Girling

Man, women are frickin awesome.

Recently, I was walking the dog late at night when another woman with a dog approached me, said there was a creepy man circling the block, and suggested we finish our walks together. I said yes and we made sure each other got home safely. When I got back to my apartment, I felt an overwhelming feeling of pride in the shared sisterhood and implicitly-understood rules of “Girl Code,” the most prominent of which is to always look out for a fellow woman.

This isn’t anything new.

This isn’t anything new. In fact, I guarantee that any woman you ask will have several similar stories. Women are taught a lot of rules for operating safely in a world designed to be unsafe for women. You may be familiar with such hits as don’t walk alone at night or never leave your drink unattended or carry your keys between your fingers like brass knuckles. But there are so many more. 

Women know that you can go up to any woman (or group of women) and seek safety if you feel threatened (see: my dog-walking story). Conversely, women also know that they have a responsibility to keep one another safe. Just like my fellow dog-walker, my friends and I have also approached other women to make sure they feel safe. We check to make sure one another knows and trusts the people they are with, that they don’t need any help. It’s Girl Code.

It’s Girl Code.

Women also understand that life is hard and every woman wants to feel connected. This is why we make friends in the bathroom. (The bathroom is a good place for a few reasons. Once, on a date, I made friends in the bathroom who not only told me how good I looked, but also offered that I come sit with them if my date made me feel uncomfortable.) 

My boyfriend laughs at how easily I make friends with women I meet in public, but only because he doesn’t understand Girl Code the way women do. Part of Girl Code is telling a stranger how much you love her earrings, or discussing the best coffee shops to WFH, or assuring her that the dress she’s trying on does look great on her. We understand the importance of being there for one another and raising each other up.

The global sisterhood women share is beautiful.

A lot of times, the media portrays female relationships as competitive or ugly, but in my experience, they are the opposite. I find female relationships (or even just passing interactions!) are often intuitive, insightful, considerate, and empowering. I think the global sisterhood women share is beautiful. I take so much pride in being a woman for that very reason. I want to see other women succeed and thrive for that very reason. I have met very few women who feel or act otherwise. 

Women are awesome. I don’t know that I will ever find the words to fully express my feelings for the intricacies of women’s social interactions. So consider the Girling blog not only my digital feminist soap box, but also my love letter to women. 

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