Problem with the word 'tomboy'

Here goes: I have a problem with the word 'tomboy'.

People who use it do not generally mean any harm, and I took it on as a badge of pride when I was bullied as a preteen but the words in that label imply that any of those things that made me a 'tomboy' make me less of a girl, less of a part of who I am.

I am no less female because I like sports, or being tough, or going without makeup, or because of the clothes I like to wear. I am not a girl who is like a boy; I simply am a female who likes those things and no less that part of myself for having different traits, interests, or style from what is expected of young women in our society.

Who would have thought that when my grandmother kept mistakenly saying "tombogirl" instead of "tomboy", that she was right all along.

Edited Feb 17, 2018