In a world where women are often pitted against one another, our friendships become powerful acts of unity. I’ve found myself thinking about women a lot recently. I knew I wanted to write about women for my next article, but it was difficult to choose which aspect of womanhood I wanted to write about when there was so much that could be said. Then, after a much-needed girls’ night, I came to the realization that while most women are spectacular individually… what are they together? Together, women are an unmovable force of nature. Together, women can change the world, and it’s an amazing sight to see.
I will be the first to admit that I used to take pride in having more guy friends than girl friends. I thought it made me better somehow, that by not taking time to expand my female relationships, I had somehow won an invisible trophy. I wish I could go back in time and tell younger me just how wrong I was. My guy friends, who were awesome people, could never really understand some symptoms of being a girl in a man’s world. They would listen, and let it be known they were listening, but they never could relate to me, which felt isolating. But as I’ve grown up and created strong female bonds, I’ve found a sense of shared understanding that feels effortless. I have found myself speaking more openly about my experiences, sharing the pressures of being a woman and feeling seen and understood.
Since leaning more into female friendships, I’ve found that I lean on women in many other areas of my life. I listen to female artists, read female authors and watch shows and movies that are female-directed or starring women; I have no complaints.
In my life, there have been many women who have held me up and who have been there for me during my dark periods in life. It has been women who never needed me to explain my situations, and I’d happily sit at their feet until they grew sick of me. Time and time again, women have come through for me; that unyielding strength is rare.
I know that if it wasn’t for my mother, I wouldn’t be nearly as strong as I am today. Without fail, my mum has always been strong for me and has always shown me what it means to be an independent woman. Without having to try, my mum has always shown me how to keep going when the road gets rough and when it feels like the world is against me. It was her who held the light to guide me through my dark days. It was my mother who taught me that relationships with women might be more complex, but are worth fighting for until you can’t anymore.
My female friendships are one of my greatest accomplishments. These women all have such big hearts filled with so much love, and I’m so grateful to be able to experience it. They allow me to know that I am not alone in this. Fostering good relationships is important regardless, but to know that I’ve got my girls looking out for me, my girls who love me, well, who could be so lucky? I only wish I had understood sooner how invaluable it is to invest in the women around me. Now, I hold these friendships close, knowing they’re essential to not only my happiness, but to my growth and resilience.