We've all heard it at some point -- the word describes a girl who shows characteristics or behaviors that are usually associated with masculinity. Things like video games, any sport with a rougher style, and certain ways of speaking and dressing are considered to be unfeminine for girls, therefore earn us the title "tomboy." But what does it really mean when you tell little girls they're essentially acting against their gender when they participate in things they enjoy or act true to themselves?

We as a society have been experiencing a multitude of changes to gender roles recently. Though not everyone agrees with what all these changes are bringing about, one thing has become clear to me: females around the world are beginning to speak out and redefine what it is to be feminine. What was once a very strict outline of manners, proper attire and meek personalities has blossomed into vast opportunities and lives without labels. Women have come so far, so how is it that people are still using a word with the connotation of "rudeness and impropriety" (according to Oxford English Dictionary) to describe girls expressing themselves?

Have we not come far enough as a world that we can finally leave young girls to be what they want? Girls play sports, from volleyball to football. Girls can be rough and tough and fight if they so choose. They can also wear dresses and enjoy making themselves beautiful in their own ways. There is no outline for what women have to be anymore, so why are we still attacking those in their youth?

The word tomboy is offensive. Though countless young girls have come to accept the phrase, and even use it to define themselves, that does not change the fact that it goes against their own gender without reason. We must get rid of the preconceived ideals that come with both femininity and masculinity. It should not be an insult nor a compliment for a girl to be coined a tomboy -- it should not exist at all. One's likes and dislikes make who they are, not their gender.

Whether a girl is "girly" or not does not make them any less feminine; by telling our young girls that the way they act makes them less "female," we are pushing them to fit a mold they shouldn't have to fit. It shouldn't matter if a girl wants to spend her time with boys or do things that society deems masculine -- it is her choice and hers alone. Judging her for it does nothing but suppress the women she's destined to grow up to be, whether that be clad in men's t-shirts or a skin-tight dress. So stop telling these young girls that the way they act makes them any less female. It's time to end the use of "tomboy" and start accepting that girls can be and do anything without losing their femininity.