How can we rise if we hold each other back?

I have been reading Rachel Simmons' "Odd Girl Out"; it is a novel discussing the hidden culture of aggression amongst women, and especially, teenage girls in America. The most disturbing trend that she has cited so far is not that girls group up in cliques to torment one other girl, or that the other girl changes frequently; it is in fact the tendency of that one girl, when given a spot of popularity, to turn around and do the same thing right back. Let me ask, how are women to collectively encourage each other to stand up, to be assertive, and to know that we are indeed worthy, if we consistently put each other down? Instead, we need to reinforce to one another that all of us are created beautiful, talented, and worthwhile...period. We need not to be jealous of another girl's gifts...we each have our own.
As a young woman who once suffered for years...most of elementary and secondary school, in fact, as the "odd girl out", let me say first..I am discovering why. Knowing that we are talented, and telling people we know we are talented, is simply unacceptable in this day and age for young women. It is seen as haughty, snobbish, demeaning to others...just plain not nice. Instead of accepting that all women are gifted in their own way, we tend to take others' compliments to theirselves ("I am smart..that test was easy.") as insults to ourselves ("You must be stupid if you thought that was hard.") Let me, secondly, apologize to all of those other girls out there whom I belittled, stepped on, and hurt in my ignorance; I am sorry. You all know who you are. I am truly sorry, and I pray that it hasn't affected your life and ability to see yourselves as the wonderful, blessed individuals you are.

I am sorry, Ladies.