fourth year nyia bolin

I’ve always been considered a tomboy. Growing up with four brothers, some of my fondest memories involve playing basketball in the backyard, watching horror films, and playing with WWE wrestling figures. I never thought of myself as being “too boyish,” I just enjoyed spending time with my brothers. I never thought of our relationship or shared interests as being a bad thing.

The bond between my brothers and I definitely influenced the person I am now. There were times when I was told that I needed to “dress like a girl,” because I’d always preferred jeans over dresses, or “act like a girl,” because I’d rather play Pokémon on my Game Boy Advance than with Bratz dolls. Don’t get me wrong - I loved both, but sometimes I didn’t want to do the stereotypical “girly” things, and that’s fine, too. The point is, I’m a girl, but I contain multitudes. Sometimes, I like wearing cute, floral rompers, while other times, I just wanna kick it in shorts and a t-shirt. Some days you’ll catch me with a vibrant color painted on my nails, but more often you’ll find them unpainted, maybe even chipped. At the end of the day, my femininity isn’t solely defined by my appearance, or even the things I’m passionate about, but by the energy I exude into the world. Femininity is personal, and it can only be defined by how YOU connect with the world.

Finding My Femininity