Growing Up as a Football-Loving Tomboy in the ’90s: How ‘Little Giants’ Reflected My Struggle to Be Seen and Accepted

Introduction

As a child of the ’90s, I grew up watching movies that were aimed at children, but often had themes and messages that resonated with adults as well. One such movie was ‘Little Giants’, a movie about a group of misfit kids who form a football team to take on the local champions. While the movie tackled themes of teamwork and perseverance, to me, it did something even more important. It made me feel seen as a ‘tomboy’.

The Plot of ‘Little Giants’

The movie tells the story of Danny O’Shea, a down-on-his-luck father who is passed over for the chance to coach his nephew’s Pee-Wee football team in favor of his brother. Not content to sit on the sidelines, Danny decides to form his own team, made up of the kids who didn’t make the local champions, the Cowboys. The team features a ragtag group of kids, including Danny’s daughter, who doesn’t fit the mold of a typical girly-girl.

A Different Kind of Heroine

As a young girl who enjoyed playing sports and getting dirty, I often felt out of place. In a world where girls were supposed to be neat and tidy, I didn’t fit in. But then I saw ‘Little Giants’, and suddenly, there was a character on screen who felt the same way I did. Becky O’Shea, Danny’s daughter, was a fierce athlete who didn’t take **** from anyone. She was a different kind of heroine, one who wasn’t afraid to be herself, even if it meant going against the status quo.

Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes

‘Little Giants’ was a movie that not only featured a strong female character, but also broke down gender stereotypes in other ways. One of the team members was nicknamed ‘Icebox’, a nickname that came from her toughness on the football field. She was a girl who wasn’t afraid to tackle the boys, and who proved that girls could play sports just as well as boys could. The movie also featured a sensitive male character, who was more interested in dance than sports. While these themes might seem small, to a young girl who felt out of place, they were huge.

Conclusion

‘Little Giants’ might not seem like a groundbreaking movie, but to me, it was a game-changer. It made me feel seen and understood in a way that other movies didn’t. It showed me that it was okay to be different, and that being true to yourself was more important than fitting into a mold. As a woman in the 2020s, I’m grateful for movies like ‘Little Giants’ that paved the way for girls like me to be whoever we want to be.