Stereotypes and preconceived notions are hard, aren’t they? Society, for whatever reason, wants to classify us. Separate us into groups that make sense. For example, there are two different classifications of women: the girly girls and the tomboys. Traditionally, there is no in-between. You either like things like nail polish, makeup, and dresses or things like dirt, baseball hats, and sports.
Farm girls are supposed to be tomboys; God forbid you want to wear makeup to the barn. That does not compute. How dare you try to be both. Thankfully, our world is changing. Millennials, in particular I think, are working hard to break down the boxes we’ve been putting each other in for years. The focus is shifting from who you should be to who you are, and it’s time that agriculture follows suit.
Farmers work all the time. Even when we’re not working, we’re thinking about working, talking about working, or thinking about talking about working. I’m just as guilty as the next person, but I’m also here to tell you that it’s okay to step out of that box.
We don’t have to be all about agriculture all the time. It’s okay to have and focus on other interests. It’s okay if you like watching “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” or that you have bought pre-screening tickets for every Marvel superhero movie for the last five years. If you want to post a makeup tutorial before you mow 50 acres of hay, do it. Are you currently obsessed with a ridiculous sci-fi show you’re binging on Netflix and want to vent about it on Instagram? Do it.
Every post, every conversation doesn’t need to be about cows, crops, weather, or tractors. Every magazine you read doesn’t have to be about agriculture. Last week, I listened to a podcast about pirates. I probably won’t listen to it again because it was more about pirate history than Pirates of the Caribbean, but it was nice to not listen to a story about farming for 40 minutes.
Basically, this was a lot of words to say “be you.”
Be interested in what you’re interested in and share that with the world. I’m tired of people feeling the need, whether you realize it or not, to fall into a box that was created for them. I’ve searched for a better quote, but no one will ever say it better than Dr. Seuss:
Today you are you, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive who is youer than you.
The author dairies in partnership with her parents and brother at Spruce Row Farm in Pennsylvania. Jessica is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, and since 2015, she has been active in promoting dairy in her local community. You can find her and her 250 Jersey cows on Facebook at Spruce Row Dairy or on Instagram at @seejessfarm.