“I’m not like other girls.” This phrase is commonly worn with great pride, as if being like other girls is something to shun. Girls who distance themselves from other women and associate themselves with masculine qualities — often called “tomboys” — seem harmless in elementary school. But phrases like “I’m not like other girls,” or “I’m one of the boys,” are rooted in a much more dangerous concept: that disassociating yourself from predominantly feminine activities will make an individual more attractive to their male counterparts. This is just a small aspect of internalized sexism, an often malicious practice of acting sexist towards yourself or another person of your own gender. 

   This isn’t to say women can’t be passionate about the NFL or that it’s sexist to feel more comfortable in a pair of athletic shorts than in a miniskirt. It’s to say that being a girl is something to be proud of, and that women need to band together in a world that wants us to pull one another’s hair when the soap opera cameras are rolling.

   Generally speaking, modern feminism tends to only highlight what men can do to end sexism, but women have also been notorious for putting one another down in the race for male approval. 

   Likewise, 2.5 million people attended the women’s march this year, but women aren’t acting as progressively when it is no longer popular to do so. People are actively trying to express their support for the movement, but aren’t standing up for others when it is vital to do so. Psychologist Robert Hitlan found that 70 percent of women observed workplace harassment but did not intervene.

   In order to help combat females’ social conditioning to compare and compete, guidance counselor Rylan Smith adorned the girls’ bathrooms with female-positive posters with phrases such as “You’re beautiful.”

   “[The signs] were all focused on hoping girls would recognize their own gifts and not be so envious of other people’s,” Smith said.

   Smith addressed the competitive nature that not just girls but people in general tend to foster. 

   “I don’t know any competitiveness of individuals that isn’t centered around sports and truly wanting to benefit yourself that is positive,” Smith said. She also said that it turns into making others look bad, instead of bettering oneself.

   Junior cheerleader Avery Richey said that the image of cheerleaders is often incorrect. 

   “I think the leading connotation of cheerleaders portrays us as dim-witted and unintelligent, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Richey said. 

   According to Smith, the Trinity cheerleading squad has historically had one of the highest GPAs of any sport on campus. 

   These girls are strong and smart, but above all, their loyalty and support of one another is a quality that contradicts the notion that all girls are “catty” and “backstabbing.” 

   Senior cheerleading captain Ashley Garcia said that the cheerleading squad beams with sisterhood.

   “Since we spend so much time together during both football and basketball season, I think we all just kind of became best friends,” Garcia said. “We get along so well, and it honestly feels like I’ve known these girls forever. It’s so nice knowing that they are always here for me whenever I need help or if I need to talk about something, and I know for a fact they will always support me. I couldn’t imagine cheering without them by my side.” 

   Cheer isn’t the only female sports team that reflects female unity and support. The girl’s Trinity weightlifting team has had a flood of new athletes, with 82 signups this season. Senior team captain Elizabeth Gordon said that it’s the sisterhood that attracted her to the sport, and it’s this very sisterhood that she hopes attracts new members. 

   “What I think is really great about weightlifting is when I started, I was a little eighth grader, and I was really really nervous, and you hear about [how] all of the high school girls are catty, but they became such great friends of mine,” Gordon said. 

   These friendships harshly differ from the ones depicted in pop-culture. Society oftentimes pits women against one another, in turn, slowing down the progression of the feminist movement. 

   One of the reasons most major cities have their own The Real Housewives production is that female conflict is highly promoted as entertainment, but this isn’t actually giving women voices. 

   Richey said that female fights are sensationalized. 

   “Fights between girls are dramatized, like the Cardi B and Nicki fight,” Richey said. “People would be horrified if two males did that. But because it was girls it was seen as petty and not taken seriously.”

   In addition to society’s expectation towards female-feuds, “Catfights” have always been the backbone of shows such as the Bachelorette. 

   There is a direct correlation between the magnitude of viewership in reality television and how intense and frequent the catfights are. The original The Real Housewives was centered almost entirely on family dynamics. Only about 646,000 viewers tuned in to see this failing storyline. However, once shows like The Real Housewives of New Jersey began to capitalize on the catfight, viewership skyrocketed to 2.5 million. 

   As if pitting women against one another wasn’t enough, these competitions also demean female anger. When two men get into a verbal fight, it’s deemed intellectual and called a debate. When two women get into a fight, it’s labeled as a “catfight.” 

   Many feminists are quick to criticize women who don’t agree with them, such as Hillary Clinton when she said that white women only voted for Trump because their husbands told them too. Not allowing women to have their own opinions is harmful, left or right leaning. 

   While competition can be a healthy way for individuals to grow, female conflict becomes an issue when it is used as a mating tactic. The scientific journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society said that this competition is ingrained in nature. 

   “Females have a particular proclivity for using indirect aggression, which is typically directed at other females, especially attractive and sexually available females, in the context of intrasexual competition for mates. Indirect aggression is an effective intrasexual competition strategy.” 

   We must strive past animalistic nature in order to ensure no woman is subject to sexism. Afterall, catfights should be just that; for cats.