This Comic Shows How Wrong The “I’m Not Like The Other Girls” Attitude Really Is

Julie Hang had always been good at two things, drawing cartoons and keeping herself away from the social company. When she was a little kid, Julie had chosen to alienate herself from others and even 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 said. “Instead of recognizing my anxiety and trying to overcome it, I’d thought there must be something that separated me from 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 it was the ‘cool’ thing to do.”

However, as she spent more time alone, something amazing happened. Julie developed not only as an artist but as a person as well. She began to realize that bitterness never led to any 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!”

Now reflecting on her younger years, Julie admits 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’ theme online that communicates that you are indeed unique but does so by putting other girls down.”

However, over time she got rid of the toxic mindset and right now has a lot going on in her life.  Julie’s now a motion designer at Part IV, a digital marketing agency having graduated from Otis College of Art & Design with a major in Animation. She loves to draw comics, design characters, do painting studies. You can find some of her interesting stuff on her Instagram page.