Listen "calling her a pick me makes you one"
Episode Synopsis
0:00 a harmful or helpful label?1:16 i was the pick me2:53 the stereotype that created me4:08 the labels original empowerment5:22 the problematic shift6:23 was that pick me of me?7:19 women are allowed to like things9:27 women can never win10:07 limiting what a woman can be13:03 destroying the moldPick me. Choose me. Love me.The word pick me has taken the internet by storm and has helped many (including myself), identify their own internalized misogyny.But what starts as a useful way to identify harmful behavior can slowly become a new set of rules for how women are allowed to exist.In this episode of Touching Grass, we explore how the meaning of "pick me" has evolved, why the label originally mattered, and how its overuse may now be reinforcing the same gender stereotypes it was created to challenge.Because somewhere along the way, the conversation stopped being about seeking male validationAnd started becoming another way to police women's interests.We get into:-What it actually means to be a "pick me"-How internalized misogyny shaped my own experiences growing up-Why so many girls distance themselves from stereotypically feminine interests-How online language evolves and changes meaning over time-The difference between seeking male validation and simply having different interests-Why women should be free to enjoy both traditionally feminine and masculine hobbies-How labels can unintentionally reinforce the very stereotypes they're meant to dismantle-The impossible standards women are expected to meet online-Why women are criticized no matter which version of femininity they choose-How we can move beyond labels and allow women to exist as complex, multidimensional peopleThis episode isn't about defending "pick me" behavior.It's about asking whether we've become so focused on calling it out that we've started creating a new mold for what women are allowed to be.Because women don't need a smaller box.They need no box at all.The goal was never to replace one stereotype with another.It was to create a world where women are free to define themselves.
