en wealthy and poor countries, the difference is luxury. Also, within countries, the same applies. The wealthier a person's surroundings, the more a female can take the privilege and ease of being a "girl". A girl is often treated as a helpless person always in need of male or adult aid and intervention. I believe girlhood is directly related to marriage and motherhood in mane cases, or either sex. Girls are made women by men through sexual intercourse or marriage. Or, girls transfer to a type of pseudo-womanhood through the elevation of their reproductive capacities. Menstruation is considered the gateway, but childbirth actually catapults girls to womanhood. Girlhood varies I in different cultural contexts. In the US, a white middle class female of 22 will still be considered a girl if not married, while her 16 year old counterpart in India may have already had a child and fears "dowry death" from her in-laws. Girlhood is also tied to personal responsibility. In contemporary times, girls are sometimes considered more of women when they can be financially and socially independent from parents and family. This is more prevalent in Western societies, especially among more privileged groups. In the US, girlhood is praised and desired by all age groups. This want for innocence is prevalent in the entertainment industry. Actresses look younger with every aging year. Magazines show poses of women giving innocent and youthful glances. Starlets strive to look youthful instead of aging gracefully. Fifty year old women on TV don't look like any I know personally. Suzanne Summers and Cristie Brinkley don't look a day over thirty. These re the images of womanhood in our country. Being a girl is trendy. Men seek younger girls when trying to recapture their own youth. In the US, girlhood is viewed as carefree, sexually experimental, and sexy. The assumption is that a girl will b taken care of at all phases in life. This is ...
