As a girl, I can vouch for how difficult it really is to be a girl. We face constant criticism day in and day out about things that, quite frankly, aren't anyone else's business to be worried about. Whether it be the way we speak, what we wear, or the decisions we make, women are quick to be torn down or made to feel subpar.
Strangely enough, a lot of verbal attacks that women face come from *gasp* you guessed it, other women.
You know what I'm talking about. Walking into a room full of girls and immediately feeling judged, hearing faint whispers, or seeing strange looks.
Or, how about thinking things were just peachy with someone but you come to find out she always talks about how poorly you do your makeup.
Maybe you do a quick social media scroll to find that a gal you haven't done anything to has blocked you, or worse, taken shots at you on her respective profile, which was backed by other hurtful comments aimed at you.
Maybe you and a girl aren't friends anymore and now all of her friends find pleasure in demeaning you as well.
Why do we do this?
By participating in this destructive behavior, we are setting a standard that implies that it is okay for women to hurt other women. When our male counterparts witness this behavior and do the same things/make the same comments, however, they are instantly shut down. Please note that I am not encouraging or saying it's okay for men to attack women either; rather, I am drawing a parallel between the reactions of woman on woman viciousness versus man on woman viciousness.
Nobody besides us fully understands the struggles that women go through, so why do we tend to go after people we should be relating to? Why do we all want to be accepted by others but still degrade others?
Every time I get on twitter and see girls attacking other girls, my heart hurts for them. We should be there for each other (and not just each other, but everyone), and it really isn't hard to just be nice.
Growing up, I was always under the impression that boys were mean and the root of all evil, and while sometimes I do still believe that, I have began to see the viciousness that most girls, to some extent, embody.
If we can't be nice to each other, there's no way anybody else will be.
Don't call Becky a fat bitch but then curse out John for calling a friend of yours the same thing. Don't say things about anyone that you wouldn't want said about you. And above all, why say it about someone who experiences the same struggles that you do? Regardless of what differences we all encounter, there are a few things we all have in common. We have all, at some point, been criticized for our choice in clothing, the way we wear our makeup (or the fact that we don't), and the way we spend our free time.
What good comes out of making another girl feel bad about the same things that would make you feel bad as well? A basic rule I try to live by is doing unto others as I want done unto me.
So if Sarah wants to wear an outfit that you don't find appropriate, instead of saying she looks trashy just keep your mouth shut. If Emily likes to go out on the weekends, let her do her. And you do you. Just be nice. We should be uplifting of each other, because a lot of times, we're all each other has. We should empower other women and take note when other women uplift each us.
