She Said... | Features

Why do girls feels the need to always gossip?
By VALENCIA WITHERSPOON, Contributing Writer

      Have you ever noticed that when you tell one girl a secret in the morning, half the school knows your secret by the start of third period? Girls talk. I know, because I’m one of those guilty, gossiping girls. I think that most girls, like myself, gossip unintentionally; not realizing that they’re gossiping. But we must think to define what gossip is. Is telling you’re friend that her boyfriend is cheating on her or someone is spreading a nasty rumor about her, gossiping or being a good friend? I don’t know. But what about those girls who hear rumors and spread them, when in fact, they are not helping a friend out? I don’t know if I can justify it, but I do think it’s related to the mind set of all girls.
      Girls are innately curious because for years we have been told that our “sphere of influence” or our role in society is to manage; manage the household; manage the manor; manage the social activities of those around us. Therefore, our curiosity results in our need to see the big picture so we can manage our social lives. Girls need to know what the latest news is, because girls must play the role of diplomats; trying to avoid skating on thin ice or asking someone how a relationship is when they broke up a week ago; again, something I am quite guilty of. We can’t remain ‘out of the loop’ without some person getting mad at us about being there. So we try our hardest to be a part of the loop and make sure our friends are part of it too. Ironically, our constant attempts to avoid confrontation usually result in a bickering ‘she said, he said’ fight. Girl gossiping is a result of societal demands for us to understand the events in the world around us.