as the type of girls who are so into sports and aggressive in every sense. There’s no doubt that some are, but what mostly all are stems from being an athlete at one point in their life. Whether it be ballet or basketball, tomboys have an appreciation for athletics and like doing more active things with their time. Above all, there is at least one professional sport that they can analyze and talk-up just as well as any guy.

3) Legging and a messy bun are perfect

I’m not saying that tomboys don’t enjoy dressing up, because believe me we do, but on an average day of going to class, the only thing we want to wear is our favorite pair of leggings with an oversized sweatshirt and converse. Sure, girly girls will wear this type of clothing too, but with tomboys it’s less about wearing the outfit because it’s comfortable and more about wearing it because it’s our style. We still have our own fashion sense, but it’s certainly not dresses and miniskirts.

4) We don’t enjoy shopping

Okay so I’m trying not to be too general here because I know that not everything I write is applicable to all tomboys, but this is one that I feel extremely confident in. Every single tomboy I know has mentioned to me at one point or another that they hate shopping. When we shop, it is because there is something we NEED to buy and it will take us roughly 15 minutes to go into a store, find it in our size, and buy it. That’s not to say it isn’t fun for us to watch our friends try on different outfits, but it certainly isn’t our cup of tea.

5) We are still women

Perhaps one of the biggest misrepresentation of tomboys is that they can’t walk in high heels and they don’t get excited for big events like prom. For those of you who think that, allow me to tell you first hand that you couldn’t be more wrong. Even as a tomboy, I always enjoyed getting ready for high school dances or big family parties, and I must say I’m not too shabby at strutting around in heels for hours on end. Although we may not seem to put as much effort into our appearance and we may confuse you with all our time spent in the gym and sports talk, we are still women. We gossip with our friends, we cry over boys, and we cry over the simple things like seeing our sister in her wedding dress. Don’t let the baseball cap fool you, because underneath we probably still spent time straightening our hair to make it fit on our heads.

Of course, there is far more that goes into being a tomboy than is discussed in this short article, but these are what I believe to be the most universal. That being said, no two girls are the same, so there may be some variation depending on who you are. Regardless, if you are a tomboy, own it! Don’t psych yourself out wondering if you’re supposed to love makeup or understand the difference between foundation and cover up. As a kid, you were just one of the girls who preferred- as my first-grade teacher would say- active play rather than dress up, and if you ask me, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.