Over the past few weeks, my TikTok has been filled to the brim with compilations of female friendships, set to a voiceover that powerfully declares, “Oh, I love being a woman.” Every time one of these videos pops up on my For You Page, I can’t help but smile and share that gratitude for the beauty of a female friendship. With this new trend playing on loop in my head, I have become more aware of the small, seemingly inconsequential moments that make female friendships so special: the offering of a hand to guide a friend through the crowded club, the tying or buttoning of a shirt in a place they can’t reach, the blasting of music and adjusting of each other’s makeup in preparation for a night out. With this mindfulness in my periphery, I have become increasingly appreciative of my female friendships. While female friendships may have the reputation of being snaky, drama-infused and shallow, I have found that my relationships with women are quite the opposite. My female friendships have a softness to them I have yet to find anywhere else. The beauty of these relationships comes from their nuance. Every strong female friendship is multilayered: there is a layer of raw vulnerability that is met with a gentle love from the other partner, a layer of freedom embodied through late night adventures or spontaneous dance parties, and a layer of comfortability seen through the ability to exist alone together.
While some of these characteristics are built through a growing closeness overtime, I have recently discovered that some are almost innate. Earlier this month, I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to study for the semester. I came with no close friends but as time progressed, I began to bond with the girls around me. I found that the relationships I was forming had many natural similarities to my relationships back home. They have that same softness to them and they give off the same warm energy. Girls care for each other in such a specific way and in doing so, provide a lot of comfort. While of course every woman is different, there does seem to be an overarching standard for friendship that women feel they are drawn to meet. I have asked some of my friends about their feelings towards female friendships and they have replied that they “wouldn’t change [their] female friendships for the world,” and that their “strong female friendships feel like family.”
Knowing I will be protected by an army of female friends through whatever life throws my way is quite possibly the most comforting feeling in the world. As I reflect on my hardest moments and my most wonderful moments, I am almost always supported by my girlfriends. Female friendships can be confusing sometimes and difficult to navigate, but when they are good, they are worth it all. Remember to notice all the beauty in the female friendships around you and to show gratitude for your friends who get you through it all. I love that authentic representations of female friendships are beginning to take up more space in the media and I hope this only continues!
