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!”

Artist Creates A Comic To Show How Wrong The “I’m Not Like The Other Girls” Attitude Really Is

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.”

Artist Creates A Comic To Show How Wrong The “I’m Not Like The Other Girls” Attitude Really Is

“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!”

Artist Creates A Comic To Show How Wrong The “I’m Not Like The Other Girls” Attitude Really Is

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

Artist Creates A Comic To Show How Wrong The “I’m Not Like The Other Girls” Attitude Really Is

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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What do you think ?

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Liz Perry 4 years ago

How much to you cringe when a boy tells you 'you're not like other girls'. Blech!

74points

Juniper 4 years ago

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....

78points

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Francesca 4 years ago

The sad thing is that he probably thinks he's giving you a complement

16points

Jasmine Hufflepuff Henderson 4 years ago

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.

5points

Lyric Rogers 4 years ago

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

2points

Anna Heilig 4 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Xeniteia Vow 4 years ago

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.

-1point

1337 4 years ago

Cringe, why? I take it as a compliment. I suppose it is ;)

-2points

Oana Stamat 4 years ago

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Anna Heilig 4 years ago

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Jasmine Hufflepuff Henderson 4 years ago

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.

24points

Suzanne Harris 4 years ago

"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.

9points

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Cal Mackay 4 years ago

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 :(

5points

Astarie 4 years ago

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.

3points

Xeniteia Vow 4 years ago

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.

2points

Sofia Murat 8 months ago

I'm sorry about that, I'm sure they were just mean, they are the ones who are not like the other girls. This artist shows that you shouldn't think of being different as something bad. You will fit in with the people who deserve to be your friends ✨️

0points

2WheelTravlr 4 years ago

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Charlotte Dupre 4 years ago (edited)

Do you really think misfits never tried to fit in before???

15points

ghostFluff 1 year ago

sometimes we do, and sometimes we fail. sometimes we don't. i'm not saying, however, that getting rejected doesn't mean you can't try again with other people. if they reject you and tell you that you can't fit in, they really don't deserve you.

0points

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Liz Perry 4 years ago

How much to you cringe when a boy tells you 'you're not like other girls'. Blech!

74points

Juniper 4 years ago

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....

78points

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Francesca 4 years ago

The sad thing is that he probably thinks he's giving you a complement

16points

Jasmine Hufflepuff Henderson 4 years ago

5points

Lyric Rogers 4 years ago

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

2points