Women: Less Hate & More Support

I’ve been hearing a lot about this film that was released at Sundance called “Miss Representation“. After watching the trailer, I felt so inspired that I had to write a quick blog post.

Ladies, it’s time for an intervention! 

Since I can remember, the people who have made me feel the worst about myself are not boys and men, but girls and women. When I think of the root of my insecurities as an adult – I think of being picked on by the “popular” or “mean girls” in middle school, flipping through pages of airbrushed magazines, and embedded messages in the media about women being worth less than men.

Now I’m not going to go into an entire philosophical conversation about how the root of the problem is growing up in a society & culture that embeds insecurity in girls & women. I’m not an active feminist, running around glaring every man down – but I am always observing society, and see so much hate between women.

Why is it that women always blame other women for problems in life? For example, how many girls do you know who were once betrayed by a man, but blamed the other woman instead of the man? It’s disgusting.

And this transfers over to business. I’m lucky to work in an office where none of this occurs – but I’ve seen and heard about so many instances of women battling each other in the office, over accounts and even over male coworkers.

We are even criticizing other women who are complete strangers! I have friends who see a girl walking down the street, minding her own business, and just start criticizing everything about her – her body, her face, her outfit and even the way she walks. I’ve been guilty of this – every girl has done it. It is awful.

Think about your best girl friend. Have you ever tried to compete with her? Why? What is the root of this competition? And why is it that when you meet a beautiful woman with a good job, instead of wanting to befriend her, you mark her as a threat?

If women want to start being treated equal – we have to become more aware. We have to break the habits of hate and start embracing our gender – women make up 51% of the US population, yet are minorities in the government, business ownership and leadership positions in general.

I challenge you to befriend a woman you’ve marked as  a threat. Compliment a woman on her outfit instead of snarking at it. Tell another girl that you admire her for her job or accomplishments, instead of gossiping about her behind her back.

Basically, girls: Put down the damn haterade, and start drinking the lady lemonade! 

Below is the trailer I watched that inspired this post. I’ll be going to see this movie soon! I recommend it.

Newest Miss Representation Trailer (2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection) from Miss Representation on Vimeo.