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Why are women so mean to each other? Kate Holden, ashamed of her own judgmental tendencies, tries to work out why, in a world where women have so much to share, we are sometimes anything but fair.
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Thanks to Kate for her honesty and insight. But I'm not sure I agree that women are "so mean to each other". Ladies: if you find yourself in the company of such women...choose other company!
Kate's right in saying that the competitive spirit of our still-patriarchal society often gets in the way of sisterhood, and that we should never be complicit in this. But I don't feel that as women we're constantly battling each other. In part, it depends on the company you keep.
It's good to acknowledge our own judgemental tendencies (yep, got 'em too!), but let's also celebrate the ways in which we back each other and escape those narky patterns.
I've been lucky to find and keep some amazing female friends -- and sometimes sad to leave behind those who are overly competitive, because they stop you from being who you'd like to be, and skew your world view in a negative way. And vice versa: as women, and as feminists, part of our role in life is to respect our female friends and colleagues, no matter how tiny their bottom is.
Good female friends (and colleagues) are the antidote to everything Kate warns us about here. Her talk could best be taken as an encouragement to nurture those friendships, avoid the less constructive ones, and ensure that we treat other women right.
Meg Mundell
16 October at 12:19AM