Mia Sugimoto sat in her local movie theater watching “Barbie” and felt inspired. As she looked around at those sitting in the other velvet seats, she was taken by the diversity of the other girls and women in the room.
Later that night, Sugimoto called her friend, Sophia Rundle, and shared the idea to create an advice-focused website that simultaneously celebrates girlhood.
The online platform, called Girlhood, aims to be a safe place for young girls and empower visitors through storytelling. Since its origin, the platform and other related social media accounts have garnered more than 100,000 followers and captured people’s attention across the world.
Entering the website — of vibrant hues of pink and purple and an early 2000s-esque persona — young girls from across the globe can submit inquiries and receive lighthearted advice from Camas High School seniors Sugimoto and Rundle and other volunteers. Topics range from friendships and bullying to dating and self-love.
“Girlhood came from wanting to create a website that encapsulated kind of like how the (“Barbie”) movie felt to me and to others, too,” Sugimoto said.
Celebrating girlhood
Sugimoto and Rundle met when they were freshmen and quickly hit it off.
“We were inseparable that entire summer. And ever since then, we’ve been really good friends,” Rundle said.
When Sugimoto pitched the idea of a website to Rundle, they started creating content. Rundle then suggested they broaden their online presence by making a TikTok page to reach more people.
“There’s a lot of toxicity online, especially with social media and comparison culture. I think it’s super toxic for young girls and makes growing up more difficult,” Rundle said. “I feel like there aren’t many websites or resources catered toward this demographic or attempting to cater to the importance of girlhood.”
The seniors believe the lack of other resources is what makes their platform popular.
Over the past few months, Sugimoto and Rundle have enlisted the help of more than 100 volunteers from around the world to give advice. Sugimoto and Rundle said they still spend on average about 15 hours a week on the platform.
The platform’s demographic is mainly 15- to 18-year-olds, but Sugimoto and Rundle said they’ve talked with people as young as 8 and as old as their 30s.
The two will graduate from high school later this year and head to separate colleges. Yet, they have no plans to stop the online platform. Sugimoto said that bringing Girlhood to a college campus will be beneficial as she and Rundle build more life experiences.
“It will create a whole new world of opportunities, just because there’s so many connections to be made and different ways in which we can expand Girlhood,” Rundle said.
Giving voice
Two recent inquiries posted to the site were: “What should I do if I feel like my friendships are falling apart?” and “I’ve never kissed someone, is that normal?”
While giving advice, the founders and volunteers always tell submitters what they’re going through is normal and they’re not alone.
Girlhood isn’t always fun, the students acknowledge. Despite waves of empowerment after the “Barbie” movie last summer, young girls are still struggling.
According to the National Organization of Women, nearly 80 percent of American girls between the ages 12 and 18 said they hate their appearance.
In addition to advice, Girlhood shares positive messaging and blog posts about a myriad of topics — from forgiving yourself for past mistakes to appreciating your personality. Through each post, the seniors aim to ensure all young girls know they are not alone.
“One of the main purposes of Girlhood is to have an outlet for girls who might not have a female figure or best friend in their life that they can talk to and get advice from,” Rundle said. “It’s giving voice to thousands of young girls.”
