September 2025 | The Play Like a Girl Issue

hen I was growing up in the ‘90s, the word “girl” was definitely loser-coded. (I’ll never forget the time a boy in my fourth grade class burst out crying after learning he had bought “girl” high

The Play Like a Girl Issue

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BY PUREWOW EDITORS SEPTEMBER, 2025

JILLIAN QUINT, Editor-In-Chief

tops.) Even my sporty female friends played down their girl-ness. “She’s just a tomboy,” we might say. Or, “Not bad...for a girl!” Flash forward thirty years and, while sexism in the world of sports still abounds (just look at the pay gap between male and female athletes), there has been a shift in the cultural conversation. Strength. Sweat. A drive to win. These are all concepts we might have once shied away from that we now not only celebrate, but see mirrored in the women we admire most. Personally, I’ve evolved from a child who hated sports and strove for thighs that “didn’t touch” to a woman who has deep team allegiances and runs twelve miles a week—big ol’ muscular legs and all. I’m proud of the ways I can embrace but also push my body, and I’m inspired by the stories of athletes you’ll read below. Let’s all get pumped to play like a girl.

I’m My Most Selfish When I Play Sports - That’s a Good Thing

WELLNESS / ABBY HEPWORTH

When women compete, there comes a point when we’re forced to look inward and connect with ourselves. Maybe it’s to shave off just a few more seconds from your mile time, or to pump out one more rep, or to beat your competitor to the ball. The bottom line is that you need to become connected to why you want what you want. And that’s not something women generally have room to do.

FAMILY / JILLIAN QUINT

I Like What the WNBA Means for My Daughter. I Love What It Means for My Son

Opill and the WNBA Have Broken Down Birth Control Barriers Through Basketball and Beyond

WELLNESS / SPONSORED

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The Play Like a Girl Issue

SEPTEMBER 2025

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Getty/Paula Boudes for PureWow

Ariel

ATKINS

Calls the Shots

On the court, WNBA star Ariel Atkins is known for her quick reads and defensive prowess. But what makes the Chicago Sky starting guard a true role model goes beyond the stat sheet—it’s the way she embodies resilience, leadership, and what it means to redefine strength on your own terms. “Every goal I’ve ever written down, I achieved,” she says. ”I used to think success was the hardware that I could put on display at my parent’s home. As I’ve grown, I realized my favorite memories were the process…Now, don’t get me wrong, another championship is in my future and I’ll fight for it every day. But my ultimate tracker of success is how I’ve left people and places better than when I first encountered them.” Case in point: The Ariel Atkins Foundation, which she started in 2021 to support teachers and empower those who help shape young people. Ariel knows confidence and conviction isn’t just about hitting shots; it’s about using her voice, letting go of comparison, and trusting that her path is uniquely her own. “I think on the court, it’s easier to build confidence because with basketball—you see results so quickly. At this time in my life, I’m working to develop who I am, outside of the court…saying ‘yes’ to things I probably would have turned down in the past,” she says. “I’m not comparing myself to others, as I understand that everyone’s journey is unique.” That perspective extends to the phrase “play like a girl”—once used as a put-down, but now, thanks to athletes like Ariel, transformed into a badge of honor. “For me, playing like a girl means watching my colleagues fight their way back to their bodies after giving birth, pushing past the pain of a rough menstrual cycle, and still performing,” she says. “Also, being able to compete against one of your closest friends and still find space for each other after the final whistle…It used to be an insult on the playground, [but] now I don’t know what the kids can say.”

Playing like a girl can mean so many different things, but I don’t think it can ever be an insult again.

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I Like What the WNBA Means for My Daughter. I Love What It Means for My Son

FAMILY / JILLIAN QUINT

Getty/Paula Boudes for PureWow