Here are 30 concrete ways women can empower other women—and thus themselves:
1. Validate women's self-expression.
Women's narratives are vastly underrepresented in the media and popular culture. So when you see a woman taking it upon herself to share her story and let herself be vulnerable, acknowledge that act of bravery. Jolene Brighten, functional naturopathic medical doctor and mbg Collective member, specifically points to social media as a place to enact validation: "If you see a woman brave enough to make herself vulnerable and share her personal story on social media, let her know you see her and you honor her truth," she tells mbg. "If you see another person putting down her personal experience or bullying her, step in and gently remind them that this is her truth and you applaud her for speaking it."
2. Compliment her mind and soul—not just her body.
Women already get a lot of commentary about the way they look. If you're looking to compliment a woman, Brighten suggests describing her insides rather than her outsides. "Try to compliment a woman on something other than her looks once daily," she says. "We all like to be told we're beautiful, and we also love to hear we are brilliant, kind, dedicated, strong, etc. Pay forward the unexpected compliments."
3. Check your assumptions at work.
Identifying as a woman does not preclude you from bias or automatically mean you're free from responsibility when it comes to oppressing others. "Recognize the unconscious biases you might have against other women based on their race, age, sexual orientation, gender expression, physical abilities, body type, and socioeconomic background," Liana Naima, wellness writer and multidisciplinary energy healer, tells mbg. "Check your own unconscious biases and uplift the voices of women of color in your field who are facing additional biases in the workplace. Unconscious biases oftentimes lead to systemic discrimination. Addressing this issue starts with checking your own beliefs and encouraging the discussion of biases in your workplace when you notice a lack of inclusivity and diversity."
4. Offer support to all women, including the "strong" ones.
"We all have that one friend who appears to have it all together," Naima adds. "They are thriving in their personal and professional life from what we can see. We cannot help but wrongfully assume there is nothing difficult going on underneath the surface."
Black women are especially placed with the burden of being too "strong" to experience pain—despite being more at risk of mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Don't make assumptions about which one of your woman friends most needs help and support, Naima says. "Gift all of your friends check-in time to see how they are caring for their mental and emotional health. 'How are you?' can come off as a superficial question, but asking 'How is your mental and emotional health?' cuts through superficiality."