The simile of Cole's girlfriend
Cole compares her girlfriend to a perfect and brilliant feminist. Cole says he dated his girlfriend for the past eighteen months, and he has realized that she is sharper and brighter than him in almost every aspect, and he considers her as the bedrock of his emotions. While interviewing Cole, the author writes, “But Cole surprised me. He pulled up a picture on his phone of his girlfriend whom he had dated for the past eighteen months, describing her proudly as a ‘way smarter than I am,’ a feminist, and a bedrock of emotional support.”
Simile of Weed
The author compares Cole’s confidence when uttering the word ‘bro’ to someone who has smoked weed. The author writes, “whenever Cole uttered the word ‘bro,’ he shifted his weight to take up more space, rocked back in his chair, spoke low on his throat like he had inhaled a lungful of weed.”
The metaphor of the ‘bitch’
The name 'bitch' is metaphorical in two contexts. Firstly, the term 'bitch' refers to a girl. Boys call girls bitches because they know that they must be dominated and follow men whether they like it or not. During the interview with boys about sex, the author interviewed senior boys, and she remembers Cole saying, "The following day, a second senior started talking about getting back at a 'bitch' who had dumped him." Secondly, the name bitch is used to mean weakness which is compared to girls. Boys believe that anyone who talks about his feelings with people is a bitch. The boys say, “You are a bitch if you talk about feelings.”
The simile of the interview
The author compares the responses of girls and boys during her various interviews concerning sex among the youth. The author writes, "Like the girls I had interviewed a few years before, they were in a constant state of negotiation, trying to live out more modern ideas about gender yet unwilling or unable to let go of the old ones."
Acting like a girl
The author realized that boys prefer power, dominance, courage, and strength. The societal construct dictates that boys must be bold in whatever situation, and they should not cry or show any sign of weakness. Therefore, if boys cry and appear moody, they are assumed to be acting like girls who are considered a weaker gender naturally. The author writes, “They still equated the display of most emotions, as well vulnerability, crying, or appearing sensitive or moody, with ‘acting like a girl’ – which in case you were wondering is not a good thing.”
