But being called a tomboy also had suspicious uses. In the fall of the fourth grade, I tried out for my school's flag football team. I was the only girl who ever did. I was a good center and my team had a winning record. Still, the adults who were around--parents, teachers, coaches--always had to point out that I was different from all the other players. They would tousle my hair or pat me on the behind and say,
"You're such a tomboy."
They didn't say "You're a good player," or "Great block, you crushed that guy."
By calling me a tomboy, they made me feel like it was unnatural to be a girl who was good at football.
Being labeled a
last summer reminded me of this negative use of tomboy. It was being used to distinguish me from other playwrights, like I was a novelty act.
I like to think that the quality and characteristics of my writing, rather than what I did as a kid, distinguish me from other playwrights.
