Mean Girls, The DUFF, and Heathers. All are movies that feed into the negative stereotypes of how women interact with one another. From shaming outfit choices to name calling, all of these have been taught to be normal occurrences. The reality of this is that it shouldn’t be. Thanks to the social media movement of ‘Girls Supporting Girls’, women everywhere began sharing their experiences with other women. From sharing lip gloss to giving meaningful advice, these women were truly supporting each other in the most genuine ways. One tweet reads, “I asked this girl where she got her nails done and she googled the exact address & showed me a pic of the building THAT'S girls supporting girls.” Not only does this acknowledge the positive, therefore outshining the negative, but it also encourages others to also partake in these acts of kindness.
The pessimism that is sometimes seen in the female community is also in part due to the competitive aspects of life. For example, in fields where women already struggle to land jobs, it can seem threatening to have another woman in the same position. According to Career Addicts: engineering, finance, manufacturing, aviation are all male dominated fields. This is categorized by the fact that only 25% of women are in these fields. In this way, it creates that ‘versus’ mindset. It gets to the point that instead of having women support each other in these fields, they begin to view one another as competition. In actuality, this is not true, it is up to us to band together and help one another. This way, improvements in opportunity can happen, as well as a rise in meaningful companionship.
A major way to improve these relationships and the way women act towards one another is through activities that are solely for women. For example, a new trend has been having ‘Women Only’ businesses. These include gyms, clothing stores, spas, and even hair salons that are specifically for women. This ensures that women are most comfortable where they are, and gives them the chance to feel a sense of normalcy in a world that can make that difficult.
From Regina George to Heather, even through the negativity, we can all come together to encourage healthy bonds with the women around us. At the end of the day it’s all about girls supporting girls!
