Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Let's Give Ourselves a Break

Why are girls so mean to each other? This isn’t a normal topic for this blog, but it’s something that’s been bothering me recently and I feel like I need to put it out there. Why is it that, as a girl, you walk into a room and naturally you’re being judged by the people in that room, but mostly and more harshly you’re being judged by the other ladies. Why are we so threatened by other strong, confident women? We may think this is how girls act in high school, but the reality is, it carries on a lot longer than that.

I hate to compare girls to guys, but this is an issue we differ on so much. Guys, usually, can admit when someone does something better than them, and they can respect that person for it. But girls have a hard time admitting when another girl does something better, and they have an even more difficult time respecting them no matter what. When a group of guys get into a room together, there may be a bit of macho tension to begin with, but normally they bond so easily and are light heartedly making fun of each other. Girls are much more guarded, and spend a lot of time sizing up the other girls to see who’s more beautiful or who’s thinner, usually they judge personality last. I’m not claiming innocence on this, it’s a really easy trap to get caught up in, and it’s even easier if you have other girls on your “side” to confirm your thoughts and feelings. But it’s something that can and should be changed.

In a world where women are (still!) being constantly underestimated, and have to prove themselves before we get any respect from anyone, the people we should be able to lean on the most, are the ones making it the hardest for us to gain the confidence to succeed. We should be cheering each other on at every turn, and recognizing in one another the similarities we all possess as well as celebrating our differences, and what makes us unique.

It’s also incredible how you can completely change what someone wants to think about you just by engaging them in a casual conversation. Suddenly, the girl that wanted to hate you a minute ago for having straight silky hair wants to be your friend because she doesn’t feel like you’re judging her anymore. Sometimes it’s hard to be the bigger person when you’re confronted with so much resistance, but we should at least try to help one another out, and just give each other a break.

On that note, I would like to say that I have really wonderful girlfriends that I am so thankful for, and know I would be completely lost without them. I depend on these girls so much, and I miss them so deeply when they’re not around. I really am so lucky to have this, and I appreciate it so much.

1 comment:

Angela Tucker said...

I think it's a mix of our human nature - naturally wanting to compare and put labels on people, mixed with culture (which, before reading your post, I would've said AMERICAN culture), that encourages people to be judgemental and to strive to be whatever that perfect person is.

Totally sophmoric and annoying though. But, we are all guilty of it a little bit!

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