We’ve all met them. Those girls who are the “Queen Bees”. The “Mean Girls” who seem to love to tear other people down. It used to feel like a high school problem, but now, girls as young as pre-school are experiencing this phenomenon.
My good friend was telling me about how her 3-year-old doesn’t like dance class anymore because she feels like the other girls are laughing at her. And adults aren’t a whole lot better. In an age where Roseanne Barr is garnering so much negative attention for her tweets about the appearance and race of another grown woman and Samantha Bee, and Michelle Wolf are using their comedy routines to cut down other women, it’s easy to feel a little disheartened about things.
But I won’t lose hope. I believe in building women up, not tearing them down. Celebrating their looks, talent, and intelligence. Nothing could have made me happier than seeing Serena Williams kicking butt at The French Open in her first grand slam in 16 months since having her baby girl, Olympia. Serena is an example of a strong, beautiful, talented and very smart woman who doesn’t take crap from anyone. She works hard for her success but has a vulnerability to her as well. She almost lost her life giving birth to Olympia and her journey to make a full comeback has been no small feat. When Serena stepped out at the French Open she was dressed like a real-life superhero. And personally, I loved everything about this. What an amazing thing for young gals watching tennis to see.
I recently saw an interview with comedian Tina Few (who wrote the screenplay for the movie “Mean Girls”). She talked about the motivation behind writing the movie which now has been made into a Broadway musical 15 years later. Fey explained how she had based the idea on a book about “Queen Bees and Wannabes” by Rosalind Wiseman. She said wanted to find a way to both empower young girls with humor and also help “dethrone” some of these “Queen Bees” by calling attention to them. In the interview, she commented on how it was an interesting process updating the movie to a musical after so many years, but how the subject matter still seemed relevant, as we still have mothers raising their daughters to “fight dirty”.
My Mom and I watched “Mean Girls” together the other night and every time I see the movie, I am so thankful for the wonderful group of friends I had in both high school and college. It can be such an alienating time and having a strong support system can make such a difference. Your teenage years are tough enough that finding your people or even just one person can be so key to making it a more bearable time.
I recently made a new friend named Cori and she and I were having drinks the other night and talking about our “superhero Moms”. How lucky are we that we both have Moms (& Dads) that are so wonderful they inspire us and make us want to do the same and be as equally inspiring. It was nice to share stories with her and Cori reminded me of some of my good friends from childhood who helped make me the person I am today. She’s definitely someone I’m looking forward to adding to my “squad of gals”.
I know that when I started this blog, I did so with the intention of creating a space where I could hopefully put some “goodness” out in the World. It was right around the time of the 2016 US Presidential election and there was so much negativity flying around on social media. It was my hope to carve out a little spot for just some “good stuff”. I know that sometimes my topics can take a turn for the serious and sometimes they are very lighthearted but in the end, I always have the goal of wrapping things back around to a positive note. I encourage people to read and leave comments but to also try and leave with as much good as you possibly can. The world is a tough place, so give yourself a break and let this be a safe space for you too. Soak up some goodness and leave any of the meanness and negativity you may have encountered throughout your day behind. Feel the “GOOD” and spread it. ✌🏼And no matter what, don’t let the mean girls win!
#findyourtribe
#squadgoals
"Just The Good Stuff" 