We have all seen it, heard it, and committed such an act, too: speaking badly about another girl behind her back. Whether it's about how so-and-so tried to flirt with a guy that your best friend liked, or did some other unforgivable act that which, in the moment, seemed to be such an offense that you couldn't help but tell someone else about how much this girl made your blood boil. It happens all the time at a rate that I find alarming.

Now, is this anything new? No, I highly doubt that.

Based on readings of Jane Austen, where the upper-class ladies enjoyed their gossip with tea on the side, this is not some new millennial-aged concept to be classified along with emojis and avocado toast. But, ladies, level with me a moment: what do girls gain by putting down other girls?

The way I see it, if it won't put more money in your bank account or increase your general happiness, then why must we take the time out of our day to tear someone else down behind their back?

I have heard plenty of girls say that nothing makes their day like a compliment from another girl — be it during class, at a party, or just walking along on the street. When a girl offers you a compliment, it's like the sun smiling down at you, and you do feel that your shirt is great, or that your hair really does look nice. If a boy told me that my shoes were cute, I can honestly say that I wouldn't take his compliment with the same gravity that I would if a girl said the same thing.

Why? Why is it that we love the approval from other females, but then would turn around and gossip behind their back about how you saw her with three guys last night, knowing that she had a boyfriend? What is the satisfaction that comes from these instances?

Whatever the root of these inconsistencies, I think that it's about time that we move on from it and put the same effort into building each other up. If we put the same energy that we do in bringing each other down into building each other up instead, I think that the positive effects that follow would be unparalleled. Girls would no longer have to fear social retribution for carrying about their own business, without fearing that every last look is judging or meant as some display of general negativity.

Ladies, answer me this — if we only hurt one another through the spread of rumors and gossip, then why can we not make an effort to turn ourselves around and support one another. Not to say that you cannot hold a single thought that is not completely positive about each and every girl you pass, but we can start with the little things. Stop the gossip because you think a girl is annoying, and give her a break so that you can focus on those with whom you can support having an issue with.

Ladies, let's stop the pettiness, for the good of the whole.