In college, I suppose I must have looked especially naive, because this gal-pal of mine sat me down and explained in a rather grave tone: "at_a_remove, there are two things you should understand about women. First, everything we do is about men. Second, women hate other women."

I scoffed. I scoffed for a long time. But there is an uncomfortable kernel to her statement that I have seen again and again, long before social media, in young women and their constant status hierarchy struggles, and Mean Girls wasn't even the first time it was made too evident. I would point to Heathers and Carrie as even earlier examples. Teenage girls are vicious with one another's emotions and friendships, trusts and secrets, in a way that boys and men rarely get a glimpse of.