Why Women Supporting Women Never Goes Out of Style.
If you have spent any time on the internet lately, you have probably heard the phrase gehl's gehl floating around, and if you have not, allow me to introduce you to the most delightful standard of womanhood to come along in a long time. The term comes from Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo of the Giggly Squad podcast, who have turned it into a whole philosophy and, as it happens, a whole tour, and I cannot think of a better excuse to write about what it means to be the kind of woman who lifts up the women around her while looking fabulous in the process.
What Is a Gehl's Gehl?
In the simplest terms, a gehl's gehl is the friend, the stranger, and the woman at the next sink in the restroom who sees you needing something and quietly, confidently shows up. She is the one who tells you the toilet paper is stuck to your heel before you walk across the whole restaurant, the one who offers to take the photo and then takes twelve until you love it, and the one who has your back when someone on the street decides to be rude. Hannah and Paige introduced the idea alongside a music video that shows exactly this kind of behavior, complete with Citi Bikes and heels, and Paige summed up the spirit by describing her as giggly heavy and ready to fight the patriarchy at every turn.
What I love most about the concept is that it does not ask a woman to choose between being soft and being strong. A gehl's gehl can be polished, feminine, and fond of a good blowout while also being fiercely protective and unapologetically confident, which is a combination that women have always embodied but have not always been given a cute name for.
Femininity and Confidence Can Coexist
For a long time, the culture told us that if we wanted to be taken seriously, we needed to dial down the sparkle, and that if we loved fashion, beauty, and pretty things, we must be frivolous. I have never believed that for a moment, and this is the very reason I do the work I do, because style, a beautiful home, and a well-tended sense of wellbeing are not distractions from a powerful life but part of the foundation of one. A woman who knows who she is, dresses the way she wants, and speaks up for herself and others is not being superficial, she is simply unapologetically herself.
The gehl's gehl approach takes that idea one step further by making kindness part of the look. Confidence is at its most attractive when it has room for other people, and there is nothing more stylish than a woman who is so secure in herself that she can compliment a stranger's outfit, celebrate a friend's promotion, and mean every word.
Women Supporting Women Is the Whole Point
It is worth noting that this is not just a cute slogan but a movement with real momentum behind it. Berner and DeSorbo are taking The Gehl's Gehl Tour to around twenty cities across North America and Europe beginning in early 2027, and Madison Square Garden sold out in thirty minutes, which tells me that a great many women are hungry for a space that celebrates exactly this kind of friendship. Whatever your thoughts on podcasts or comedy, that kind of turnout says something lovely about what people want, which is to be part of a community that cheers for them instead of competing with them.
How to Be a Gehl's Gehl in Everyday Life
You do not need a stage or a microphone to practice this, because the beauty of the idea is that it lives in small, ordinary moments. Give the compliment you are thinking instead of keeping it to yourself, speak up kindly when you notice someone struggling, share the credit and the connections that helped you get where you are, and resist the urge to compare, because there is plenty of room at the table for every one of us. Be the friend who hypes, who holds the bag, who fixes the strap, and who sends the text that says you looked incredible tonight and you should be proud of yourself.
And if you ever find yourself in need of a gehl's gehl of your own, whether for a closet edit, a room reset, or simply a pep talk, you know where to find me, because I am, after all, just a gehl's gehl.
