How can we expect girls to understand that they are children when women are also called girls?

I did a search on google for the word GIRL. The top sites listed were for girls age 9-13 (american girl magazine, girl skate boards, dress up for girls, activities for preteens, and so on).





Then I did a search for the word GIRLS. This time the top sites listed were about where to look at hot babes and sexy girls.





One letter was the difference between a child and a woman.





Imagine you are an 11 year old girl. You see ads for "Girls Gone Wild" or hear the song "Girls, Girls, Girls", for example. How do you (with a child's brain) distinguish the difference between child girl and adult girl?





Furthermore, how can we expect girls to become women who don't perpetually act like children, if it is not completely clear that girls are not women and women are not girls?





Any thoughts on the matter?

How can we expect girls to understand that they are children when women are also called girls?
the fact that many people routinely call women "girls" up until they are around 50 years old has always bothered me. i have earned the title of "woman," and i would like to be called a woman. naming women over 18 "girls" is a way of subjugating them-before the civil rights era, white people subjugated african-americans by calling them "boy" and "girl" for their entire lives. it's a way of disregarding someone's power and independence, and it's actually very serious. of course, i realize most people mean no harm when they call a grown woman a girl--but that still doesn't make it right. i'm sure it is confusing to children. i, for one, have made a concerted effort never to call a woman a girl, and i think anyone else who calls themselves a feminist should do the same.
Reply:Actually, it bothers me for some reason that we have a different name (girl) before puberty and another name (woman) after puberty. This sort of reminds me of the difference between a virgin hog (gilt) and a non-virgin hog (sow). I mean, what kind of message is it that we are sending to children that a female child's "right of passage" into adulthood is when she starts being able to get pregnant? What makes a "girl" a "woman" . . . when she's self-sufficient? When she has a college degree? When she gets a job? When she's old enough to drive or vote? What about back before suffrage when females could not vote or drive or rarely went to college or had a job? When did a "girl" become a "woman" back then? When she was able to breed. We need to consider the more underlying feminist semantics of the words "girl" and "women" before we examine the sexist semantics of "girl" and girls".
Reply:Even though I am sensitive to both issues (as I suspect you know) I had never connected the two.





The infantalization of adult women by referring to them as "girls" and the early sexualization of girls are both problems in our society.





Thank you for bringing to mind connections between the two!
Reply:I have three daughters and they all know the difference between being a child and an adult. Children know that they are children and they know that they don't have the same knowledge that adults do. It's when they are no longer children and not yet adults that their might be a problem. And only than if their parents haven't laid down some rules and expectations for them. My girls know that there are certain things that they won't do and won't wear until they are 18 or no longer in my house. You're the parent if you act like it it shouldn't be a problem.
Reply:Parents.





Thank God most parents don't rely on the internet to teach their kids about life. That really is scary.
Reply:Well, I thought I was grown at 12, so maybe you have a point. Then again, I did watch my 3 younger sisters everyday at 12, and made dinner, my mom was working 2 jobs at the time. I still played like a teenager but I had responsibilities. I matured a lot faster as to what the real world was about.
Reply:i hate this. i don't want to be lumped into the same category as a child. kendrick: men usually do show offense to being called "boy", no point in trying to use that as a method of sarcasm.





think about how women are supposed to shave off all their pubic hair to look as smooth down there as possible, i.e, a 12 year old girl. take a look at some of the clothes targeted at women-mini skirts with shorts built in, tiny shirts. it's really gross when you think about it.
Reply:I had the same issue when I changed BOY to BOYS....


Wow! This is a more serious issue than I thought.


What are the boys going to think when they see 'The Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Oakridge Boys, Pep Boys, Backstreet Boys, et cetera? I think we must change this right now!
Reply:What is really offensive is being referred to as a "girl" by someone who is obviously younger than I am.
Reply:Fortunately, most girls and women needn't Google either "girl" or "girls," since they're quite capable of distinguishing a girl from a woman.





My policy on "girl" vs. "woman": if you're younger than me, I just might refer to you as a girl, and if I do, it's a testament to your youthful appearance than an attempt at diminution.