The Straightening Her Crown Lie
Why we are a long way away from supporting each other as women
I was in the 4th grade the first time I had a run-in with a group of girls. The two “leaders” of the 4th-grade girls had gone on vacation with each other. We’ll call them the Ashleys. Ashley A was the stereotypical mean girl — her parents had money, she wore the best name-brand clothes, and because she got boobs before the rest of us the boys flocked to her. Ashely F was a bit nicer and prettier than her A counterpart, but she was destined for a life as a follower. Because of her insecurities, she did and said as Ashley A told her to.
When they went away on their vacation, the rest of the girls in our group had an awesome week. We played so well together on the playground and had weekend plans made with each other. Darcy was Ashley A’s best friend. She was hurt that her parents wouldn’t let her go on the vacation with Ashley A and her family that she’d been invited to. So when Ashley A asked Ashley F to go instead, Darcy was furious. Side note: Who would let their 4th-grade daughter go away for a week with her friend’s family? Umm, not me!
I’d always liked Darcy but always felt like I never got the chance to get to know her because she was always with the Ashleys, whom I avoided as much as possible. Then there was Serena, my best friend…
