Toph is one of the boys. She belches, picks her nose, picks her toes, and doesn't care who sees. Actually, it's like she wants everyone to see- to know that she isn't a girl in the most common meaning of the word. Not to say that she can't be girly, too, but that's really, really rare.
I was glad when Toph joined the group. I finally had someone to joke and conspire with for hours on end. I think my relationship with Toph is similar to one I might have had with guys from the Southern Water Tribe, if they hadn't all gone to war.
Toph is more like a boy than a girl in personality, which she makes a point of letting everyone know. She wants to make them aware that she doesn't need or want people to take care of her, that she can do so just fine by herself.
It took a while for her to warm up to the idea that as a group, we take care of each other. Not just for protection, but because we care about one another. She'd been "taken care of" all her life by people who supposedly care about her very much, and she hated it. She'd ended up with no freedom, physically and mentally. She was trapped to become the helpless, innocent, weak little girl her father always thought she was.
The problem is, Toph is anything but. She's confident, smart, and funny, not to mention the greatest earthbender in the world. She acts like a boy because she knows who she is and who she wants to be. She's part of Team Avatar because she knows that with me, Katara, and Aang, she won't be reprimanded or criticized for how she acts. She knows that we truly care about her, and what she wants for herself.
I'm proud to call Toph my friend. She's one of the most amazing people I know. I like spending time with her because I can always have fun whenever she's around. I don't mind how she acts. I love it. I think it's awesome that she's confident enough to just be herself. She acts like one of the boys, complete with name-calling, nose picking, belch firing, and booty slapping.
And I like it.