By Katarina Kovacevic
I haven’t always been a girl’s girl. As a teenager, there was the typical adolescent cattiness between me and my friends: two of us would hop on the phone, call the third and try our hardest to pull out some piece of scandal from the unsuspecting girl.
Or, we’d buy the same pair of shoes and tell the other girl she wasn’t allowed to follow suit because they “just wouldn’t look right on her.” The next day, we’d switch alliances…it was my turn to feel left out, then it was hers, and then it was the first one’s again.
It was all very immature, very mean and very silly.
I assumed this haughtiness would fade as we all aged and, with my close girlfriends, it (thankfully) did. But even as those bonds grew tighter and more supportive, our relationships with females on the “outside” – that is, not within the cozy confines of our tight clique – remained icy at best.
Add in the pressures of work and dating, and you’ve got an entirely new level of unhealthy competition. To be completely honest, I’ve been on the giving and receiving end of ugly behavior…and then somewhere around my mid-20’s it was if someone snapped me back to reality and I realized – life is much happier when you stop competing and start supporting.
I can’t tell you exactly what caused this revelation, but it caused a major shift in the way I viewed my female relationships. Opening my mind and heart to new female friendships changed my perspective. Life felt richer, fuller. Suddenly, I was no longer alone and on the defense. I was part of a team.
No one understands the ups and downs of being a woman as much as fellow women – imagine that! In the midst of all of this, I was working as a freelance journalist, specifically in digital media. I was thinking a lot about what I wanted to do with my career.
And so, years later, my work and my personal journey with female relationships led me to this: RUBY magazine – a new online lifestyle publication I’m launching whose biggest mission is to promote female camaraderie, support sisterhood and inspire women to make a difference.
I’d like to invite you to check out our Kickstarter campaign, which is raising startup and launch funds for RUBY. We’ve got less than two weeks to go!
But just as important, I wanted to invite you to the conversation.
Coming to the realization that championing my fellow female was better than competing with her was my “I Saw Red” moment, meaning I learned something very valuable that changed my perspective.
So, I want to know: What was your “I Saw Red” moment? What life event changed you into a girl’s girl? Was it a particular interaction with another woman? Or was it just a personal epiphany like mine?
Connect with me on Twitter using the #ISawRed hashtag to tell me about your experience. (I’m @Little_K) I’d love to hear all about it! I hope that you’ll also take a moment to read and hear more about RUBY and maybe even pledge to the cause.
Pledges will build an inclusive and supportive online environment with one goal in mind: To lay the foundation for future generations of confident, motivated and inspirational women who make it a point to champion their fellow female.
Because if we don’t do it, who will?
Support RUBY Magazine’s Kickstarter campaign
About the author
Katarina Kovacevic is: Founder of RUBY magazine. Media entrepreneur. Travel writer & blogger. Reformed girl’s girl. Crazy Croat. On Twitter @Little_K and Instagram @little_k_kata.