VeryWellMind defines toxic femininity as “any thoughts, actions, or behaviors by women that benefit or defer to others, usually males, at the expense of a woman’s independence, agency, full range of emotions, and emotional and mental well-being.”

However, the term has broadened over the years. Toxic femininity also suggests that women who are guilty of it are potentially looking out for themselves over other women.

“It is where a woman’s response to a long-standing threat of failure, underappreciation, or a need to prove herself over her male peers reacts by resenting the women around her who are fighting the same battles,” the outlet wrote.