Written by Vanessa Sporne – Country to Canberra Teen Blogger
I always believed that Regina George’s ‘Burn Book’ from the 2004 movie ‘Mean Girls’ was a distant myth; dreamt up by some director who had no perception of the reality of the teenage girl. That was until I realised that the ‘Burn Book’ was sitting open right in front of me, ready for me to read, and even add to. Today’s technology, in the form of social media, has given birth to the modern and revised version of the ‘mean girl’ bible, one that spans not only your high school, but the world.
Facebook has become the perfect stage for victimisation, shaming and discrimination. It is an open arena, where victims are often pummeled by destructive comments concerning body image and social status. The most ruthless of these attacks are acted out by young women, on young women. Too often do I see girls my age and younger, turn on each other using social media as a weapon. The attacks are always personal; girls will use anything they can to destroy their opponent emotionally, whether that be body weight, a family situation, relationship status or sex life.
The Facebook comment section has made it so easy for people to take sides in an argument. Like two opposing armies, groups of girls will go head to head online, ripping each other apart. These wars continue in reality, creating unnecessary divides that last years. When we speak to someone online we can pretend they don’t exist. We can pretend that they aren’t a human being with a real personality, with a real family, with real insecurities and real passions. Young girls lose respect for each other too quickly online because it’s so easy to forget what we are doing. It is paramount that we remember, because unlike Regina George’s ‘Burn Book’, everyone else can see what we are doing and how can we expect the world to respect women when we don’t even respect each other?
Constant bickering online will not gain us any respect in the wider world, in fact it diminishes it. Young men will often join these online fights, only in order to mock the participants. We as teenage girls cannot let ourselves be preoccupied by petty fights that achieve no real purpose. By ruthlessly tearing each other down on social media we are losing the vital self confidence that is needed for women to strive for success in the modern world. By supporting each other in every arena, whether that be at school, at work or online, we gain respect and strength. When we post photos, thoughts and videos online we place our heads on the chopping block, all we can do is hope that the axe doesn’t fall. It’s a risk we wouldn’t have to take if young women held each other in a higher regard on social media.