
Someone who isn’t average.
Done.
But, perhaps it’s a bit more than that. Maybe you’ll even discover you’re a Not Your Average Gal?
A brief preface for those new readers amongst us. Hey–welcome, you! I started this website as a way to show off videos I produced. It was originally named Caroline Made This. Cheeky, right? As I added more blog posts, gained more readers and settled into my life as a copywriter, a rebrand was necessary.
Not Your Average Gal just felt more…me.
For most of my teenage and adult years, I had these subtle, and often not-so-subtle reminders from unsolicited opinions, that I was a bit different. I seemed to choose a path that was far from the standard guidebook to life. Sometimes it was an active decision. Sometimes it was subconsciously. Sometimes it was done while waving my middle finger.
Now, don’t let me paint an inaccurate picture. I was also a fierce rule follower, wanting to please the people who were guiding me in life. I was a good kid, great student and active in so many activities it would make your head spin. But, I wanted more.
I didn’t fit a mold. I wanted to do things myself.
In fact, my dad told a story at our wedding about how I refused to let him help me once he took my training wheels off my bike. I knew I could do it and I wanted to do it alone. He tells it better than me, but I basically shot out of the driveway, down the street like I had been a BMX biker all my life. I like to imagine I was waving the peace sign while I was doing it…
But I always had this urge to do more, see more, be more.
I needed to travel more, as in, felt it in my soul and kept a vision board of the places I’d travel. I didn’t have dreams of settling down. I laughed (ironically) at the “Live, Laugh, Love” tossed on paintings at Bed, Bath and Beyond and manufactured for the masses.
I knew I wasn’t alone. So many in this community felt the same.
Hence, Not Your Average Gal was born during my rebrand. What can I say? I like a good play on words. #copywriterproblems
Since then, it’s been a fun mix of community responses. The majority of which are positive and reaffirm we all aren’t quite so alone in this world. Something that is so desperately needed now in this divisive, often exclusionary life.
I’ve been developing a new feature on Not Your Average Gal for over a year. It’s one that I’ve been mulling around in the back of my brain for awhile, but never felt confident enough to proceed. Then I realized, what the hell? I’m Not Your Average Gal–get it done, chica!
Essentially, and without giving away too much before the big reveal, it will be all about Not Your Average Gals in our community. (Yes, just like aliens, you never know the ones that live amongst us. Dun, dun, dun.)
So, perhaps now is as good a time as ever to give you the lowdown on what the frick a Not Your Average Gal is.
In a broad definition, Not Your Average Gal deviates in some way, shape or form, from the formal standards society dictates to the masses.
This can look like many variations. In fact, I’ve broken down a few here, so you can take a quick glance and see that Not Your Average Gals are a heck of a lot more alike than what society wants you to believe.
Not Your Average Gals :
Have bodies with bumps, bellies, bulges or badass biceps. I have completed an Olympic-distance triathlon, countless 5K and 10Ks and even run 3 half-marathons and yet, I’ve been called everything from fat to big-boned to Caroline McChubberson to chubby girl to La Gordita more times than I can count. It’s total crap. This body has done some amazing things and I’m not going to hide it because it doesn’t fit some bullshit societal norm that somehow makes you uncomfortable.
Feel the same? Then you’re a Not Your Average Gal.
Do things in your own damn time. While a majority of our friends were getting married, the now hubster and I were setting up careers that aligned with life goals, including traveling the world. If had a nickel for every time we were asked when he was going to make “an honest woman” out of me, we’d have been able to pay for our wedding by the time we got married. Side note: If you ever ask that question to anyone in my presence, expect a full-throttle throat punch from me. We were together nearly 6 years and went to 27 weddings before had our own.
Feel the same? Then you’re a Not Your Average Gal.
Opt out of the status-quo. I can’t watch House Hunters as much anymore. Not because I hate real estate. (Au contraire. You should see my Pinterest boards, kiddos.) It’s because of the way people whine about wanting the the same exact thing everyone else has with no thought of what they personally like. We end up in these dull, stainless-steel-appliance-filled houses with gray or beige walls and his and her sinks. If it’s something that everyone else does, or is typically the standard because that’s how we’ve always done it–insert shoulder shrug here–consider me out!
Feel the same? Then you’re a Not Your Average Gal.
Have an insatiable curiosity and open mind. A friend of mine recently reminded me of how I defended her in elementary school when she was the new kid. I’ll be honest, I vaguely remember this. But it makes sense because what I do remember is how kind she was. Sure, maybe she looked different than me. But, I was the new kid at school once and I knew how much it sucked. More than anything, our differences made me curious. Curious to learn more about her culture and religion. What happened in the years to follow was feeding a curiosity that bridged the gap between tolerance and understanding. Psst. It’s called respect.
Feel the same? Then you’re a Not Your Average Gal.
Take a different path than the suburban American Dream. Contrary to the constant reminder of my age from the media, in-laws and that rando relative I haven’t seen in nearly a decade, we still haven’t had kids. Will we? Maybe. Is it any of your biznass? NOPE. Sidebar here: genuinely, curiously asking and accusatorially asking, as in, “your eggs are going to shrivel up, when are you having kids?” are two different things entirely. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. To really shake things up, I also kept my last name because, well, quite simply, I wanted to. Oh, baby. Ruffling some feathers.
Feel the same? Then you’re a Not Your Average Gal.
To be clear, one does not need to follow all of the above or fall into a sex or gender to be a Not Your Average Gal. How lame would that be? If you find yourself feeling like anything above, regardless of your sex or gender, then guess what you lucky dog, you’re a Not Your Average Gal!
Welcome to the NYAG community, guys, gals, geeks and fellow freaks. We’re all in this together and I couldn’t be happier to have you here.