How to practice women supporting women
How #girlGanG’s on the internet are shifting the culture
HAPPY LATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY or Women’s History Month! Shout out to all the beautiful, talented, and strong women in my life and all around the world! You my dear, are what we call MAGICAL! Historically, I’ve always resounded the same chorus since I was really young; people should stand by each other and uplift one another. I’m a witness to the magic that comes from people coming together, especially women. Women are resilient, valiant, courageous, and beautiful. I’m certainly not perfect and many instances in the last few years have made me stare head on at the ugly internal qualities about myself that creep up every now and again. However, I continue to work on my character daily and one of the things I’ve been working on is being a better supporter of other women. This article is about formidable steps we each can take in our lives to help put into daily practice, the now overused but under utilized phrase, women supporting women. Scroll down for more…
“I’m a witness to the magic that comes from people coming together, especially women.”
“What makes fashion week worthwhile is the networking and relationship building.”
In February, I attended FW2020 New York Fashion Week (NYFW). I had a sad mishap one year with NYFW which I’m unfortunately intermittently salty about still but since then, I’ve successfully adjusted my strategy. I limit myself to a maximum of two shows per day and attend as many events as I can around shows. What makes fashion week worthwhile is the networking and relationship building. Also, I’ve learned that overbooking and over extending myself just makes me crazy and it really affects the overall experience for me negatively. I’ve met some of the most character rich people at industry events who I end up keeping in touch with for years to come. This past NYFW, I was humbled to be invited to a networking event featuring members of an incredible #girlgang I’ve recently become a part of called The Glow Up Inc. The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and non-judgmental. As a newbie to the group, I can’t express how amazing it was to walk into a space apprehensive and be greeted with the warmest hugs by one of the founders. That small, but mighty gesture, instantly made me feel comfortable and most importantly, I felt like I belonged. Goodbye imposter syndrome, hello, you have a seat at the table.
The Glow Up Inc was founded by bloggers Shannae Ingleton of Toronto Shay and Tania Cascilla of Darling Tee. This online group was created to allow for women of color online creators to support, uplift, and connect. I’ve only been a part of the group for less than 3 months and it already has been an awesome resource that really furthers community and highlights the business side of blogging. Whether you are considering joining The Glow Up Inc or affiliating yourself with Connecticut Bloggers Collective or any other group, finding your #girlgang is a potent way to up level your creative efforts.
All images featured in this post by Skovro Visuals.
5 Things you can do to support the next girl boss
Show Up. Showing up for the next girl boss looks like a lot of things. Showing up can mean physically showing up to support them at the events, their stores, and their coffee dates. But it can mean also showing up to be a pillar emotionally and spiritually; lending them your ear in good and bad times.
Buy their products. Putting my money where my mouth is in 2020. There is nothing better than empowering your next girl boss financially when you can.
Like, comment, and share on their posts. I don’t have to go into algorithm talk to emphasize how important it is to empower your next girl boss with your likes, comments, and shares.
Share resources. I learned from a fellow blogger that empowerment sometimes looks like generosity of knowledge. Tbh, when I first started blogging years ago, people were not as willing to share ideas and contacts. Times have really changed and I’ve personally seen a culture shift in the blogging space. These days, sharing knowledge, contacts, and ideas is the gold standard of online groups.
Celebrate them. There is nothing like celebrating someone’s victories big or small that really shows them that you care. Celebrate your fellow girl boss over the big things and even the small things. Speaking for bloggers and other creative entrepreneurs, it can be a tough and mostly lonely road. Knowing that other people are watching you and cheering on your successes is huge. In the same way, encourage your fellow girl boss when they feel lost or feel like they lost/failed.
Here are some Facebook #girlgangs you can join:
The Glow Up Inc (for Content creators of color, application period)
Connecticut Bloggers Collective (for CT based content creators, application)
The Skinny Confidential (for every girl)
RewardStyle Bloggers (for RewardStyle approved content creators)
Female Fashion Bloggers (for female content creators)
Girls Love Travel (for the every girl traveler)
Mixtries (for the every girl traveler of color)
Two blog posts in less than 7 days, like who am I? I’m so happy about that I’ve found the energy and space in my life to begin to write again. Hope you find value in this article like I did. Until next time, big bisous!
