Written by Trish B.
In many professional spaces, black women continue to face significant challenges, including the barriers of racism and sexism. However, within these rooms we fight so hard to enter, there is an ever-increasing conversation about another form of tension—a bad girl behavior among black women themselves. This harmful dynamic can manifest as sabotaging, excluding, or destroying one another, and it is time to explore why this is happening and how it is affecting our professional development.
For Black women, the workplace is often a place of tremendous pressure. The lack of opportunity means that once we enter these rooms, the fear of losing our hard-earned seat at the table can create an unhealthy competition. This competition can fuel girls’ misbehavior—undermining each other, forming exclusionary cliques, or even spreading negativity that stifles collective progress.
Historically, black women have been taught to “work twice as hard to get half as much.” This message, though born out of necessity, can lead to a scarcity mindset—believing that there are only so many places available for us. This mindset pits us against each other, encouraging a culture of tearing each other down instead of lifting each other up. We begin to see our sisters as competition rather than allies in our shared journey.
The origins of this behavior are complex. In addition to internalized racial prejudice, some of it stems from generational trauma and systemic oppression. However, it is important to recognize that this behavior is counterproductive and hinders the collective progress of Black women. By engaging in this behavior, we unwittingly support systems of exclusion that have marginalized us for generations.
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What we need is a change – a commitment to building each other up instead of tearing each other down. Cooperation over competition. Guidance over isolation. Black women need to see each other as sisters, not threats. In rooms where we are rare, our strength comes from solidarity, not division. Only by lifting each other up can we secure more seats at the table for generations to come.
Ultimately, in order to rise together, we must leave the mean girl mentality behind. We are stronger together than we could ever be apart. Let’s choose to be allies in every room we enter, recognizing that each other’s success is a win for all of us.
