IISuperwomanII, a.k.a. Lilly Singh, is a happy YouTuber and self-proclaimed unicorn. And at the end of last year, she started #GirlLove, a campaign to stop girl-on-girl hate.
Singh posted the YouTube video that launched the campaign on Jan.28, and it featured a bunch of her friends including Shay Mitchell, Lindsey Stirling, and Natalie Tran. She got a lot of support from YouTubers and celebrities on Twitter, who re-tweeted the hashtag at Singh and also at other women they admired.
In the video, Singh said: “[t]he sad reality is that girl-on-girl hate is such a big issue in schools, at work or online. And it never made any sense to me because as women, we know how awesome other women can be.
“Girl-on-girl hate is fueled a lot by jealousy,” said Mamrie Hart. “When you’re jealous of someone, it actually means you want something they have, which is kind of the same exact thing of when you admire someone. So instead of being jealous of someone, admire what they’re doing.”
Personally, I am more than well-acquainted with the feeling of jealousy. Sometimes I’ve wanted other girls to fail just so I could feel better about myself. And even though I know it won’t get me anywhere, I still do it. When real feelings are at stake, sometimes being nice and supportive doesn’t seem so easy anymore.
But as Rachel Ballinger said, “[i]f we took that energy that girls use to hate on people and we turn it into love and support, imagine what we could accomplish in this world.”
In addition to her positive message, Singh has donated the proceeds gathered over 30 days from views and shares of her Girl Love video—$4000 in total—to the Malala Fund, an organization started by freedom fighter Malala Yousafzai that helps fund education for girls around the world.
It’s been about a month and a half since Singh started her campaign. It’s been about two weeks since donations stopped. But Superwoman is determined to make #GirlLove more than a fleeting Twitter fad; she wants all the females in the world to collectively, incrementally, and continuously help end girl-on-girl hate.
“It’s time to change the game, and know that what’s really cool is complimenting other women,” Singh said. “Together we can show the world how lame girl on girl hate is, and how awesome it is to support one another and build women up.”