You’re scrolling through Instagram Stories when you see your best friend is at your favorite coffee shop with a girl she knows you don’t like. You could A: Start an argument, or B: sub-post about her on your private story to get over it. In a world where forced positivity is the norm, sometimes it’s okay to feel petty. Being petty is an emotion we all feel at one point or another, and it always feels pretty good after we act on it. It’s time to destigmatize being petty and embrace the spitefully trivial. 

We live in a society where it’s encouraged to take the higher road and be the bigger person, yet sometimes it’s necessary to be petty. Forget the high roads and noble gestures—today, we celebrate the small wins, the eye rolls and the art of not letting things slide. In a world that often takes itself too seriously, let’s bring back the joy of small victories and the thrill of indulging in the delightfully meaningless. 

Being a college student in 2023 can be stressful. Learning how to be an adult and deal with adult issues is frustrating and overwhelming. Sometimes, it’s fun and even beneficial for us to act petty over trivial situations. It can help reroute the more harmful actions or emotions into a more childlike behavior to satisfy your brain that way you have the last laugh. As a former petty girl, I vividly remember the intense satisfaction of sending the last text before blocking a person or adding a catty emoji at the end of a message during an argument. In the long run, sure, being petty is pretty pointless. But for now, acting childish and overly emotional over an issue that really doesn’t matter is our little way of rebelling in society. Our own little petty problems are just as important as the large ones because each impacts your life. 

While it feels good in the moment, overall it’s not beneficial in the long run. It’s energy wasted, the only reward being satisfaction when thinking back on it. Just remember to move on after the fact. These petty problems are, at the end of the day, trivial. Don’t let pettiness consume you and stop you from developing and growing as a person. Letting out stress will always be good for the body. Plus, who doesn’t love the dopamine rush of calling someone out in a non-discreet way? It’s stupid and yet it’s one of the emotions that each one of us can relate to. Secret disses or petty revenge is something we can all say we’ve done. It’s a silly little thing only humans do, and we should start embracing it as an action worth justifying. Just don’t drain your energy on the pointless and lose sight of the big picture.