So I shared an article on Facebook this morning in praise of girlfriends. I appreciated the sentiment that as you get older, it's super important to have and love on your girl friends- because they will see you through some dark shit when you need them. Lately, I've been jokingly posting on Instagram about all of my various girls night locales- but all kidding aside, I really, really love my lady pals. One can never underestimate the importance of women who understand and accept your quirks, crazy, and vulnerability.
I think that when you're a younger woman, it's easy to feel competitive with other women- in every situation from work to romance to who looks better in a bikini. But as we age, something happens- we're so free and confident with who we are as women, and if we're fortunate enough to see the beauty in female companionship, we're able to get past the competitive bits and bask in the glow of true friendship. And as I round the corner on another year here on Earth, I'm feeling such a strong connection to the wonderful friends in my life who happen to share my gender. I love to laugh with them, cry with them, and everything in between with them. So I guess I'm writing this to thank all of my wonderful female friends for being such amazing, talented, and beautiful chicks. Sure that's Taylor Swift and her glam gaggle o' girlies, but all of us have our own squad- albeit a bit more seasoned and less perfect. My friend and I were talking about a communal living situation as we age so we can have each other's backs- think Squad 2.0. And speaking of squads, I've often thought about who would be in my fantasy squad if such a thing was viable- it would probably include bad ass bitches like Wanda Sykes, Chelsea Handler, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig, and of course, Melissa McCarthy. I love funny women who keep my ass in line. I love the new generation of female friendships on TV- though I am not a huge "Broad City" fan, I love the message and "Girls" remains a favorite of mine, because it shows the complexity of maintaining relationships with your friends at a very narcissistic time in life. (Maybe I need to to write the Gen X version hmmm?) Obviously the holy grail was "SATC", but I'm not sure I understood the girl power thing in that way back then- I more related to the setting of my beloved city, the endless fashion revelations, and the sense of freedom of being single and unafraid. Now when I look back, I realize how precious those friendships were. Way more than those Blahniks. (Though those were great too).
Never discount the value of female friendships. Or good shoes. Or rom coms. Or any of those things that may seem overly girly or cheesy. And if you're the kind of woman who would rather drink whiskey than shop for shoes, and would rather watch "The Warriors" than "Love Actually" I'm down for that too. My womanhood is not limited to one sensibility- but what I can promise you regardless of if you're covered in head to toe ink or head to toe Prada is that you will have a friend for life. I really believe that as a woman, respecting and befriending and supporting other women is great karma. I'm lucky to still be friends with all of my girls from my pre-teen years, and I'm rich in friends from all other areas of my life too. At this stage in the game, I'll take all that I can get. I'm so enjoying you ladies- you know who you are- and I'm here for you any time you need me.
So if you're feeling catty or jealous of some other woman's success in whatever today, don't. Why not phone a (female) friend instead? I guarantee she'll know what you're going through and will get you through it. We gotta stick together, right?
Cause that's what's up this pinky Tuesday in the 212. Yours, in girl power and friendships. XO