It's 2018, gay marriage is legal and so is marijuana, in certain states at least, so women supporting women should not be the hardest concept to grasp.
As women, we are fortunate to live in a generation where we have the opportunity to compete with our male counterpart for a CEO position or run for office in a male-dominated political system. The misogynistic banter between friend groups must come to an end.
The clothes we wear shouldn't be a definition of our character.
I don't even speak from a male perspective when I say this.
Girls have a tendency to stare, whether intentional or not, and it feels scrutinizing to be under someone else's gaze at a party. Whether it's a casual glance or offended gawk, we are all guilty of it. The first thing our eyes go to is someone else's outfit and more often than not, the look is a judgemental one.
Just because girls choose to wear a short skirt or a tight lace-up bodysuit does not give someone else the right to call them slutty. It's okay if you don't agree with the attire, don't wear it yourself if that's the case, but instead of mindlessly slut-shaming the girl you have probably never encountered, hype her up. It takes confidence to be able to wear certain outfits in public.
I know we don't live in a perfect world, but it's hypocritical to call ourselves empowering women when we judge the superficial aspects of each other's appearance. Imagine if the roles were reversed.
Have a thoughtful conversation with someone to gain a better understanding of who they are rather than judging them based on what they wore to the bar last weekend.
Instagram can be our worst enemy.
We live in a society where social media is an outlet to portray a version of our life that makes it seem better than it actually is. It has certainly become the perfect platform for girls to judge each other.
Don't deny it, we have all taken a screenshot of someone else's post and sent it to the girls to either judge or complement its content.
But what's the point?
We fall victim to the follower count, the comments, the likes. It's superficial and we represent our lives in a manner that may seem appealing but doesn't truly represent who we are as women.
Originally, Instagram was created to be a quick snapshot of a moment with limited editing options. Now, we Facetune our bodies and apply VSCO effects in hopes that our Instagram feed meets a societal standard set by each other.
It's time to embrace our natural beauty. It doesn't actually matter how many likes a picture gets or who has more followers, but there has been such a strong emphasis on allowing a number to represent our self-worth.
Jokes aside, the stereotypes need to go.
I don't care what preconceived notion was drilled into your mind about how women are supposed to act or speak or eat, let us do our damn thing.
On a college campus of 15,000 undergraduate students, you will come across a multitude of different cultures, styles, and personalities. Not everyone is going to act exactly the same, so the standard for women should not be exactly the same.
We judge each other for dressing a certain way, or talking to boys a certain way, or eating a certain way, but if we all acted identical, there would be no individuality or creativity to this world.
It's ironic how many times the ones upholding these feminine stereotypes are the women themselves. It's okay to act out, it's okay to be who you are, that doesn't make you any less female.
Can we please remember that this college, NOT high school?
Female empowerment aside, I am truly tired of the drama that comes with college. We aren't going to agree with everything our friends say and do, but shit-talking should not be so prevalent amongst every single friend group.
The people you eat with, study with, party with, should not be the same people you talk so poorly about.
With our families hours away, the friends you make in college become a home away from home. If you used to barge into your sister's room at 10:30 at night to quickly rant about the day, you now do that with your friend down the hall.
That connection shouldn't be broken because of a mistake made over the weekend or any other petty reason.
It's understandable that spending an overabundance of time with the same people may breed some contempt, but that should not call for permanent hard feelings. As friends become closer, they become more comfortable and often times aspects of their personalities show that aren't agreeable. Part of growing up is learning to accept others for who they are, even the parts that you may not entirely like.
So please, leave the petty drama back in high school. There's no place for it here, especially when you run into the same people every day.
We need to support each other on a daily basis, not just when it feels right.
I am not here to preach feminist ideology nor am I an expert on this topic, but as a woman, I feel as though it's important to shed light on the hypocrisy.
When we see a female candidate, we praise her. When we see a female businesswoman, we praise her. Women should not have to have a position of power to be praised. Each and every one of us bring potential to both this campus and to the world; the negativity we bring onto each other has to come to an end.
We should use our words to bring about change and positivity instead of shaming and gossiping. As activists love to say, the future is female, so we must start somewhere.
