The cartoon I chose shows a boy and a girl playing soccer. The girl has just scored a goal, and the boy, clearly upset, says, “You play like a girl.” She cheers and replies, “And I win like one too.” This moment flips a common insult into a celebration, and it ties directly to what we learned in Chapter 13 Gender Communication.

The chapter explains how gender is taught and reinforced through language, media, and culture. Phrases like “like a girl” have long been used negatively, implying weakness or lack of skill. This image shows how outdated that thinking is. The girl takes pride in her abilities and refuses to let her gender be used against her. That’s a big part of gender communication and how society shapes the way we see ourselves and each other based on cultural ideas about masculinity and femininity.

This cartoon reminded me of something that happened during game night at my friend’s house. We were playing a trivia game, and one of my friends kept answering questions quickly and correctly. One of the guys jokingly said, “Wow, you’re smart for a girl,” and laughed it off. She didn’t say anything at the time, but I could tell it annoyed her. At first, I didn’t think much of it either, but later I realized how those little comments send a message that being smart isn’t expected from girls in the same way it is from boys.

What stood out to me in the chapter was how gender isn’t just about how we look or act. It’s about how we’re expected to communicate and behave based on our culture. This cartoon reminds me that we all play a part in redefining those expectations. Saying “like a girl” should mean something strong, skilled, and proud, and it starts with how we communicate.