I’ve had the same discussion with several men. Is it weird or even gay for women to call each other boo or bae? What about posting comments on another woman’s picture and calling her sexy or gorgeous? My short answer is simply, no. As women, we spend so much time being intimidated by and hating on each other that whenever I see a woman praising another woman for whatever reason, it makes me happy. I am always overjoyed when women compliment me in person or on social media. It’s uplifting.

I recently went out to a night club with some friends. As we were leaving, I saw a girl in the parking lot who could barely walk in her 6 inch heels. My initial reaction was to laugh at her and talk about her. Then, I looked at her shoes. They were so shiny, and sparkly, and gorgeous! So, as I passed her in the parking lot, I said “Hey, I like your shoes!” and she replied to me, “Thank you. You’re so pretty!” In that moment, I realized that she could have heard me laughing at her and talking about her and the situation could have went in a totally different direction, but because I took the time out to compliment her shoes, I was complimented in return and left the club feeling “pretty”.

You’ve probably heard someone say to be careful what you say to people because you don’t know what they’re going through. So, since you don’t know if someone is having a hard time or has low self esteem, etc., a little compliment can possibly go a long way. We all like to be complimented and called beautiful and if we’re honest with ourselves, it means more when the admiration comes from another woman. So let’s celebrate each other! No, it’s not weird. It’s not gay. It’s endearing and empowering.

Tell someone you like their shoes today. It might mean more than you think.

-Jamie Rachelle