The rise of the term “girl’s girl” has been swift, and, let’s say it: exhausting. Finally, another term to recognize women for breaking free from the misogynistic layers of society —and to tear down others who aren’t “awakened.”
Take a non-TikTok user’s explanation of some yearlong TikTok tea between Sophia La Corte and Halley Kate. Halley broke up with her boyfriend and Sophia went on a date with the ex-boyfriend only weeks after the two had broken up. Cue an overwrought feud of “we weren’t even friends” and “she’s not a girl’s girl.” Erm…this happened last November.
Anyway, now Kate and her ex are back together, and everyone’s picking sides. But what exactly is a girl’s girl?
Girl’s girls are supposed to have each other’s backs no matter what in a society that centers itself around men. So, you would think that a girl’s girl would reach across the aisle and put a stop to the drama that was ultimately caused by a man.
And through all of this name-calling and fake crying videos, no one’s questioned the guy for going on a date so soon after getting out of a relationship. Instead, we expect La Corte and Kate to be more virtuous, because, after all, they’re women, and if women don’t have each other’s backs in society, then who will?
Which is a great sentiment in theory, except it seems like we’re taking the responsibility of men to be, well, decent human beings, off their backs and putting it onto other women. While I admit that the shared struggle of just existing in this society is theoretically something that should bring us together, is it really that bad if someone wants to do it a different way and climb the ranks of misogyny tower by themselves?
Well, I would like to remind everyone that movements based on exclusion have worked in the past, but that doesn’t make them right. Remember the Women’s Liberation Movement? Queer women weren’t included. And wait ‘till you hear about women of color. The LGBTQ+ movement? Trans people were deemed “unpalatable” by gay men and lesbians.
You see, fragmentation within social change isn’t new. But you’d think that we could know better, 50 years later, that it’s a whole lot harder to get change to happen if you aren’t including whole groups of people.
So can we agree on ditching the “girl’s girl” label that is pitting women against each other? Causing unnecessary battles between women in the fight against the patriarchy that will probably never end is, as it sounds, useless.
La Corte may be milking this whole scandal a bit too hard, but can you blame her? A guy went on a date with her right after his breakup and she’s the villain. What’s his name, anyway?
Anya Capistrant-Kinney can be reached at capi2087@stthomas.edu.