The Girl Code Is Meant to Protect Women, Not Divide Them

The “girl code” is a phrase so commonly heard by young girls in their youth, and chances are, they didn’t know what it actually meant. In my own mind, I understood the girl code as a way for women to look out for each other, no matter what. The girl code wasn’t established to divide girls in any way; in fact, it was created so they could look out for one another in any situation.

Being a woman in today’s society, there is always a sense of having to be on your guard, no matter where you go. I have heard over and over again things like “don’t walk home alone” or “always carry pepper spray” just in case something were to happen, because in today’s world, it is much more common than people think. One of the rules that the Girl Code has is that of looking out for other women. Some of the unspoken rules that are included in girl code are things like protecting each other from creepy men, or if a girl doesn’t have menstrual products, you help her out.

One of the rules that literally encourage the uplifting of women, is the “Uplift other women instead of competing” this rule is especially crucial in a society that seems to always be pitting women against each other, or even comparing them. The best example of this in the media today is a couple of years ago when Olivia Rodrigo blew up. Purely based on fans speculation, people assumed the blonde girl referenced in her song “Drivers License” was a reference to her ex’s new girlfriend, who at the time was Sabrina Carpenter. The internet went into such a frenzie over the two, turning their relationship tulmoltues. Not once did people ever blame the man at the center of this speculated feud. While Rodrigo nor Carpenter publicly commented, they did so to avoid any more fuel to the fire, this moment of a prime example of when the rule shouldve been upheld, but instead two women were at the center of a speculated feud. 

Another rule that some people find controversial is the “don’t date your friend’s ex” rule. It is a rule that has bothered a small percentage of girls for quite a while, but it is quite essential. When you’re in a heartbreaking relationship, and your friends watch you go through that, try to recover, and want nothing to do with that person, you would think it is safe to assume that your friends would be on your side and want to be there for you. It is a heartbreak stronger than the romantic one you go through when you see a person you believed to be so close to proceed to date the very person who hurt you. 

That is exactly where the rule comes from: it is not centered around the man or meant to divide women, especially when the action is said and done. Circumstances can, of course, vary from situation to situation, but the principle remains the same, and can make another girl feel like their friend would rather be with a guy who hurt her rather than any other man that could be out there for her. 

The girl code may be unspoken, but it has good intentions behind it. It allows women to help each other out, even when they are strangers. We all have an understanding of how cruel the world can be to women; it’s been instilled into society for generations. Unity between women of all ages will always be important; any action of kindness or understanding will always go a long way.