Girl Power vs Mean Girls

I'm wondering at what point "Girl Power" and Rosie the Riveter became "It's good to be a mean girl." When female empowerment movements started off, we were looking for equal rights.  We wanted to be able to vote.  We wanted to get the same pay.  We wanted to be treated the same way as our opposite-gendered counterparts.  Some movements are still after this and that's awesome.  Pay SHOULD be based on experience, skill level and (possibly) education.  We should be allowed to vote as well.  I absolutely agree.

There are a whole lot of women, though, that are more focused on being mean girls.  It's become a movement of "Now we have the power and we can do whatever we want."  It's become a movement of "I can treat people however I want."  In fact, it seems like the more bitchy, bad attitude a woman develops, the more popular she is.  When did it become a good thing to be a mean girl?

You don't have to be cruel to be empowered.  You don't have to be mean to be a strong, confident woman (or young woman, as it may be).  You can be both gentle and confident.  You can be both strong and kind.  You can be both sensitive and bold.  You can be both!  You don't have to pick one. You don't have to just be one thing.

I hope to see these movements migrate toward a positive message of kindness and love.  I don't think that we need to teach our girls to be cruel to be powerful.