I spent the past week at camp surrounded by teenage girls.

If you've ever been around teenage girls, you know that they can be sweet, but they also can be pretty mean.

Through spending time with so many girls, I noticed a few things. The most prominent thing I noticed was how quick girls are to tear each other down.

Though, this is not just a phenomenon seen amongst teenage girls. Adults are just as guilty of this.

The world is cruel, and boys can be stupid sometimes. So, why are we as girls dragging each other down, in an effort to make ourselves feel better?

We should be cheering for each other, not aiding the world in creating more depression, anxiety, and self-consciousness.

No one else understands girls and women better than other girls and women. We all struggle with similar issues (though, not all the same).

Self-image is probably one of the biggest struggles every female has to deal with. Comparison is a brutal game to play.

Social media can be a viscous predator when it comes to self-image. It can quickly suck the life out of any girl, just by displaying the "perfect photo of the perfect girl."

But let's be real. No one's life is perfect. We all have our messes. We all have trash in our lives that we think we can hide behind a precisely posed photo.

Why not be honest?

We aren't doing ourselves or each other any favors when we hide our true selves.

Alright, I'll get off my soapbox now.

This article is not meant to be an "ultra-feminist," "the future is female" kind of article. Rather, I hope to add to the conversation by providing encouragement.

Girls, instead of gossiping about one another, why not cheer each other on?

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11)