Rainbow is a philanthropic youth organization for girls ages 11-21. The way I like to describe it to people is it's kind of like a sorority and a youth group had a baby and thus came Rainbow. It teaches poise, confidence, public speaking, community service and so much more. There are thousands of members across the globe. Sometimes there are things that we do that seem really odd to ordinary people, but Rainbow Girls are anything but ordinary and that's more than okay by us. Here are the 20 Things Only Rainbow Girls Understand.

1. You Own an Unhealthy Amount of Nylons

No outfit is complete without nylons in the eyes of a Rainbow Girl. It's part of our dress code, so not wearing nylons to an event will definitely get you called out by someone. Speaking of nylons...

2. You Know Exactly Where the Hosiery Aisle Should be Located in Any Drugstore

Because you never know when you'll need a pair of emergency nylons. We all know the struggle of catching a nail or a ring on your leg half way to an event. And sporting a run down your calf is just not cute.

3. You Have More Than Just One Mom or Dad in Your Phone Contacts

Rainbow is a family, so it's not uncommon to hear Rainbow Girls calling the adult advisors by Mom and Dad. Mr and Ms. sometimes seems to impersonal, but first name only is too casual.

4. You Have Friends That Live All Over The World

People think I'm joking when I say I know people who live in Aruba, but I'm really not! Rainbow is all over the world. Most Rainbow Girls end up having a friend in every jurisdiction. It makes travelling so much easier, because you know you always have someone where ever you're going that will come to your rescue if need be.

5. You're Obsessed With Indigo

Poor indigo, it's always the forgotten color in the rainbow. Not to mention, the way to tell Rainbow Girls apart from gay pride organizations is that we have 7 colors in our rainbow, while the LGTBQ+ community only has 6. Rainbow Girls are prone to noticing when rainbow-themed products forget poor indigo.

6. You Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Bobby Pins

Hair is expected to be neat and tidy as a Rainbow Girl. Depending on your jurisdiction depends on how strict this is. Some states wear wiglets, which is a fake hairpiece that goes over a bun. Others just require hair to be pulled out of the face. Whatever your hairstyle, bobby pins become your best friend and your worst nightmare.

7. You Got Goosebumps the First Time You Were Given Your Very Own Gavel

The gavel is a symbol of authority. When you become the highest ranking officer in an assembly, you typically get a gavel of your own. Whether your gavel is wooden or crystal, engraved or painted; your gavel is a special piece of your life. You are overprotective of who gets to hold it, and like to show it off whenever the opportunity arises.

8. Certain Songs Have Special Meaning To You

Rainbow Girls love music. We have a specific officer that's sole responsibility is to play music at meetings and special events. There are songs that are associated with every lesson we learn in our assemblies, and hearing these songs outside of the assembly room sometimes gives us the feels.

9. Public Speaking and Memorization are a Cake Walk

In all of our meetings and events, each officer has a different lecture to learn and recite. You start small with just a few lines, and eventually end up reciting pages upon pages. So don't be surprised when we show you up in theater or speech class, because it's just inevitable.

10. You Have Weird Inside Jokes You Forget Your Non-Rainbow Friends Don't Get

When you spend as much time in Rainbow as we do, you tend to blur the lines between regular life and Rainbow life. So hopefully school friends don't think we're too weird when we keep bringing up jokes they don't understand.

11. You Square Your Corners Out of Habit

Whenever you walk around the assembly room in an official Rainbow event, you have to turn corners on a 90 degree angle to the best of your ability. So don't be alarmed if you suddenly see a girl walking like a well-trained army brat in the hallways of school, she probably had a Rainbow meeting last night.

12. You Quickly Learned the Importance of Nude Undergarments

There will come a day when you're a very young Rainbow Girl that you wear bright pink underwear underneath your gown, and then you'll get a very awkward conversation with one of the adults about how your underwear was showing the entire night. After that, you will invest in nude colored everything because no one wants to endure that conversation again.

13. You'll Try and Break the Rules At Least Once in Your Time as a Rainbow Girl

We all try to bend the rules at least one time in our time in Rainbow. We're young and rebellious, we can't help it. Sometimes it's funny to walk in and see your advisors cringe.

14. Your Other Friends Still Don't Quite Grasp What Rainbow Is

No matter how many times you try and explain it to them, they still get confused. They either think it's some kind of church group or it's Girl Scouts. While it's got characteristics close to both, it's also entirely different. It's exhausting to keep trying to explain, but the hope is to peak their interest so maybe they'll join and finally fully understand it.

15. You've Mastered the Art of Changing in Odd Places

Running late to an event you need to be wearing a floor-length gown at? No problem mom, I'll just change in the back of the car. Ripped your nylons and can't find a bathroom to put on new ones? Oh this small corner will do, here friend, stand in front of me. Going straight to work from a Rainbow meeting? Okay, I'll just put my work uniform on while simultaneously taking off formal wear, no biggie...Rainbow Girls are Dressing Room Ninjas.

16. You're Known to Have a Mary Poppins Bag

You honestly never know what's going to happen when multiple young, rambunctious teenagers get together for a few hours. You have to be prepared for literally anything: ripped dresses, nylon runs, snapped hair ties, upset stomachs, stained clothing, broken heels, snack attacks; you name it, there's probably a solution to it in a Rainbow Girl's bag.

17. People Are Impressed With Your Ability to Dress Business Casual

While everyone else was lounging in yoga pants and sweatshirts, you spent half your teen years in knee length dresses and high heels. So go ahead and flip your hair when someone tells you that you look professional outside of Rainbow, you deserve it!

18. All Demolay Boys Have Cooties...But The Odds Are Good You Might Date One

Demolay is the boys youth group that works hand-in-hand with Rainbow quite often. So it's really no surprise Rainbow-Demolay relationships happen a lot too, and a lot of the adults met their husbands that way. But we will forever keep on saying to notdate Demolay, sorry boys.

19. Every Rainbow Girl is Your Sister, Even if You Just Met Them

Similar to a sorority, Rainbow Girls refer to each other as sisters, and we don't just say it, we mean it. It doesn't matter if you're 11 or 20, black or white, goth or preppy, if you are a Rainbow Girl, you're family and we'll stand up for you no matter what.

20. Once a Rainbow Girl, Always a Rainbow Girl

Even though you majority out of the organization at 20 or 21, your love of Rainbow doesn't diminish. Rainbow impacts your life in so many ways, and we all grow into the women we are meant to be because of our participation in it. So no matter if you're 11 or 99, you're always a Rainbow Girl.