Artist Creates A Comic To Show How Wrong The “I’m Not Like The Other Girls” Attitude Really Is
Julie Hang has always been doing cartoon drawings. Ever since she was a little kid. But there’s something else that Julie had dedicated a lot of her younger days to. Alienating herself from others and rationalizing to herself that it’s ok because she’s “not like the other girls.”
“I was a shy, anxious kid, and had a hard time making friends,” Julie told Bored Panda. “Instead of recognizing my anxiety and trying to overcome it, I’d thought I’m just not like the other girls. Reading ‘me vs. other girls’ comics online validated those negative feelings and stereotypes I had towards other girls, and made me feel like judging others was the ‘cool’ thing to do.”
More info: juliehang.com | Instagram
“I became judgmental and presumptive towards my peers, categorizing other girls into stereotypes before I even got to know them,” the artist said. “I made such a point of staying away from those stereotypes that I didn’t let myself experience things that I thought ‘other girls’ were into, including presumably girly things like going shopping, dressing up, and getting your nails done – things that I later found I actually enjoy doing!”
However, as time went by, Julie developed not only as an artist, but as a person as well. She began to realize that bitterness doesn’t lead to anything good. “Meeting more people and getting to know them helped open up my world view, especially when I attended summer camp in high school and, later, art school.”
“It was a blank slate for everyone, which presented me the option to let go of all of those categories and those stereotypes towards “other girls” that I had held onto for so long. So I did just that. What followed could only be described as an epiphany – I had been setting myself apart from the very people I felt I belonged with the most. There was so much I had in common with ‘other girls’! I made lifelong friends from a variety of backgrounds and interests who are bright, hilarious, loving, kind – girls who are unique in their own way!”
Image credits: juliehangart
Looking back, Julie said that social isolation really affected her. “When you’re young and still trying to figure out who you are, the one thing you really want to have is individuality. There are lots of healthy ways to discover yourself, like joining a club where you can meet people with similar interests. Then there is the ‘I’m not like other girls’ comic ideas online that communicates that you are indeed unique but does so by putting other girls down.”
However, she successfully got rid of this dangerous mindset and has a lot going for her. Having graduated from Otis College of Art & Design with a major in Animation, Julie’s now a motion designer at Part IV, a digital marketing agency. When she’s not motion-designing, she’s full of drawing ideas for future comics, design characters, do painting studies… pretty much anything you can see on her Instagram.
She also believes that the trend of relatable comics for girls is slowly changing for the better. “In recent years, I’ve felt as though webcomics are headed in a more positive and inclusive direction, with deeper meanings and consideration for their readers, and I’m more than happy to be contributing to that movement,” the artist added.
Here’s what people said about Julie’s comic and the whole “I’m not like the other girls” topic in general
How much to you cringe when a boy tells you 'you're not like other girls'. Blech!
When a guy says that what he means is "I have generally low regard for your entire gender but im willing to make an exception for you." And thats is not a fcking compliment....
Watch Danny illustrate the point by showing his low regard for you.
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Yes, cus when you say all men are the same after a bad experience with one guy, it's just not the same. After all men are a bunch of idiots with no brain and we, women are all made of sunshine and unicorn sparkles holier than thou right? Right?... Right...?
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low regard is never without a reason. Want a high one? Work for it.
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Oh, so you want guys to say 'Oh, you're like other girls. Mediocre. Girly. Has a vagina and two boobs. Ok, next.'
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No, Juniper. It's meant as a compliment. Get over yourself.
The sad thing is that he probably thinks he's giving you a complement
It doesn't really bother me when guys tell me I'm not like other girls. I'm in my 20s. I hate wearing makeup, I hate dressing up, I really really hate shopping for clothes. I like going to the mall, but not for clothes unless they're geeky t-shirts. I don't like going to parties. I don't judge the girls that do enjoy those things, but I don't. I haven't since I was like 12. I would prefer to be in my room either playing video games or reading. In middle school and even now, it was so much easier to make friends with guys than girls for me. Even now I only have like 2 friends that are girls. The rest are all guys. Then again a lot of girls bullied me for wearing the same shirts, playing video games, for reading, for not liking the "girly things" they liked. Guys never judged me. When they told me I wasn't like other girls. They weren't degrading the female gender. They just hadn't really met a girl who likes to do things they like. Even now in college and in my 20s I still get called weird for playing video games and not liking shopping. A lot of the guys I hang out with still say I'm not like other girls because I know comic book answers or I play videos when they're sisters or even girlfriends/ex girlfriends found it stupid or weird. Everyone's experience is different when a guy says that obviously, but in my experience it's just that they're amazed that a girl they know is interested in the same stuff they are.
You're still like other girls.
You are still missing the point, which is that THIS EXPERIENCE IS NOT UNIQUE, and therefore THERE ARE GIRLS LIKE YOU, therefore YOU ARE LIKE OTHER GIRLS.
This was my first thought when I saw the post! I never thought it was negative...just honest, a lot of girls in my grade only ever talked about boys, shoes, and clothes! But once I got to know them I found that a few like one or two things the same as me or had their own things that the other girls didn't really partake in but, I agree with you! My bf lives out of state and he said he never even dated until he met me because a lot of girls at his school had such one track minds and were kind of half brained
I like nerdy stuff, I like graphic tees and video games and I've been bullied before but I'm still like a lot of other girls. And a lot of other girls are like me. I don't act like I'm different. I just am who I am and you're sitting here acting like there's no other girl like you. But fact is that your experience isn't unique at all. by saying you're not like other girls is putting all our girls who aren't you into a group and acting like they're all the same. you can talk about your experience but then saying that you're not like other girls because of your experience isn't true cuz you don't know what other girls go through. Girls who who bullied you you are insecure and have their own issues, but does that not make them like other girls? Quit separating yourself from people. We're all unique and different people.
I felt the same as you when I was younger, being the bookworm constantly talking about the latest video game I played and with little interest in dressing up or other "girly" things. And since then I've known dozens of other women with similar experiences. What you're not getting is that you are like other women. The point of this comic flew right over your head: girls and women and not a hive mind and we all have different interests. I was bullied by girls in school too, but I found others with similar interests as well. I hope you grow up soon and see that just because someone in school bullied you it doesn't mean other women are your enemy and being a woman who likes video games is not at all an unique experience.
I never felt like other girls and still don't feel like other girls. Other girls have made that clear. I was always bullied for things I liked, things I wore. A mojority of other girls called me "A wannabe boy." But I found I fit in better with boys than girls and I was made fun of for that as well. Middle school was rough and so was my first year of high school because of that. But I've owned up to the fact I'm not like other girls and it doesn't bother. I would rather be me and considered "not like other girls" than hang around other girls/people that have nothing better to do than knock people down constantly. Obviously not all girls are like that, but the majority of the girls at my school were until I was finally homeschooled. Even at college I still get weird looks and talked about when people think I can't hear. But if I'm not like other girls that's fine. I say it now with confidence or if guys tell me I'm not like other girls because I like video games. I just reply "You're right. I'm not. I'm me and that's okay." I'm at the point in my life that if girls are just gonna talk behind my back, be rude to me for liking what I like, then I really don't want to hang around them. I would prefer to be alone where I'm happy, than hang out with someone who makes fun of someone else. I stay away and hang out with my guy friends who actually respect me, even though I'm the only girl in the group. So where I'm from I'm definitely not seen as "other girls" I'm seen as an outsider who's tried to fit in only to be told flat out I'm not welcome to sit with other girls because I'm different.
To be honest, when I got told that by a guy I liked my face turned inside out I cringed so bad (he had texted it to me so he didn’t see) he turned out to be a jerk so it didn’t bother me for long
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Just because it annoys you that there are people who is different from most, it doesn't mean that they aren't. I say this for the comment you made to Jasmine. It . is quite healthy to accept that not everyone fits in the average standard, and being annoyed when people tells you you are not like others shows many unresolved problems.
Cringe, why? I take it as a compliment. I suppose it is ;)
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Not as much as I cringe when they tell you "You're pretty". At least "you're not like other girls" implies your personality rather than your flesh.
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That's because you're a normie who can't stand that some people prefer to be alone just like most people who likes this comic. I would take this as a compliment more than anything and I'd say the same about him.
I tried this. I tried fitting in with other girls, but I found out they did nothing but talk about me behind my back. I was bullied for being different, for liking video games, for wearing non fashionable clothes, but graphic tees. These were all groups of girls. I was shy, but tried to fit in, but I had another girl tell me. "You will never fit in with us for liking the things you like and being who you are. Stop trying." I hung out with my small group of friends after school, but to this day I still don't fit in with other girls. But I've accepted if other girls don't like me for who I am, then I won't change their minds. Even in college it's very cliquey and I get laughed at or get weird looks from other girls for being me. But at this point I'm used to it and I'm going to continue being me even if others don't approve of it. This is who I am and I'm happy to be me. I would rather not be like other girls than be part of a group that bullies other people just for liking different things.
"I asked why. And they flat out told me it was because I was a boy wannabe in my graphic tshirts and because I played video games." This is almost word for word what I dealt with my entire life growing up as a lower middle class kid in a mostly upper middle to upper class school district. I love all things nerdy, and I was fully excommunicated for it. I was one of maybe four girls in our Robotics Club, and the same with our Anime Club. Reading your posts here was like reading my own mind.
Exact same thing happened for my wife, she's only now exploring her "girly" side in a safe environment with me because she has been so viciously traumatised by other women to the point of genuine fear behaviour around other women even when they are pleasent to her :(
Pretty much my school life too, most of my friends even now are guys. Simply because I find it hard to meet a girl with similar interests. It's usually boys and shopping when I'd rather be gaming. It's hard fitting in with societies standards, so most people pretend to be something they aren't. There was probably lots of girls like me at school they just pretended they didn't cause it was better than being bullied.
You are in the very right path Jasmine. This comic supports the idea that if you don't follow the mainstream standards, and you don't behave and think as most, it is because you are frustrated or you are a lonely weirdo. That doesn't mean that one has to be extremely asocial, but definitely it is good not falling into the trap of destroying all you are just to fit into behaviors and conversations that do not interest you at all. If you force yourself to adapt at that age, you will always do it, and your whole life will pass by not finding yourself and not knowing who you are. Just because the average people gets annoyed because you are different (as it is the case of the comic) you don't have to forget who you are. I am quite old, and I have seen too many people fall into that trap, believing they are adapted and well being, but living in a total void.
Thank you.
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If everyone is treating you this way, then it may be time to delve into why you inspire this kind of reaction. I am not saying it's your fault people are jerks, but sometimes we misinterpret what others are trying to say, or we gravitate towards the kind of people who are jerks and it reinforces our ideas about everyone in a certain group being jerks.
Kit Cassidy is right. I've never done anything to those people other than be nice. These girls are just jerks in general they Target everyone who's different or they think doesn't fit in. I'm just a shy quiet nerd who only had classes and lunch with some of these girls. The only thing I remotely said was hi and got laughed at and they told me to my face that I wasn't welcome. I asked why. And they flat out told me it was because I was a boy wannabe in my graphic tshirts and because I played video games. They were just jerks who had nothing better to do than to Target someone that was different than them. I know not all girls are like that nor or all cliques, but that's unfortunately how it was with those girls.
Or it is that jerks gravitate to people who seem more isolated and unsure, which is an established fact. She probably isn't misinterpreting anything, these are probably the people who interact with her the most, and these experiences are so belittling and stand-out that she can't focus on these girls being more of an anomally and that many girls aren't like that. Bullies form cliques and cliques look for victims. Sometimes other people will avoid getting involved to the point of avoiding the person so they won't be targeted too, so the person will feel more isolated and the situation will get worse. Don't blame the victim, she probably is innocent in this.
Do you really think misfits never tried to fit in before???
We tried. We failed. That's on us, for being incapable of forming normal connections. As we grow up, so do they. There is a possibility, that you have given up too early.
How much to you cringe when a boy tells you 'you're not like other girls'. Blech!
When a guy says that what he means is "I have generally low regard for your entire gender but im willing to make an exception for you." And thats is not a fcking compliment....
Watch Danny illustrate the point by showing his low regard for you.
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Yes, cus when you say all men are the same after a bad experience with one guy, it's just not the same. After all men are a bunch of idiots with no brain and we, women are all made of sunshine and unicorn sparkles holier than thou right? Right?... Right...?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
low regard is never without a reason. Want a high one? Work for it.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Oh, so you want guys to say 'Oh, you're like other girls. Mediocre. Girly. Has a vagina and two boobs. Ok, next.'
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
No, Juniper. It's meant as a compliment. Get over yourself.
The sad thing is that he probably thinks he's giving you a complement
It doesn't really bother me when guys tell me I'm not like other girls. I'm in my 20s. I hate wearing makeup, I hate dressing up, I really really hate shopping for clothes. I like going to the mall, but not for clothes unless they're geeky t-shirts. I don't like going to parties. I don't judge the girls that do enjoy those things, but I don't. I haven't since I was like 12. I would prefer to be in my room either playing video games or reading. In middle school and even now, it was so much easier to make friends with guys than girls for me. Even now I only have like 2 friends that are girls. The rest are all guys. Then again a lot of girls bullied me for wearing the same shirts, playing video games, for reading, for not liking the "girly things" they liked. Guys never judged me. When they told me I wasn't like other girls. They weren't degrading the female gender. They just hadn't really met a girl who likes to do things they like. Even now in college and in my 20s I still get called weird for playing video games and not liking shopping. A lot of the guys I hang out with still say I'm not like other girls because I know comic book answers or I play videos when they're sisters or even girlfriends/ex girlfriends found it stupid or weird. Everyone's experience is different when a guy says that obviously, but in my experience it's just that they're amazed that a girl they know is interested in the same stuff they are.
You're still like other girls.
You are still missing the point, which is that THIS EXPERIENCE IS NOT UNIQUE, and therefore THERE ARE GIRLS LIKE YOU, therefore YOU ARE LIKE OTHER GIRLS.
This was my first thought when I saw the post! I never thought it was negative...just honest, a lot of girls in my grade only ever talked about boys, shoes, and clothes! But once I got to know them I found that a few like one or two things the same as me or had their own things that the other girls didn't really partake in but, I agree with you! My bf lives out of state and he said he never even dated until he met me because a lot of girls at his school had such one track minds and were kind of half brained
I like nerdy stuff, I like graphic tees and video games and I've been bullied before but I'm still like a lot of other girls. And a lot of other girls are like me. I don't act like I'm different. I just am who I am and you're sitting here acting like there's no other girl like you. But fact is that your experience isn't unique at all. by saying you're not like other girls is putting all our girls who aren't you into a group and acting like they're all the same. you can talk about your experience but then saying that you're not like other girls because of your experience isn't true cuz you don't know what other girls go through. Girls who who bullied you you are insecure and have their own issues, but does that not make them like other girls? Quit separating yourself from people. We're all unique and different people.
I felt the same as you when I was younger, being the bookworm constantly talking about the latest video game I played and with little interest in dressing up or other "girly" things. And since then I've known dozens of other women with similar experiences. What you're not getting is that you are like other women. The point of this comic flew right over your head: girls and women and not a hive mind and we all have different interests. I was bullied by girls in school too, but I found others with similar interests as well. I hope you grow up soon and see that just because someone in school bullied you it doesn't mean other women are your enemy and being a woman who likes video games is not at all an unique experience.
I never felt like other girls and still don't feel like other girls. Other girls have made that clear. I was always bullied for things I liked, things I wore. A mojority of other girls called me "A wannabe boy." But I found I fit in better with boys than girls and I was made fun of for that as well. Middle school was rough and so was my first year of high school because of that. But I've owned up to the fact I'm not like other girls and it doesn't bother. I would rather be me and considered "not like other girls" than hang around other girls/people that have nothing better to do than knock people down constantly. Obviously not all girls are like that, but the majority of the girls at my school were until I was finally homeschooled. Even at college I still get weird looks and talked about when people think I can't hear. But if I'm not like other girls that's fine. I say it now with confidence or if guys tell me I'm not like other girls because I like video games. I just reply "You're right. I'm not. I'm me and that's okay." I'm at the point in my life that if girls are just gonna talk behind my back, be rude to me for liking what I like, then I really don't want to hang around them. I would prefer to be alone where I'm happy, than hang out with someone who makes fun of someone else. I stay away and hang out with my guy friends who actually respect me, even though I'm the only girl in the group. So where I'm from I'm definitely not seen as "other girls" I'm seen as an outsider who's tried to fit in only to be told flat out I'm not welcome to sit with other girls because I'm different.
To be honest, when I got told that by a guy I liked my face turned inside out I cringed so bad (he had texted it to me so he didn’t see) he turned out to be a jerk so it didn’t bother me for long
This comment has been deleted.
Just because it annoys you that there are people who is different from most, it doesn't mean that they aren't. I say this for the comment you made to Jasmine. It . is quite healthy to accept that not everyone fits in the average standard, and being annoyed when people tells you you are not like others shows many unresolved problems.
Cringe, why? I take it as a compliment. I suppose it is ;)
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Not as much as I cringe when they tell you "You're pretty". At least "you're not like other girls" implies your personality rather than your flesh.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
That's because you're a normie who can't stand that some people prefer to be alone just like most people who likes this comic. I would take this as a compliment more than anything and I'd say the same about him.
I tried this. I tried fitting in with other girls, but I found out they did nothing but talk about me behind my back. I was bullied for being different, for liking video games, for wearing non fashionable clothes, but graphic tees. These were all groups of girls. I was shy, but tried to fit in, but I had another girl tell me. "You will never fit in with us for liking the things you like and being who you are. Stop trying." I hung out with my small group of friends after school, but to this day I still don't fit in with other girls. But I've accepted if other girls don't like me for who I am, then I won't change their minds. Even in college it's very cliquey and I get laughed at or get weird looks from other girls for being me. But at this point I'm used to it and I'm going to continue being me even if others don't approve of it. This is who I am and I'm happy to be me. I would rather not be like other girls than be part of a group that bullies other people just for liking different things.
"I asked why. And they flat out told me it was because I was a boy wannabe in my graphic tshirts and because I played video games." This is almost word for word what I dealt with my entire life growing up as a lower middle class kid in a mostly upper middle to upper class school district. I love all things nerdy, and I was fully excommunicated for it. I was one of maybe four girls in our Robotics Club, and the same with our Anime Club. Reading your posts here was like reading my own mind.
Exact same thing happened for my wife, she's only now exploring her "girly" side in a safe environment with me because she has been so viciously traumatised by other women to the point of genuine fear behaviour around other women even when they are pleasent to her :(
Pretty much my school life too, most of my friends even now are guys. Simply because I find it hard to meet a girl with similar interests. It's usually boys and shopping when I'd rather be gaming. It's hard fitting in with societies standards, so most people pretend to be something they aren't. There was probably lots of girls like me at school they just pretended they didn't cause it was better than being bullied.
You are in the very right path Jasmine. This comic supports the idea that if you don't follow the mainstream standards, and you don't behave and think as most, it is because you are frustrated or you are a lonely weirdo. That doesn't mean that one has to be extremely asocial, but definitely it is good not falling into the trap of destroying all you are just to fit into behaviors and conversations that do not interest you at all. If you force yourself to adapt at that age, you will always do it, and your whole life will pass by not finding yourself and not knowing who you are. Just because the average people gets annoyed because you are different (as it is the case of the comic) you don't have to forget who you are. I am quite old, and I have seen too many people fall into that trap, believing they are adapted and well being, but living in a total void.
Thank you.
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If everyone is treating you this way, then it may be time to delve into why you inspire this kind of reaction. I am not saying it's your fault people are jerks, but sometimes we misinterpret what others are trying to say, or we gravitate towards the kind of people who are jerks and it reinforces our ideas about everyone in a certain group being jerks.
Kit Cassidy is right. I've never done anything to those people other than be nice. These girls are just jerks in general they Target everyone who's different or they think doesn't fit in. I'm just a shy quiet nerd who only had classes and lunch with some of these girls. The only thing I remotely said was hi and got laughed at and they told me to my face that I wasn't welcome. I asked why. And they flat out told me it was because I was a boy wannabe in my graphic tshirts and because I played video games. They were just jerks who had nothing better to do than to Target someone that was different than them. I know not all girls are like that nor or all cliques, but that's unfortunately how it was with those girls.
Or it is that jerks gravitate to people who seem more isolated and unsure, which is an established fact. She probably isn't misinterpreting anything, these are probably the people who interact with her the most, and these experiences are so belittling and stand-out that she can't focus on these girls being more of an anomally and that many girls aren't like that. Bullies form cliques and cliques look for victims. Sometimes other people will avoid getting involved to the point of avoiding the person so they won't be targeted too, so the person will feel more isolated and the situation will get worse. Don't blame the victim, she probably is innocent in this.
Do you really think misfits never tried to fit in before???
We tried. We failed. That's on us, for being incapable of forming normal connections. As we grow up, so do they. There is a possibility, that you have given up too early.