Girl bonds are important and you shouldn’t bash them online

For many, female friendships fall into a unique category. They may be the first bonds we forge, and the first we turn to when in need of a pick-me-up.

But they’re also the first relationships we trash online.

According to a 2015 study by Pew Research, girls are 8-14 percent more likely to witness the creation of drama online (Lenhart, 2015). They’re also 12 percent more involved in online disagreements. This experience gap is toxic; and in order to comprehend the gravity of these statistics, one must understand the importance of girl bonds.

Squad.

Empowerment through female friends

Girl bonds function as a solid rock for women everywhere. They’re often the first friendships we form and by overstepping societal notions of competition, women can empower one another in truly unique ways. This special brand of friendship features the reinforcement of confidence and solidarity. Simply put, women protect each other in a world that once pushed them down.

We’ve all experienced the benefits and pitfalls of femininity. It is our duty to empower and to stick up for the ladies in the back. By helping others, we help ourselves; and the importance of girl bonds is their capacity to encourage protection, preservation, and self love.

Girl friends: There to smile with you through the pain of dressy occasions.

Toxic generalization of women

Of course, we can’t forge friendships with everyone. But by posting a broad statement about a recent girl-on-girl disagreement, our words often become general. This one girl (who may have veritably done something problematic) suddenly turns into the entire female population. Instead of “____ did me wrong and I need better friends,” the post becomes “Girls are backstabbers and I need guy friends.” And while male friendships are positive and indispensable, this phrasing allows a dangerous stereotype to perpetuate: That women are naturally cruel to each other. Opening the door to this kind of gender-specific hate may cause such concepts to root themselves in society. Seeing anti-female posts online desensitizes us to hate, which will likely multiply hateful thought.

Important to note here is the fact that we all have a right to view certain individuals as cruel or backstabbing. As humans, we’re all subject to a little meanness. What must be avoided, however, is generalizing half the population as animals on the hunt for female prey. Luckily, realizing this necessity is more than half the battle.

So embrace your female friendships. Feel no shame when you’d rather laugh with your best friends at a party than chase after boys — or vice versa. And regardless of whether you gravitate towards male or female friends, think about the bigger picture before dissing fellow ladies online. By minimizing these gender-specific attacks, perhaps we can forge a social media landscape free of generalized (and often inaccurate) hate.

Lady Badgers throwing up that W.