Ok. Buckle up.

I get the anger with this one, I do. At first glance, I was pissed, automatically feeling like it's adding to the way the media misrepresents female athletes and the sexist narrative.

Thinking about it all day, though, I think it brings up a larger discussion. https://twitter.com/usahockey/status/1317892702646669312

When I was growing up, I always felt like I had to be either/or: an athlete or a "girly" girl. I didn't think I could be both.

The frustration over this is adding to a different problem: controlling who and what female athletes should be.

Female athletes CAN do and be both.

I fear a girl (or woman) may see this outrage and feel that they have to give up a part of their "femininity" because they now feel it doesn't fit with them being an athlete.

I also get that it puts girls in the familiar position of having to look a certain way to be accepted.

Whether you wear makeup to your game or don't, you're an athlete.

Whether you wear dresses or athletic wear, you're an athlete.

Whether you put your lip gloss on or not at the rink, you're an athlete.

So, yes, I think the post does present problems, but is the solution to never show femininity in female athletes? No.

If anything, it's an indication that female athletes aren't represented enough as a whole because we don't feel like we're seeing enough of girls being athletes.

We need more representation of girls PLAYING their sport, but we also need more representation of ALL types of girls playing their sport.

Sports are for ALL girls and women.

We need to do better as a whole in representing that.

So, yeah, I get the frustration and I feel it.

But I also get that if this girl wants to throw on some lip gloss because it makes her feel like a total bad ass while playing her sport, then YOU FRIGGEN GO GIRL.

The best thing we can teach girls is to be themselves.