When girls converse within groups, engaging in “girl talk,” it is often assumed to be an unserious discussion about boys. In reality, girl talk is a community where women can trust each other and discuss topics that are important to their lives. Having a safe community to reach out to is extremely important, especially for teenage girls.
When I was a child, I wanted to be a teenager. For me, the concept of being a teenager was incredibly fun for no real reason. My thoughts revolved around the thrill of being able to drive on my own and have a tight-knit friend group of girls who understood me.
I hoped to find girls that I could go to for every huge change or the tiniest of issues, many of which did not include boys, contrary to what many assume about teenage girls. It was important to me that I could find others around me who understood what I was going through, teenagers with whom I could engage in girl talk without feeling judged.
For the most part, girl talk used to be about boys or other silly things, but it has become more than that. I realized that growing up is extremely difficult, entailing numerous facets that teenagers have to experience for the first time in order to navigate through life. Being a teenager is challenging enough, but as a girl, one is also aware of the sexism that surrounds them.
Even things like talking with best friends have become something viewed as stupid and only about boys. It is so important for girls to talk to each other and stop being stereotyped into just having silly conversations. Girls everywhere can help each other because we all share so many niche experiences.
Universal experiences every female encounters do not always involve men. Our lives are not just spent talking about the guys around us or the ones we like. Instead, girl talk gives girls a space to talk without feeling judged by others and gives them a community of supportive women who understand them more than anyone else could.
In reality, girl talk is more complicated than simply complaining about one’s love life. This idea, however, has become extremely stigmatized because people assume that the only thing girls are capable of talking about is our love lives, or consumer-driven activities like shopping.
People fail to realize the real reason behind girl talk. I have observed that many girls engage in conversations with each other that have a wide range of topics because of the security it provides.
All girls share the experience of having to find out how to navigate new situations, like getting their period for the first time, or dealing with issues at home, such as complicated, evolving parental relationships that are rooted in simply getting older as a girl. Additionally, some girls may not have a motherly figure around to grow up with, making it even more difficult for them to find a safe space. These topics can be scary or difficult to discuss with adults because they do not know what it is like to grow up in this generation.
Society needs to stop viewing girls as extensions of the men around them and realize that women have their own lives and their own palpable struggles. Women deserve to have a community where they feel safe and are allowed to break apart from stereotypes. Once a society can accept these facts, girls everywhere will be able to make deep connections with other girls around them and feel more supported when facing their issues.
Girl talk has been the one thing that has helped me through every difficult stage of my life, which is why it has always been and will always be so much more than the stereotyped girl things that are openly criticized.