Sisterhood!. It's such a loaded term for women. No two of us define it quite the same way. There has always been a particular rhetoric about women as sisters, but for some of us, the reality doesn't always measure up. Our collective struggle against class and gender barriers are ties that theoretically bind; the word sister itself has become synonymous with woman. Yet women from every socioeconomic group still report that the search for true sisterhood is at times clouded with confusion-if not straight-up pain. At times, women's relationships with one another have often been fraught with tension. Truth is, sometimes we are our own worst enemy.... Whatever happened to lifting each other as we climb?"
Sisterhood!. It's such a loaded term for women. No two of us define it quite the same way. There has always been a particular rhetoric about women as sisters, but for some of us, the reality doesn't always measure up. Our collective struggle against class and gender barriers are ties that theoretically bind; the word sister itself has become synonymous with woman. Yet women from every socioeconomic group still report that the search for true sisterhood is at times clouded with confusion-if not straight-up pain. At times, women's relationships with one another have often been fraught with tension. Truth is, sometimes we are our own worst enemy.... Whatever happened to lifting each other as we climb?"
Sociologists point out that each of our lives leaves an imprint on our collective sisterhood; how we treat one another has a ripple effect that extends far beyond the women directly affected. Perhaps you don't have a tattoo of boxing gloves, but ask yourself: Have you ever looked another woman up and down? Have you ever laughed about another woman behind her back? Spilled her secrets? Have you ever flirted with another woman's husband? Have you ever had a silent thought, even for a split second, wishing failure on another woman at the job? Be honest!
The fact is, to varying degrees, most of us are guilty of being less than sisterly at some point in our lives.
As women we must agree that our struggle to love ourselves is at the crux of our issues with one another. "At the core of being able to be a sister, of being someone who can be relied upon for unconditional love and support, is being able to love yourself. What I have learned thru various relationships with women from all walks of life is that "Intrinsic to sisterhood is self-love, self-esteem, and understanding and accepting who you are.
