Cat Fight

Thinking back to my time in middle school, I recall being the girl who was pushed around and made fun of behind her back.  I would do everything I could to win the approval of the girls in my class.  I took on ridiculous dares making me look like a fool, and I withstood two-faced gossip sessions aimed at me. 
 
I was told that this would start to end in high school and ultimately be gone by college. 
 
Unfortunately, this was wrong. 
 

The cat fights I have faced and seen in college have been just like middle school drama all over again: betrayal, being ditched at parties and gossiping behind a “friend’s” back. 
Thankfully, my college-self is smarter and avoids these situations.  And when I catch whiff of another girl talking smack behind my back, I just ignore it.
 
But while I avoid getting into cat-fights with other girls, I can’t say that I am above it all.  Sometimes I find it hard for me to get through a conversation with a girl friend without sputtering horrible things about another girl.  It’s feels expected and normal.
 
“Bitch.”
 
“Slut.”                        
 
“Whore.”
 
These words once held a sense of taboo in conversation, but now they have become engraved in our everyday vocabulary.
 
Some television shows today — mainly reality TV — depict women as one, static character:  a bitchy, shrieking young lady who is ready to put down anyone, including her best friend.
 
Shows such as The Real Housewives, Bridezilla and even Gossip Girl seemingly thrive on female cat-fights and full on bash-sessions.
 
Sure, these shows are addicting and fun to watch (I catch myself immersed in Bridezilla marathons), but have you ever stopped to think of how these shows make it seem O.K. to yell at another girl?  The women in these shows make nasty behavior seem glamorous and desirable. 
 
But honestly, it’s not.  Can you think of any decent straight male that enjoys hearing a girl talk badly about another girl?  Guys are typically straight up and straight forward when they have a problem with someone, while women can be two-faced and undermining.
 
When a girl has a problem with another girl, she usually doesn’t tell her.  Instead, she puts on a nice face and then takes off the mask when the other girl leaves the room.
Friendships seen in Thelma & Louise and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants should be what we want:  girls who are there to support one another and help another girl out when she’s struggling.
 
The world is already hard enough, but by making small steps at a time, we can hopefully move away from the “typical” bitchy woman often portrayed in the media.
 
Make a pact with friends to not let hurtful, gossip sessions be the center of girls’ night.  And if you have a problem with another girl, tell her in a calm, one-on-one conversation.  Don’t bring out the claws, just talk it out and solve the issue.  And ultimately, just don’t be two-faced. Think like Oprah, and ban words such as “bitch” and “slut” from your conversations. 
 
Let’s make these small steps and rewrite the idea of a woman in today’s society.