Whether it’s a stranger in the women’s room at a bar hyping up your outfit or your best friend showing up with flowers after you received a promotion, there’s nothing like a little girl power to put some pep in your step.
Women are famous for being one another’s cheerleaders, even if they don’t know each other’s names, so we’ve got a list down below that celebrates that supportive female energy. Reddit users have been sharing their best examples of girls supporting girls in the wild, so enjoy reading through this list and be sure to upvote the stories that make you want to leave kind comments on a friend’s Instagram pics!
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I’m a nurse and I work in a unit that is almost exclusively female staff. One of our coworkers, it turns out was in an abusive relationship and needed to flee with her children, and was worried because she didn’t feel safe, she didn’t have any extra money, or a place to stay. The rest of the staff.(and there are eight of us total including this particular nurse)got a fund together, and moved her and her children out of her house, and into one of our coworkers family, Summer cabin (a near by lake). We made all of this happened in 48 hours.
She lived there rent free with her kids for a couple of months while she got her self together and then got her own place with her kids. When women been together to help other women, they are unstoppable.
I was going through airport security in LA some years back when the button holding the strap of my dress in place just randomly popped off, causing my dress top to just fall and expose my bra/chest to a very crowded area. Within SECONDS, women from all around surrounded me, lifted my dress, located a safety pin, had me pinned back in place…and another woman walked to a store inside the security side to locate a travel sewing kit for me. I realized that I do it, too. Women keep an eye on other women, especially those who are alone, and we are ready to assist immediately.
This was a very superficial example, but it renewed my faith in other women to remember (and experience) that we look out for one another.
One time I was road tripping with some friends, my crush, and one of my friends new gf. I had never met her before, but she must have been able to quickly tell I had a crush on one of the guys in the car despite me trying to be as subtle as possible.
Well I got incredibly car sick on the first day and once we got to our hotel for the night I completely destroyed the bathroom. The guys had all went grocery shopping while me, my friend, the new gf all stayed back. I was extremely embarrassed because we were all sharing the space and the most horrifying thing when you’re 19 is the guy you’re crushing knowing you poop.
Before I even open the door completely, new gf handed me pepto bismol and some Advil and asked if I needed anything else. It was really sweet of her but there was no spray and nothing was going to fix that bathroom in time before my crush got back (I didn’t tell her that of course).
I was laying down once my crush got back, and they all walked in and immediately started acting obnoxious. Before they could even finish their words, new gf told them how sick she got on the ride and how sorry she was. I legit almost cried happy tears.
They made fun of her the rest of the time and it never phased her. To this day it was the greatest act of solidarity I’ve ever seen. I did totally hook up with my crush that trip, but most importantly that new gf was the maid of honor at our wedding!
To find out how this conversation about girl power started in the first place, we reached out to Reddit user Hairy-Swordfish3914, who posed the question, "What's the best example of girls supporting girls you've ever seen in your life?”
She was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share that she wanted to make a post that would make people feel good at the end of the day. "Online, I see so many women tearing down other women, so I wanted to remind myself and others that there is kindness in the world," Hairy-Swordfish3914 says.
My period leaked through my beige shorts in high school and I had no idea. A girl ran up to me and wrapped her sweatshirt around my waist and never asked for the sweatshirt back. This was 15 years ago and I still think about what a kind gesture that was
I was 16 years old, recently diagnosed with EDD (emotional dysregulation disorder) and attending a class. During one of these classes (I believe it was a month or so long) I was very quiet (I was usually really chatty) because I was having a bad day. One of the girls wrote me note saying “Stay safe, next week will be better” and slipped it on my desk after the class. I ended up crying because she didn’t know at the time I was suicidal. I have that note taped to my cabinet in my room.
We also asked the OP about some of her own experiences with girls having each other's backs. "I'd definitely say that the biggest way I've experienced being supported by other women is the way my mother supports me," she shared. "I haven't always been kind to her (especially during teenage years!), but I will remain eternally grateful for her presence in my life."
Older guy asking two younger woman inappropriate questions in the supermarket, they looked very uncomfortable but not wanting to be rude.
Random older woman pushed her trolley between them and collected items, making sure the girls could walk away easily
That old lady with the cart remembers what it was like to be a young women. It can be scary, even in the super market.
I went to a concert alone for the first time this year at 18 and in the queue I was surrounded by groups of guys who kept checking me out. It made me really nervous (I honestly thought about just leaving) but then this girl came over to say I looked lonely and asked if I wanted to join their group. Ended up having an amazing time with them all and they made me feel a lot safer.
As far as why it's important for women to look out for one another, the OP says it's crucial for us to help each other with issues that primarily affect women. "In other words, since we understand these issues better, we are able to help other women with these issues more effectively."
Holiday dinner a few years ago. Excused myself from the table to use the restroom. While I'm tinkling, I hear wretching and vomiting in the adjacent stall. My heart sank. Been there, done that, thanks to years of chemotherapy.
Finished up, exited my stall, and washed my hands. But I didn't feel quite ready to leave the bathroom. Something in me just kept tugging at me, saying: *stay.* And so I did.
The lady emerges from her stall. She apologizes for the vomiting. I reassure her it's no problem at all, I know how it is! As she's about to wash her hands, another heave of nausea washes over her. I know this because *I've been there*. I've experienced those same heaves of nausea myself.
I immediately and swiftly (but gently) pushed her back into the bathroom stall, and held what little hair she had left while she heaved and vomited into the toilet. Rubbed her back, and held her forehead. She turned around and asked: *how did you know?*
*I've got you, sis. I know. I've been there.*
She finished puking, and I helped her freshen up. We exited the bathroom, arm in arm, and walked back out to the dining area. Her table was near mine. Before we parted ways, we hugged. Never even got her name, but in that moment, we were kindred spirits and practically sisters.
Goth club all ages night. I was 18. I had an at least 40yo dude creeping up on me, constantly trying to get my number. Three goth ladies 25-40 came up and basically adopted me for a bit. He got right the f**k out of dodge. I am now the Elder Goth that does the same.
I’d describe these ladies as Mother, Maiden, and Will-Eat-Your-Soul. Lovely, gorgeous women.
This one resonates with me for some reason. Maybe it’s because I was just listening to Joni Mitchell singing Ladies of the Canyon. A tribute to the diversity of womankind 💕
Hairy-Swordfish3914 also told Bored Panda that she enjoyed reading through the replies to her post. "One that stood out to me was a reply about women going to the women's march in Toronto to support women's health care in the states. It's so powerful to see women supporting each other whilst separated by a border."
Recently I got ran off the highway into the median by a guy in a pickup truck. The lady behind me pulled over to ask if I was ok and stayed with me until the cops came. I was *extremely* grateful because the guy lied to the cops and said I hit him, but she vouched for me.
There are many wonderful women out there she is just one, hope the cops dealt with the man in court
My nanny (grandmother) worked in a family planning clinic when she was younger. Once, a woman came in with a ton of children in tow, an abusive husband, and an IUD. The husband demanded that the clinic take out his wife's IUD. My nanny took the woman back to the exam room alone, where the woman, in broken English, explained that they couldn't take out the IUD, that she couldn't have any more children with this man, and that he was abusive. My nanny didn't, and told the husband she did. She's a hero to me.
A girl ran into a packed women's room at a bar crying and drunk and said her ex was there following her around being awful and her phone was dead. One girl let her borrow a phone so she could call her roomie for a ride, another girl alerted a bouncer and the bartender to the creep (who literally was waiting OUTSIDE THE BATHROOM and blocking others from getting in!), and me and another girl texted our bfs to get the dude away from the door. Once he was gone and the roomie was close, we surrounded her in a girl barrier and took her outside to her ride. The ex was creeping around outside and smoking and watching in disdain as she left. This was a collective of five girls (including her roommate) and two bfs helping one girl avoid a creepy ex at a bar and it was beautiful. Women's room solidarity and safety is honestly a real thing and one reason it's a place I feel safe in even the shadiest of bars.
My daughter (13) just wrapped up 8 performances of a local community theater production for which she was the lead. Her bestie attended at least 3 of the shows and during curtain call each time she stood up and screamed "woohoo that's my bestie!!!!Way to go!!!" I told my daughter having a hype girl on your side is an irreplaceable gift.
Mine is when I called my child’s pediatrician to change my address after I filed for divorce and we had to move to my parents. After the receptionist got me all sorted she said “I’m going to get a little personal with you here, but I just wanted to say that you’ll start to feel better soon. Sooner than you’d think. It could also be a year from now but you will feel better than you did before. You just keep doing what you’re doing and look after yourself and that child and you’ll be great”. And said she had been there and knew what it was like. Oh lord it took all I had not to just sob and sob. I’ll never forget you Sherry!!
I’m gonna save this thread for anytime someone’s dusty son makes me think I don’t like being a woman
This is just a silly recent example that came to mind. I was sitting outside a Starbucks and there was a group of tween girls hanging around. They started playing "Truth or Dare," and they dared one girl to sing out loud. She did, and the others were just like "Wow that was actually really good, Ashley!"
Then, they dared each other to "go compliment a stranger." One girl came up to me and said she liked my phone case, lol.
I just thought it was all very wholesome and cute.
So nice to hear given all the awful pranks / trends some kids are into.
One time in a bar, a girl I didn't know approached me and asked for a tampon. I told her I didn't have any and in fact, was kind of in the same situation as her. She looked me straight in the eyes and promised me she'd find tampons for both of us.
She actually came back about 10 minutes later and handed me a tampon.
A while ago in school I had ran out of period stuff and had to book it to the restroom because I felt the floodgates open. So I’m sitting on the toilet, freaking out, and finally I say “does anyone have a pad?” Three people offered me one and one girl actually ran to the nurses office to get one (it was all the way across the school).
I have Tourette's Syndrome. Me and my friend were having drinks together at a bar. We had just both ordered a shot to take together, but my tics started acting up and I lost control of my hands and couldn't hold the glass without potentially throwing it at someone. I tried a couple times, but had to put it down. So my friend was like, "want me to just pour this shot in your mouth for you?" And I said yes and she fed me the shot of tequila. It was so funny and it actually made me feel less self conscious about my Tourette's. We must have looked insane but I felt very cared for in that moment and was laughing my a*s off
I always feel for people with Tourette's. When my brother was young, the doctor thought he might have it, but it turned out his tics were actually OCD compulsions. At the time, I was often doing things like touching chairs 8 times as I passed, because I had sort of picked it up from watching him. My mum had to explain to me that he does it because he has too, not because he things it's fun.
When I was in primary school we were playing tunnel-ball and the girl in front of me had a little red stain on her pants. I quietly switched spots with another girl and let her know that the girl in front of me had a spot on her pants - "can you tell her" (I was not comfortable in bringing it up with the girl). She then took off her sweater and gave it to her to wrap around her waist and they went off to the bathroom.
As a dude, I am pretty proud of my younger self for handling that in a discrete and mature manner. But the way her friend just went into "girls supporting girls" mode will always stick in my mind. Total respect.
I had a pregnant client timidly ask if I could reverse a portion of her recent monthly charge- it was something like $10- because she was a little short and could really use the help. I told her to let me take a look and I’d see what I could do. Went through her history a ways, and decided that she really should have had a different type of account, and credited her back $100 or something. I told her that I’d gone ahead and reversed some past fees, and showed her the new balance. She looked at me and was like, are you serious?? and just started bawling her eyes out, then I started crying, and now I’m crying again thinking about it lol
My online mom group. It started 25 years ago as a text-only message board where new mothers talked about raising our babies and work/life balance. Members have come and gone, but we are still a core group of about 50 women, now supporting each other through caring for elderly parents, cancer, divorce, deaths, job loss, etc. and celebrating the good things in life. Those babies we raised are getting married, having their own babies, getting PhDs, and running the world. I didn’t have a great local group of mom friends, so my online group filled the gap.
how when a drunk guy on transit tried to harass a teen and four of us called out to her saying something along the lines of “oh my gosh is that you?? i havent seen you in ages!! come sit with me!!”
Oh I am the complete opposite I will get in his stupid drunk face and read him the riot act so freaking bad he won't ever try that c**p again. Oh and I will throw hands like an inmate if need be. I despise these grown asssed predators that try to mess with young girls.
Anytime I've ever been in a bathroom at a bar. Everyone is your best friend. I love it.
I know, right! I remember standing in line for the bathroom when out dancing and having the best conversations!
This might be cheating a little because technically I participated. But once on a wine trip with some friends we decided to go get tattooed together. (Super small, not matching. Just we all got tattoos at the same time.)
While we were there a little girl, probably about 6 or 7, came in to get her ears pierced while we were waiting. It was her choice and she was super excited, but clearly nervous. We hyped her up and told her she'd be fine. She went back, got them pierced, and we could hear her start to cry a little.
As soon as she walked out we all lost our minds and immediately started praising her. "OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK AMAZING." etc.
Her smile is forever in my brain. She immediately lit up the whole building. So excited to have hit this milestone and be a big girl.
This is so beautiful! I bet that little girl keeps that memory close with her the rest of her days
I’m often a solo female traveler, camper, road trip long hauler. OFTEN. Growing up, I had mostly female bullies and antagonists. I’ve got some wonderful BFFs in other women, but I’m as wary of women as I am of men because of my bad experiences with bullies.
But traveling alone has really changed that.
It’s a wonderful little club. Women who were traveling in groups or with their partners/husbands/families would go out of their way to check in on me. Establish friendly conversation, share a meadow report, and get enough of a rapport that it was clearly implied that we could ask each other for help if we needed to. Female Park rangers who did solo travel would make sure I knew how to find the women on duty in the host camps if I needed them.
When i was hiking on my road trip, it was so unexpected. Every woman who saw me was amicable and friendly. While every other solo woman traveler was immediately my ally. I’ve never really experienced camaraderie like that before. It was drunk girl in bar bathroom energy, but the slow, steady, sturdy version of it. It was transformative.
It is transformative. I (a woman in my 20s at the time) was hiking alone and camped overnight. A tent nearby was a grandma with her tween granddaughter. She checked on me throughout the evening and explicitly told me I could ask for help if anything came up. And she was very clear in letting the single man also tented nearby know that she had my back for any reason. She made me feel safe and set an example for her granddaughter.
I have a distinct memory… New Year’s Eve in Seoul Korea. My cousin had a few too many tequila shots and we ended up both in the bathroom stall… I was trying to hold her hair back while she was heaving over the toilet. In all the commotion i must have forgotten to lock the door and I kept saying “omg your hair!!!” Randomly an arm pops in with one single black hair elastic. Immediately grabbed it and yelled “thank you!!”
Never did see who gave us the hair elastic.. but felt so proud to be a girl in that moment, I dunno why. Lol… looking back now, must have been the booze that got me all sentimental over a frickin hair elastic.
When I was 16 I lived in the downtown area of my city. I would regularly walk down to the closest 7-11 to get snacks at odd hours of the night. There were several creepy instances I can recall, but this one fits the prompt.
As I walked into the store, a guy was leaning out the window of his car trying to talk to me. I pass by him without engaging him. As I'm waiting in line at the checkout, a woman comes back into the store, after she had previously left, and asked me, clearly, "You drove here, right?"
I was confused, and she pressed, "do you have a car?"
I said I didn't, and she continued to tell me that the guy parked out front had been watching me, and had moved his car to park behind some bushes, and was waiting for me to leave. She offered me a ride and I (stupidly) refused. I took a different route home, though, while face timing a friend. She was a stranger to me, but she looked out for me, and protected me from something that could have been terrible.
I was walking home at night when I was at university and I aman jumped out of the bushes and said 'don't be afraid', I opened my umbrella because I had no idea what to do. Another female student came running up and acted like we were long lost besties. I don't know who my angel was bu I have never forgotten that act of kindness.
This is just in my very personal experience, but I was in a s****y abusive relationship where I had been shouted at, shoved, hit, etc in front of people. The last time it happened, we were in the driveway of my house when he hit me and my (male) roommate's girlfriend opened the front door and screamed at him that she had called the cops and to get the f**k out of there. It allowed me to leave for good, and I'll be forever grateful to her for calling him out.
I wish more people did this. Seems everyone knows about or sees domestic abuse but never do anything to help. Not even a phone call to the police. You don't have to confront them. We the abused can use your help. Don't ignore us.
My mom was being late to pick me up from a place being stuck in traffic jam. It was getting dark and there was almost nobody near me. A girl older than me stayed with me till my mom came. We talked meanwhile. God bless her
This has happened to me! At a bus stop, a lady purposefully missed her bus to sit with me for 15 mins until her next one (mine came every 30 mins, hers came every 15) because “its not a very safe neighbourhood to sit alone.” Never met her again but she showed me photos of her cats and I’ll never forget her!
My best friend had a very rough divorce. Her husband was messing around with other women while they were in their last few months of their marriage. One of the women felt something was up and didn't believe all the things he told her about my friend, who he was already referring to as his ex. My friend is a townie and she had heard of her and seen her a few times and just couldn't imagine some of the awful things he was saying. She didn't let him get any further, cut him off, and contacted my friend. They had lunch and she told my friend everything. Fast forward about a year and a half, they're now good friends and I hang out with her too. She's a great, solid person. He's long gone. Gotta love it.
my first job I worked at an amusement park and the locker room was huge. we were all young around 15 or 14 and a girl was crying about being dumped. a busy locker room turned into a huddled hugging and counseling session. It was so wholesome looking back as most of us didn't know each other.
Nice to know that sometimes even strangers will help you out when you feel rough.
One time I was in a really dark and depressive place, so I kind of isolated myself from everyone. Without even telling my friends what was going on, they could sense I was having a hard time, and they left a bottle of wine, flowers, crystals and an individual note from each of them about how much they love me. Makes me tear up while writing this and I’ll still reread those notes when I’m feeling down.
i have a note from a few years ago when i was not okay and my friend gave me a note saying all the things they liked about me, i always read it when i get sad/mad/etc.
Just the other day I was at an NFL game waiting in line for a drink, this older woman came up behind me and told me how much she liked my outfit and makeup, and how nice I looked. She then proceeded to say how we as women need to compliment each other and raise each other up, I complimented her back and agreed with her. It was a short interaction but definitely was the highlight of my day!
I think we all support each other every day in ways that aren’t noticeable to everyone, so it’s hard to pinpoint it. A personal example where I was the helper was when a woman walked into the bank I worked at to open a secret account her husband wouldn’t know about to save up and move money around to get away from him. I helped her set up the account and make sure she was completely paperless, including not getting any mailers from us at all, then slipped her the information to a women’s center.
One that was done for me was when my fiancé just up and dumped me via text and I had to move. I sold a lot of stuff on Facebook marketplace, and an older lady came to buy something. Asked me why I was selling and I broke down, so she gave me a huge hug and just sat with me for awhile.
I was in a bar my last week of college and a very creepy and abusive ex of mine showed up. Without going into detail he had no reason to be there and it was extremely off putting and he was going out of his way to make it even more uncomfortable. I asked a friend to hit the br with me and told her what was up. Without fail literally all of the seven or so girls in the bathroom, including a girl from the stall lol, were all enthusiastically offering support. I didn’t know any of them other than my friend obviously and to see how quickly they all rallied genuinely made me feel so much better.
I will never stop discreetly telling women if they have a tag sticking out or whatever. I would want to know.
Same here. It's nothing "personal" or embarrassing, just something that most people would want to know. And most of us won't know unless someone else tells us.
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Backpack open worries me more than clothing tags nowadays
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Or randomly complimenting women! I've had it done to me a couple of times and it's awesome, so uplifting that you gotta pass it on and make someone else's day!
I do this. I feel a little boost when someone compliments me so I figure others would like it too.
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or even worse... your dress stuck in your stockings when you leave the bathroom! How many times have i said to someone "hey your dress is up" and how many times have i heard it!
I'm that person that'll walk up to you wherever you are and tuck-n-tell you about tags, inside out shirts, whatever.
I usually ask if I could tuck their tag in. I don't need to know your size, or brand. It just looks scratchy sitting out.
Once discretly told a fairly busted woman that her buttons were undone and she was showing more than she would be comfortable with. She hastily and gratefully closed the gap.
I appreciate if someone could do that for me. We're an older couple, and my husband either doesn't see or doesn't pay attention. I'm so embarrassed to get home and find out I had fuzz all over my back, or a size tag still attached. I can't think of any woman that wouldn't appreciate that.
At the gym, some girl was crying because her ex was stood there getting in her face, myself and a few other women noticed so moved closer, he was getting progressively more hostile towards her until he was jabbing at her and shouting. She moved back and we moved in making a little circle around her and got her to the locker room where we stayed with her to calm her down and talked to the gym staff about what happened, we walked her to her car to make sure she was safe and then we left.
1. At the gym where a woman notices you are new and your form is wrong and comes over to ask if she can help. 2. At pilates classes where you’re struggling with the reformer machine and the woman next to you comes over to help. 3. When you faint, and the ladies are quick to offer you medicated oil, buys bottled water for you and offer you sweets to help with blood sugar. Here’s to all the beautiful ladies out there reading this.
My tiny 15 year old a** deciding that crowd surfing at a Nickelback concert was a good idea. I was dropped and nearly stepped on. I remember a girl putting herself over top of me and pulling me up. Im still grateful for that
Aww. Takes me back to a Danzig concert I went to..Many many years ago. And the young men of the mosh pit kinda kept the younger ladies in the safer outside edges of that chaos. In a gentle ( for a mosh pit) and kind way..lol...I'm Old
lol when my bsf held my prom dress up for me so i could pee, we did this for all the girls in our group. no shame, just genuine girls who want to help each other out.
The amount of women making that friendly offer on my wedding day took me aback! I am a practical type, however, and knew I could go for a wee and also run in that dress if I needed to!
At a park. There was a man and woman arguing in a car parked by the picnic tables. Another woman was sitting at the tables with a couple of her girlfriends, sort of side eyeing the argument but minding their business about it. Until, the woman tried to get out of the car and the man grabbed her. One of the women got up from the table and walked over to the driver's seat, asked the woman if she needed help or for her to call someone. The man tried to interrupt and she very loudly informed him she was not talkin to him. When she walked away she informed the gentlemen that they could see him, and told the woman to just say the word if she changed her mind.
I had a situation like this. A man was screaming at a woman and I went to ask if she was ok. He said yes, but I wanted her to answer. She said yes and the guy yelled at my more and acted aggressive, trying to get me to back down. I didn't flinch and nodded at her before walking away. I wanted her to see that she could stand up to him if she wanted. Later, my bf told me that I probably made it worse for her, that the guy took my behavior out on her. I've always felt unsettled about it, wondering if he was right.
Note: this post originally had 48 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
90% of these examples are about be protected from men. I know there are great guys out there, but to the shits who mean we ALL have stories like these - BE BETTER.
When I was a SAHM with 4 young kids, I had a " network" of other moms, whose kids were the same age and went to the same kindergarten/ school as mine. We were there for each other, for baby-sitting, bringing à kid from school when we had a sick one at home, etc... I even had a kid in my home for à few days while his mom was undergoing surgery (dad was useless). I wouldn't have made it without them.
At a restaurant with my bf (both of us are ladies in our 50s). A woman in a hijab came in with a small child and was waiting to be seated. The hostess completely ignored her. A few people even pushed in front of her, and the hostess seated them...still ignoring the woman and child. She finally spoke up and demanded to be seated and the hostess (with much attitude) seated her a few tables by us. A group of men at the table next to her started LOUDLY saying very disparaging things against muslims and women and just being completely rude and abusive. My friend and i were furious! We went over and asked her to come sit with us, we'd love to have them. The relief on that woman's face is a look I will never forget. Helped her grab her things and brought them both over to our table and proceeded to have one of the best meals ever...and made a new friend!
I have anxiety and couldn't talk about it with my friends. It's been that way since I left college. I used to struggle with normal conversations. I was and still am a complete loner. There was a girl in my class and we used to exchange plesantries every once in a while. Fast forward to a couple more years and she texts me out of the blue. She's helped me manage my anxiety and is now my best friend. I'd give my life for her. I cry a lot and as a man I feel embarassed about it afterward. But she's still backing me up. I guess I'm lucky to have such a friend. Love her loads.
Got off the bus in another country. Walking down the main street. A man was up in his gf's face, yelling at her and grabbing the lower half of her face in his grip. I stepped right in between them (suitcases and all) and said in a loud and powerful voice, 'that is NOT okay!'. He lifted up his fist to me, but I didn't back down, just stayed between them. My getting in between gave the woman the courage to pull away from him and start yelling at him herself. I calmly walked away and kept going. The whole interaction took 60 seconds at most, but was enough to break the spell of control and abuse that he had over her in that moment.
Good for you! I have also done this type of momentary interruption. On the street. On the NYC subway. All it takes is a few seconds to break the flow of the angry self centered energy. Then both people are able to break out of the behavior pattern and possibly do something different.
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Let's drop the "Unexpectedly" off of this title and make it far less rare to give and receive support from everyone.
Yes! All humans no matter their biological sex or gender identity!
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On the subway in NYC. Mentally ill woman is yelling and cursing at this mom and her kid who were sitting down. I got up and stood in between them, non-threatening, my back to the mentally ill woman. Stayed there, all casual, until the woman turned her attention elsewhere. What I remember is the child - a girl - watching me, realizing what I was doing.
Ever grateful to the customer who stayed with me when I was alone in the shop with a male volunteer who was giving a weird vibe.
When I still lived in Cleveland, I worked about 10 miles from home and would walk home. One night I worked over and had to walk home late at night. On the walk home a guy in a pick up had started following me and harassing me, eventually he pulled up onto the sidewalk and got out of his truck trying to get me to get in. A lady across the road at a corner store saw this and ran over and chased him off screaming at him. She took me to her house, to grab her car and before taking me home tried feeding me. That woman, I wholeheartedly believe, saved my life that night. I'll never forget that kindness she showed me.
That sounds like a terrifying ordeal! Glad that woman came to your rescue... Hope pick-up guy got a healthy serving of karma for harassing/threatening you and trying to abduct you.
Load More Replies... I used to do historical reenactment and would come home covered in bruises from the battles. Went to the gym, and a lady in the changing room saw my bruises and asked me if I needed help to get away. I laughed and was able to explain that everything was fine, but I was touched that she she had asked.
These were very sweet and a good reminder for women's solidarity. I remember one night that I felt really badly about myself after an outing with a friend (I just felt ugly and uncomfortable) on the way home,I stopped by the 7/11 near my house to buy something small to eat and a girl who looked pretty drunk or stoned came after me. She stood behind me in line and kept eyeing me. I kind of glimpsed at her briefly and she made eye contact,said she loves my nails and then told me im beautiful. I was pretty surprised by that but it did make me feel better when I got home.
At this bar I usually went to, I once noticed a girl I'd never seen before. She was acting super innocent and giggled a lot while a whole bunch of (otherwise very friendly) dudes had surrounded her. I quickly sweeped in, took her hand while saying "oopsie! And you're coming with me" and I started dragging her to the ladies' room. On her way we met her bf who then took care of her. Years later I found out my current bf is friends with the bf I left the girl with and I learned that she was a super toxic and manipulative person but I'm still glad I saved her from the crowd of guys. 😊
Sophomore year of high school. I wore aa above the knee-length dress one day. When I picked up my book bag to leave class, it hiked up my skirt, giving everyone a delightful view of my panties. As I walked into the next class, one of the girls I sat by saw and quickly adjusted my dress so the boys in the room didn't see. Of course, that didn't do any good for all the boy who'd seen in the halls. Lol
I once had a long drive home after work and after about halfway I started getting a nasty headache. Unfortunately, this was saturday evening in Germany and no pharmacies were open. I pulled over at a gas station because I was feeling awful and there was a table with women and asked if any one of them has any sort of pain killers. (I don‘t think I looked like a druggie, and I explained I just want to be able to make the drive home) without batting an eyelash one of them gave me a box of meds. Had a lie down in the car until they kicked in and I made it home fine. I still think about that!
Another thing that happened in recent memory,is that we have a lot of homeless people in my city,mostly downtown and since I live in a cold place,they occupy a lot of the closed bus shelters. Me and my friend were going to catch the bus after hanging out and passed by a bus shelter were a woman was laying in a very concerning position on the floor inside of a bus shelter. We didn't wanna go near her because a lot of homeless people in my area are on drugs and can be unpredictable. Me and my friend stayed there,making sure she was breathing. Stopped 2 busses and asked them to call someone to check on her but no one ever came. We left only after 2 other drunk women went up to her and woke her up and we saw she was alive and well. I was really worried though and still feel bad we didn't wake her up before..
When my first marriage was beginning to fall apart , I ran into a woman who was basically my husband's best friend. We got talking and it was the first she had heard about him wanting to leave me. After a few minutes she just blurted out, "Well that's not your fault!" I couldn't stop myself from crying when she said that. It was such a relief to get this affirmation from her. To hear that I wasn't crazy. Etc. Thank you, Angie, wherever you are.
I remember on a flight, I was seated next to a Muslim woman with an infant, with her mother on the other side. She was really nervous about flying (my husband hates flying, too, I get it). I just kept chatting with her to take her mind off take-off and helped entertain the baby. At one point we had turbulence and she instinctively grabbed my hand and immediately got embarrassed. I told her not to worry and she could grab my hand any time she felt afraid. I can't remember her name, it was so long ago, but I remember her face and just how relieved she seemed to be. Getting to play with the baby was a bonus (little one barely cried at all on the flight).
90% of these examples are about be protected from men. I know there are great guys out there, but to the shits who mean we ALL have stories like these - BE BETTER.
When I was a SAHM with 4 young kids, I had a " network" of other moms, whose kids were the same age and went to the same kindergarten/ school as mine. We were there for each other, for baby-sitting, bringing à kid from school when we had a sick one at home, etc... I even had a kid in my home for à few days while his mom was undergoing surgery (dad was useless). I wouldn't have made it without them.
At a restaurant with my bf (both of us are ladies in our 50s). A woman in a hijab came in with a small child and was waiting to be seated. The hostess completely ignored her. A few people even pushed in front of her, and the hostess seated them...still ignoring the woman and child. She finally spoke up and demanded to be seated and the hostess (with much attitude) seated her a few tables by us. A group of men at the table next to her started LOUDLY saying very disparaging things against muslims and women and just being completely rude and abusive. My friend and i were furious! We went over and asked her to come sit with us, we'd love to have them. The relief on that woman's face is a look I will never forget. Helped her grab her things and brought them both over to our table and proceeded to have one of the best meals ever...and made a new friend!
I have anxiety and couldn't talk about it with my friends. It's been that way since I left college. I used to struggle with normal conversations. I was and still am a complete loner. There was a girl in my class and we used to exchange plesantries every once in a while. Fast forward to a couple more years and she texts me out of the blue. She's helped me manage my anxiety and is now my best friend. I'd give my life for her. I cry a lot and as a man I feel embarassed about it afterward. But she's still backing me up. I guess I'm lucky to have such a friend. Love her loads.
Got off the bus in another country. Walking down the main street. A man was up in his gf's face, yelling at her and grabbing the lower half of her face in his grip. I stepped right in between them (suitcases and all) and said in a loud and powerful voice, 'that is NOT okay!'. He lifted up his fist to me, but I didn't back down, just stayed between them. My getting in between gave the woman the courage to pull away from him and start yelling at him herself. I calmly walked away and kept going. The whole interaction took 60 seconds at most, but was enough to break the spell of control and abuse that he had over her in that moment.
Good for you! I have also done this type of momentary interruption. On the street. On the NYC subway. All it takes is a few seconds to break the flow of the angry self centered energy. Then both people are able to break out of the behavior pattern and possibly do something different.
Load More Replies... Let's drop the "Unexpectedly" off of this title and make it far less rare to give and receive support from everyone.
Yes! All humans no matter their biological sex or gender identity!
Load More Replies... On the subway in NYC. Mentally ill woman is yelling and cursing at this mom and her kid who were sitting down. I got up and stood in between them, non-threatening, my back to the mentally ill woman. Stayed there, all casual, until the woman turned her attention elsewhere. What I remember is the child - a girl - watching me, realizing what I was doing.
Ever grateful to the customer who stayed with me when I was alone in the shop with a male volunteer who was giving a weird vibe.
When I still lived in Cleveland, I worked about 10 miles from home and would walk home. One night I worked over and had to walk home late at night. On the walk home a guy in a pick up had started following me and harassing me, eventually he pulled up onto the sidewalk and got out of his truck trying to get me to get in. A lady across the road at a corner store saw this and ran over and chased him off screaming at him. She took me to her house, to grab her car and before taking me home tried feeding me. That woman, I wholeheartedly believe, saved my life that night. I'll never forget that kindness she showed me.
That sounds like a terrifying ordeal! Glad that woman came to your rescue... Hope pick-up guy got a healthy serving of karma for harassing/threatening you and trying to abduct you.
Load More Replies... I used to do historical reenactment and would come home covered in bruises from the battles. Went to the gym, and a lady in the changing room saw my bruises and asked me if I needed help to get away. I laughed and was able to explain that everything was fine, but I was touched that she she had asked.
These were very sweet and a good reminder for women's solidarity. I remember one night that I felt really badly about myself after an outing with a friend (I just felt ugly and uncomfortable) on the way home,I stopped by the 7/11 near my house to buy something small to eat and a girl who looked pretty drunk or stoned came after me. She stood behind me in line and kept eyeing me. I kind of glimpsed at her briefly and she made eye contact,said she loves my nails and then told me im beautiful. I was pretty surprised by that but it did make me feel better when I got home.
At this bar I usually went to, I once noticed a girl I'd never seen before. She was acting super innocent and giggled a lot while a whole bunch of (otherwise very friendly) dudes had surrounded her. I quickly sweeped in, took her hand while saying "oopsie! And you're coming with me" and I started dragging her to the ladies' room. On her way we met her bf who then took care of her. Years later I found out my current bf is friends with the bf I left the girl with and I learned that she was a super toxic and manipulative person but I'm still glad I saved her from the crowd of guys. 😊
Sophomore year of high school. I wore aa above the knee-length dress one day. When I picked up my book bag to leave class, it hiked up my skirt, giving everyone a delightful view of my panties. As I walked into the next class, one of the girls I sat by saw and quickly adjusted my dress so the boys in the room didn't see. Of course, that didn't do any good for all the boy who'd seen in the halls. Lol
I once had a long drive home after work and after about halfway I started getting a nasty headache. Unfortunately, this was saturday evening in Germany and no pharmacies were open. I pulled over at a gas station because I was feeling awful and there was a table with women and asked if any one of them has any sort of pain killers. (I don‘t think I looked like a druggie, and I explained I just want to be able to make the drive home) without batting an eyelash one of them gave me a box of meds. Had a lie down in the car until they kicked in and I made it home fine. I still think about that!
Another thing that happened in recent memory,is that we have a lot of homeless people in my city,mostly downtown and since I live in a cold place,they occupy a lot of the closed bus shelters. Me and my friend were going to catch the bus after hanging out and passed by a bus shelter were a woman was laying in a very concerning position on the floor inside of a bus shelter. We didn't wanna go near her because a lot of homeless people in my area are on drugs and can be unpredictable. Me and my friend stayed there,making sure she was breathing. Stopped 2 busses and asked them to call someone to check on her but no one ever came. We left only after 2 other drunk women went up to her and woke her up and we saw she was alive and well. I was really worried though and still feel bad we didn't wake her up before..
When my first marriage was beginning to fall apart , I ran into a woman who was basically my husband's best friend. We got talking and it was the first she had heard about him wanting to leave me. After a few minutes she just blurted out, "Well that's not your fault!" I couldn't stop myself from crying when she said that. It was such a relief to get this affirmation from her. To hear that I wasn't crazy. Etc. Thank you, Angie, wherever you are.
I remember on a flight, I was seated next to a Muslim woman with an infant, with her mother on the other side. She was really nervous about flying (my husband hates flying, too, I get it). I just kept chatting with her to take her mind off take-off and helped entertain the baby. At one point we had turbulence and she instinctively grabbed my hand and immediately got embarrassed. I told her not to worry and she could grab my hand any time she felt afraid. I can't remember her name, it was so long ago, but I remember her face and just how relieved she seemed to be. Getting to play with the baby was a bonus (little one barely cried at all on the flight).
