I have spent almost all of my elementary, middle, and high school careers at an all-girl school. When I tell people this, I get gasps, stares, and sometimes even apologies for what I’ve had to endure. But honestly, single-sex education isn’t nearly as horrifying as it sounds.

Not many people realize this, but going to an all-girls school actually removed the pressure to be stereotypically girly. As a child, I pushed away Barbie dolls and Disney princesses. I much preferred comic books and learning about science. Many of my friends who went to co-ed schools thought that those things were weird.

Apparently, it was “boyish” to like science. This was surprising to me, as at my school there were no rules about what girls should or should not be interested in.

Because I grew up in an environment where men did not have the upper hand, there was never anything I felt as if I couldn’t or shouldn’t do because I was a girl. Many girls in my grade are academically prepared to enter male-dominated fields. They are also very passionate about issues affecting women. Because of our community, we have a sense of importance instilled in us, and a voice that cannot be silenced.

For me there was rarely pressure to dress up perfectly or compete with other girls for the attention of boys. In my community, girls focused on their personal ambitious and building communities with their friends, rather than getting approval from boys.

I am fully aware that as society moves forward, the lines between male and female are becoming increasingly blurred. The biggest drawback of single-sex institutions is that they pose serious threats to gender non-conforming citizens.

Because of this, I’m not sure if an all-girl school is something that I would choose for my future daughter. In a perfect world, girls would have all of the benefits that I did without having to go to an all-girl school. Girls would not be taught that their worth relies on approval from boys. Men would not have the upper hand in society. Girls would not be called “tomboys” just for pursuing their interests. But because the world I grew up in was far from perfect, I am grateful for my all-girl school and the things that it has taught me.