It's the morning of my deadline, and I'm still debating the topic of this week's article. With it being holiday season, of course, my first thought was to write on the festivities. This seemed most appropriate. Yet, this first thought wrestled with a second one. I picked up my phone and began thumbing through my social media, still debating. To say the least, the first few posts made my decision for me. I knew I had to write on the second topic.
For weeks, my news feed had been flooded with questions about ticket costs and availability, and sale locations. Excited rap fans tagged each other's walls and posted statuses, trying to confirm one another's attendance. Some were relieved because they had secured a ticket already. Others worried because they hadn't yet gotten their hands on one. Still, above all, the biggest concern had to be: "What are y'all wearing?". For every one post about tickets, I saw five more concerning outfits. Of course, the questioning party was predominantly female.
Now, fast forward to me thumbing through my social media, the morning after my city's big event. Status after status I read. Women belittled one another, all in the name of clothing. Many called out other women for "hating" on their outfits. Some posted pictures with distasteful captions and mocking emojis. While, of course, co-signers took advantage of the "comment" option. Like many times before, I was frustrated. I retreated from my news feed.
Although it hurt me to see my counterparts drag each other on a public forum, it didn't shock me. Women publicly "coming for" one another has become widely expected, and not just in my city. Nationwide, reality television successfully perpetuates this stigma several nights a week. Still, males rarely exhibit this type of disparaging behavior. Because, you know, "bros before hoes", right? And as temporal as this saying is, many respect the consensus. So, I question: where's our like-minded mantra? Where's our unconditional loyalty? Where's our mutual respect? Is it not time we focus on our status outside of social media? What about the status of sisterhood? Is that still a thing?
