"Girl, you look so skinny!"It's one of the most commonly thrown out — and problematic — compliments in the book. And despite its troubling implication that every woman's #bodygoals include a svelte figure, we're all guilty of greeting our girlfriends with this observation on any given Friday night. So why do we do it? In an era when women are kicking traditional standards of beauty to the curb, not to mention kicking their sneakers through metaphorical glass ceilings, you'd think we would have found more meaningful and relevant ways to lift each other up.Whether we realize it or not, we all participate in this looks-obsessed compliment culture — and it goes beyond giving shout-outs to shrinking waistlines. Sometimes we praise a fellow female's glowing skin or mermaid hair. Other times we get all Inspector Gadget on a BFF's outfit, admiring every detail as if it were our first time seeing a well-placed ruffle. It's our way of breaking the ice with strangers, bonding with friends, and generally showing ladies some love. At its core, it's well-intentioned. But could our go-to, surface-level reassurances be sending the wrong message, potentially doing more harm than good? According to an article by Psychology Today , which evaluated a number of recent studies, "When women are praised for the way they look, although their mood may temporarily increase, they may also experience negative consequences [due to self-objectification]." Moreover, "Appearance compliments can perpetuate the societal norm that a woman's body is made to be looked at, judged, and evaluated."Sadly, picking apart women's bodies — both the positives and so-called flaws — is the norm. With women scrutinized for their looks on the daily, be it in news, advertising, or social media, it's no wonder we obsess over wrinkles and perfect beach waves alike. The good news: We have the power to change the conversation at large and on an individual level. With more and more media employing the female gaze, we have established movements like #AskHerMore , unapologetic ad campaigns featuring menstruating models , and feminist Instagram meme accounts that let us laugh off and commiserate over universal female experiences, thus creating a fresh POV and setting a new example. All we have to do now is let our own dialogues follow suit.Which brings us back to the big question: How should we be praising other women? Is it really all that bad to call someone beautiful, shout out "Cute outfit!" on the subway, or casually drop a "Brows on point" comment on Instagram? Does focusing on each other's personal strengths lead to more long-term self-love? If we could snap out of autopilot, tune out the male gaze, and unsubscribe from the mainstream media's unrealistic expectations, what would we say to each other?In partnership with Lane Bryant and its girl-powered, troll-squashing #ThisBody campaign , we spoke to women from all walks of life — from a comedian to a nutritionist — to answer these questions. Furthermore, we got super deep about the root of why we obsess over women's looks; how we can appreciate each other's beauty without doing harm; and how we can change the way women see, speak to, and support other women. To accompany the conversation (and challenge common perceptions), we captured tasteful images of a diverse group of women in the almost nude, proving that we can celebrate each other's bodies without objectifying the female form. Get ready for major posivibes ahead.