– Girls rule, boys drool!

– Girls go to college to get more knowledge,

Girls go to Mars to get more stars,

Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider!
– Boys lie, let’s make them cry!

Talia has been hearing rhymes insulting boys every since elementary school, but as she has gotten older her sayings have gotten more sophisticated. The “girls rule, boys drool” rhyme has been commonplace since approximately first grade, where she would hear anti-male sentiments screamed during recess on the playground. Also, she owns a shirt that reads “boys are stupid, throw rocks at them.” While she does not really have sentiments against boys at her age, she treats the rivalry between the sexes as playful joking or even flirtatiousness.

The battle between the sexes is usually initiated by the started of grade school, when the opposite sex has “cooties” and must be avoided at all costs. The insults start simple, merely declaring that boys “drool.” Still, even such a basic rhyme promotes divisions between the sexes, as it suggest that boys have awkward and unpleasant habits. The “girls go to college” rhyme is more sophisticated, as it contains clear-cut feminism and promotes female empowerment. The rhyme reflects the more modern perception that all girls can go to college and fulfill their goals, but still contains the simplistic sentiment that girls are better than boys without explaining why. These “stars” that the girls are seeking represent glamour and beauty, while the boys are deemed “stupid.” The fact that the girls go to Mars strangely contrasts with the adage that “Men are from Mars, women are form Venus.” Finally, “Boys lie, let’s make them cry!” presents the complexities of relationships between the sexes and is far more malicious than the previous rhymes. Seemingly too mature for sixth graders to understand, it not only warns girls about boys’ tendency to tell lies, but also acknowledges the girls’ ability to break a man’s heart and render him defenseless.