POPSUGAR Employees Sound Off on What It Means to "Run Like a Girl"

POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Llyod
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Llyod

I was running the length of the basketball court, trailing behind the pack, pumping my arms with all my might. I caught up, the ball bounced out of bounds, and the buzzer clanked its heavy clank. Halftime.

At the bench, one of the volunteer parent-coaches waved me over. "You're really running like a girl out there," he said, pointing to the court.

I was 10, only one year into what would later become a longtime affair with basketball and running. I looked at my coach with furrowed brows.

He went on to explain what proper form looks like. "You're losing a lot of energy running like that. Your arms are flying around, but you're not really covering any distance."

I nodded. I wanted to be a good basketball player, and if "running like a girl" meant I was wasting energy and would get singled out during halftime, I wanted to fix it. It wasn't until I was 22 and in graduate school completing a thesis on media portrayals of gender in sports that I thought back on that formative moment. I'd spent the 12 years after that basketball game committed to having proper form — shoulders back, elbows at my sides — not because I thought it would make me a better athlete, but because someone had told me it was the right way to move. In that moment, my muscles tensed. I was angry. Proper form was important, but why was it considered a gender issue?

Realizing this was both embarrassing and humbling, and it also helped shape how I feel about the phrase "run like a girl." Still an athlete, I'm proud to get up in the morning, lace up my adidas UltraBOOST X running shoes, and hit the pavement for a jog. I'm proud to be a runner. And I'm proud to be a girl.

Interested in learning how other runners felt about this phrase, I tapped POPSUGAR staffers for their thoughts. Here's what they had to say:


01
Brittni Rhoden, Operations
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd

Brittni Rhoden, Operations

Having grown up playing volleyball, basketball, and even participating in fencing, Brittni is very familiar with this dynamic.

What she thinks when people say, "You run like a girl":

"I'm upset when it's used in a taunting way. I'm always inspired whenever I see someone take it in stride like, 'Hell yeah, I run like a girl, and I'm faster than half of the boys.'"

02
Olivia Galano, Account Management
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd

Olivia Galano, Account Management

Olivia is a runner's runner. She ran competitively for 10 years, earning an All-American title in the 1000m in college. The New York City Marathon? She's done that, too.

The first time someone told her that she runs like a girl: "I was in middle school during the New York State Fitness assessment test where the whole class had to run a mile in order to complete Phys Ed. Everyone was intimidated by the task, and the boys began to shout that I run like a girl. I remember looking at the backs of their heads as they passed me and saying to myself, 'I'll show them how girls run.' As I chased them around the field for the remaining laps I realized that running like a girl meant I could do anything I put my mind to, and for me, that day, it was beating them!"

03
Aimee Simeon, Editorial
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd

Aimee Simeon, Editorial

Filled with a passion for dance and tennis, Aimee is committed to working out, carving out time to hit the gym at least three times a week.

What running like a girl means to her:

"It has always held a negative connotation. But as I've gotten older, I've taken that phrase back. 'Running like a girl' means tackling every single physical (or nonphysical) task or challenge like a boss. Women are strong, powerful, dynamic beings, and running like a girl is absolutely beautiful in my mind."

04
Kaitlyn Viola, Marketing
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd

Kaitlyn Viola, Marketing

Kaitlyn is a self-proclaimed short-distance runner who pushes herself regularly at classes like Orangetheory. Growing up with three older brothers, she learned early on that if someone tells you that you can't, you show them you can.

On what it means to run like a girl: "It means you're fast, strong, and confident. [It makes me feel] inspired. Look at all the famous females runners out there!"

05
Liana Iglesias, Brand Strategy and Innovation
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd

Liana Iglesias, Brand Strategy and Innovation

An avid yogi with an affinity for working up a sweat, Liana feels strongly about the "you run like a girl" phrase.

How "running like a girl" makes her feel: "I used to be offended by the phrase, 'You run like a girl,' but now I take it as a form of motivation inspiring me or others to work harder, faster, and stronger. To me, 'run like a girl' suggests female empowerment, independence, and self-assuredness. She's taking charge and following her passions big or small, from starting her own business to standing up for social causes she believes in, or even starting a new fitness routine."

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