If you're a woman and you say "I hate girls," then we have problems.

Well, to be fair, regardless of gender, if you say "I hate girls," then we're going to have problems.

However, I am especially offended when girls tell me that they hate their own gender. Condemning your entire gender and, in doing so, limiting us to a list of stereotypes is damaging and ignorant.

"Girls are too catty."

"I don't know how to talk to other girls."

"Girls have too much drama."

These are the most common excuses for this ridiculous little catchphrase, and I've had it. Females are not inferior, nor are they more prone to drama. Seriously, some of the most dramatic, catty individuals I have ever known have been men.

Women get a bad rap, and it's up to us to help support each other. We're not competitors and we shouldn't be treating each other as if we were. It only serves as proof of an outdated, harmful stereotype that is constantly used against us: the girl vs. girl stereotype. This stereotype is rampant in American culture. We're pitted against each other time and time again in movies and on TV shows. Usually, we're fighting over, you guessed it, some guy...though occasionally we get to fight over a job position or social status. Regardless of the reward, these competitions are ridiculous and only encourage us to view each other as potential threats rather than colleagues or companions. Essentially, this stereotype teaches us to base our self esteem on defeating the women around us and coming out on top.

I urge you to break the mold and support the women around you. This shift has to happen within yourself, as in you have to actually start viewing women in a positive light and accepting them for who they are. Then, you have to start championing for women wherever you go. That means that when people start gossiping about a girl, whether it be about her sex life or her spiritual journey, you have to step up and put a stop to it. When your "really close" guy friend talks about treating the girl he's dating poorly, you have to speak up.

To be pro-girl, you have to take a stand against the way our culture portrays us, and that starts with your thoughts and the people around you.