“To me, feminism is probably the most important movement that you could embrace, because it’s just basically another word for equality,” said pop culture icon Taylor Swift to Rolling Stone in 2015.

     Feminism is not the belief that women are better than men. It is the belief that women are equal to men and deserve to be treated as such.

     The summer of 2023 was dubbed the ‘Summer of Girlhood.’ Girls all over the world were celebrated by Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and Beyonce’s “Renaissance World Tour.”

     Some have complained about the name for the summer, saying that it cuts off the ability for non-women to enjoy these events in the same way.

     However, all of the summer events were catered for primarily female audiences, which, in my opinion, makes the name perfect.

     What some fail to realize is that the reason that there is a ‘Summer of Girlhood’ and not a ‘Summer of Manhood,’ is that every summer is the ‘Summer of Manhood.’ Every summer there are thousands of things meant specifically for men to enjoy.

     “It happens so infrequently that highly prominent and successful things are made for girls,” said sophomore Alex Cirino.

     I believe that the ‘Summer of Girlhood’ was an incredible way of empowering women with events that, though targeted towards girls, could still be appreciated by anyone.

     “Girls are allowed to enjoy it and so are guys, but it might be targeted to a more female audience, which is perfectly okay,” said male sophomore Reece Campbell.

     It is important to have things like the ‘Summer of Girlhood’ to make sure that women feel safe and empowered in this world. “The Eras Tour,” Beyonce’s “Renaissance World Tour,” and Barbie all provided outlets for female connection.

     “At the Barbie movie and Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour,’ there was more of a female presence than a male presence, which I thought was really great because it made me feel like part of a community,” said sophomore Nithya Nayegandhi.

     “Normally, as a girl, you can feel unsafe or scared in large crowds, but I felt very reassured and comfortable,” said Nayegandhi.

    It’s sad to think about how many women may feel vulnerable and uncomfortable around men or in large crowds. The ‘Summer of Girlhood’ gave women a chance to feel safe outside of their own homes because they were gathering to celebrate their own girlhood. 

     In my opinion, the ‘Summer of Girlhood’ was not just for girls, as that wouldn’t align with the principles of feminism. As with feminism, the ‘Summer of Girlhood’ belonged to everyone while catering to the needs of women around the world, needs that have been neglected for too long.