We’re all guilty of binge watching Netflix on occasion, and while most of the conversation pertaining to our favorite shows tends to focus on the iconic love stories, as females I think we also fall in love with the amazing female friendships which deserve equal recognition! These friendships warrant recogntion not only because they’re entertaining and provide great meme material to share with our real life besties, but also because watching these friendships develop teaches us about friendship goals, and life lessons.
Clearly TV shows have been around for ages and therefore it is impossible to review every awesome female friendship that has crossed our screens so instead I will focus on my fav and hopefully semi-popular duo’s.
Christina and Meredith – Grey’s Anatomy
Famously known as the “twisted sisters,” Meredith and Christina are one of the most iconic female friendships to grace our screens in recent years. The two provide a good balance of sarcasm and emotionality to keep viewers entertained, while their constant banter and ability to overcome tragedies together forces viewers to subsequently fall in love with them.
Aside from teaching us that females can be bad asses in male dominated fields, they also brought us the term “my person” which perfectly describes how everyone (should) feel about their best friend.
Their friendship also included some important life lessons. For instance, while rare, we do see Christina and Meredith fight, we see them almost sacrifice their friendship over jealously, competition, and boys, but in the end we see them realize that none of those things are more important then their friendship. Additionally, their friendship teaches us the importance of balance, that one person can not always be in the spotlight, and that when things are bad you need your bestfriend to join you in a dance party or tequila drinking session to make it better. Ultimately their friendship shows us the importance of having one person who you can go to with any problem, who you know will always have your back, and who understands you on a deeper level then anyone else in the world, aka the importance of having “a person.”
Rory and Paris – Gilmore Girls
These two had an unconventional start considering how they first appeared as enemies who eventually became ‘frienemies’ and then with time formed a lasting friendship. Their connection was based on a mutal love of education, a fixation with Harvard, and a healthy dose of competition.
The two showed us that females can be smarter then their male counterparts, and in Paris’s case, more intimidating. They also are a great example of how friendships can come from unexpected places if you choose not to judge people too quickly.
The main lessons we can take from their friendship are that friends should be there for each other when times are tough, for instance when Paris’s family went bankrupt and Rory got her a job. Additionally their friendship taught us that friends should verbally stick up for one another, like when Paris got sassy with Logan after he cheated on Rory, or when Rory defended Paris to the Yale Daily News staff. Finally, they taught us the importance of having friendships that challenge and motivate you to be better, who don’t necessarily tell you what you want to hear, but instead tell you what you need to hear.
Rory and Lorelia – Gilmore Girls
Another iconic friendship forged on the set of Gilmore Girls is the famous mother-daughter duo that made the world shout “who says your mom can’t be your best friend?” This pair certainly showed us that a friendship between a mother and daughter is a beautiful relationship that we should all aim to have someday.
The pair was impossible not to love with their witty banter, unhealthy eating habits and quirky personalities. Their mutual love for one another made the pair even more endearing and occasionally caused viewers to forget that the two weren’t simply best friends.
The friendship first and foremost taught us the importance of creating a lasting bond with your mother (or daughter). Additionally the duo taught us the importance of open comunication, of honesty, and how making time for each other even when you’re busy is essential. Ultimately though their friendship taught us the importance of having fun, of forgiveness and acceptance.
Brooke and Peyton | Brooke and Hayley – One Tree Hill
These three made us wish we had their lives given that they were beautiful, popular, chearleaders who dated and/or befriended the (at the time) hunky Chad Michael Murrary, otherwise known as Lucas Scott. Choosing to combine them in my mind is necessary because the transition from Brooke and Peyton to Brooke and Hayley shows an important lesson in itself!
Brooke and Peyton’s friendship spanned years and featured two very different personalities, but they complimented each other perfectly. Through the seasons we watched as Brooke and Peyton’s friendship briefly incorporated a newcomer, Hayley, and then eventually was replaced with a Brooke and Hayley dominated friendship – this switch is sad to think about, but it also is grounded in reality because sometimes friends just grow apart and new friendships are formed in their place, and that’s okay!
The trio didn’t have the perfect friendship, in fact Hayley and Peyton went through multiple stages of mutual distain for one another as Peyton dated Hayley’s best friend while Hayley dated Peyton’s ex. Similarly, Peyton and Brooke’s friendship had its lows and highs as the two fought over, and stole, love interests from one another while competeting for popularity. Regardless of the downsides, the friendships were incredibly accurate because they showed both the immaturity and emotionality of high school friendships and the mature and developing nature of adult friendships. The most important lesson gained from these friendships that I didn’t necessarily get from other TV shows was that sometimes your childhood best friend won’t be your adult best friend because people move, change, or just go in a different direction, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t end up with another awesome gal pal!
Monica and Rachel – Friends
The iconic friendship of our childhoods! These two are still featured in many popular best friend memes today and probably always will be because they’re amazing.
From the beginning their friendship taught us that money doesn’t matter when it comes to forming a friendship. Even though Rachel was a former rich girl while Monica was a working girl the two maintained a friendship, never letting their differences get between them. Their friendship showed us the joys of having a friendship that goes way back because it means you get to be there for every important life moment, like when Rachel got her first job or when Monica finally got married. They also taught us the importance of acceptance, whether it be accpeting each other’s flaws and differences, or accepting and supporting each other’s crazy ideas.
Notably the pair also caused each of us, at one point or another, to dream of living with our best friend once we were all grown up.
Honarary Mentions
Other great female friendships include the “Sex and the City crew”, who taught us that having girl friends is equally as important as having a trained therapist because it’s your girls who will talk you through basically every important life event or disaster. Elena and Bonnie from Vampire Diaries taught us the importance of putting your friends first, of trust, and making sacrifices for your friendship. Taystee and Poussey from Orange is the New Black showed us how friendships can improve your mental health regardless of your situation, while also showing the importance of honesty and compromise between friends. Finally, Leslie and Ann from Parks and Recreation showed us the importance of loyality, of protecting one another, and most importantly, of never judging one another.