Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion around the disintegration of tween culture in our country. Many girls who are tweens and young teens lack age-appropriate content and role models. In 2024, a lot of what’s marketed toward girls this age is really meant for younger or older girls—that’s where Girlhood comes in.
Growing up, millennials had a robust culture for young teens—from stores like Limited Too and Delias to shows like Lizzie McGuire, iCarly, That’s So Raven, and Hannah Montana. There were also plenty of longer-ranging shows that gave us the opportunity to grow up alongside characters, step by awkward step.
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Two young women—Mia Sugimoto and Sophia Rundle—recognized this current lack of space for young girls. In particular, they noted a lack of “safe space” to discuss their lives and experiences and get advice. With that, they decided to carve one out. Thus, the Girlhood website was born.
What is Girlhood?
Girlhood is a blog-style forum that allows teenage girls to discuss their experiences and get advice from their peers. For those not already in the know, Girlhood website’s blogs are split up into four sections:
First is “Our Blogs,” which are blogs written by the founders.
There’s also “Advice 2 Girls,” which hosts some of the questions the volunteer’s field, from skincare woes to first kisses to college decisions.
Then there’s “Your Blogs,” which are blogs written by users on the site. Last but not least is the “Girlhood Team Blogs,” which is composed of blogs written by the staff and a team of over 100 volunteers who help to dispense advice.
The Girlhood website also has a live chat available for people who are looking for more real-time advice and assistance.
Who created Girlhood?
Sophia Rundle and Mia Sugimoto founded Girlhood. Now 18, these two young women started the website, inspired by the female camaraderie surrounding the release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
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As they discussed it, the idea of the “older sister forum” was born, the pair told The New York Post. “Since there are thousands of girls that don’t have a mom, older sister, or friend to talk to about these things, Girlhood is so important as an organization. It grants these girls somebody they can receive reliable advice from,” Rundle says.
Who are the volunteers giving advice?
Before allowing them on the site, the organization vets the volunteers to ensure they don’t lead girls astray with any questionable advice. The organization also trains volunteers and equips them with resources.
While volunteers handle many subjects through peer-to-peer discussions, they acknowledge that professionals should deal with serious matters.
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“I think that our Girlhood volunteers being teenage girls themselves not only gives those submitting inquiries a sense of comfort and relatability but allows us to offer advice from a similar perspective,” Rundle said of their system.
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“Giving advice to teenage girls from the mind of a teenage girl allows us to resonate with our audience more and aids in the spread of our message: that no girl is alone in this world.”
So far, Girlhood has enjoyed some serious success, with over 50,000 Instagram followers and 70,000 followers on TikTok. We’ll be excitedly watching how their community grows.
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