Barbie said, “Every night is girls' night!”
And I stand by that.
I have been so lucky to have been surrounded by ambitious, beautiful and smart women. Each of these strong ladies has made me the woman I am today.
From kindergarten to grade 12, I went to the same school with the same 60 people. Not one of these 12 daunting years would have been possible without my 7 best friends.
No one ever believes me when I say this, but in all these years, not once have the 7 of us fallen out — no drama, no boys — nothing has kept us from supporting and being absolute pillars of strength for one another.
It was the same girls I walked in with, as an anxious four-year-old, that I threw my grad cap up with during a global pandemic.
In the summer of 2023, I walked into a movie theatre dressed in all pink with seven of my best friends, and when I say Barbie altered my brain chemistry, I mean it. My love, appreciation, and respect for the women in my life is now at an all-time high. I believe that women can take over the world just by the support we give one another.
For lack of a better word, being called a “girls’ girl” is the biggest compliment you can give another woman, and I think having this standard set by the internet is one of the great things to come out of Barbie.
Dating in your 20s is no joke. To quote Olivia Rodrigo, “It’s brutal out here.” People have come and gone, the group chat has been flooded with colourful curse words, and I believe my friends and I have single-handedly kept Rain or Shine in business. During these times, I have felt like my world is falling apart, my friends have been the only people to pick me back up.
After all these experiences, I have concluded that no romantic relationship can make me feel as safe and fulfilled as my female friendships. I know it might change in the years to come, but for now, I am all about the people who help me get over a hangover and, mainly, the ones who just want to scream the words to One Direction all night.
My conversations with my best mates astound me daily — I learn something new about myself every day, and an “I love you” from a friend means just as much to me today as if it were from a partner.
University has been a challenging journey for me. It took me a while to figure out my bearings, and it's only because of the two girls who pick up my every FaceTime call no matter how busy they might be and the girl I met in my first year at university who is now travelling across the world to watch a Taylor Swift concert with me. This piece is a love letter to each of these women; thank you for being yourselves and allowing me to be mine.
My mother once told me, “people always remember how you made them feel,” and every day, my friends make me feel invincible and I try my very best to make them feel all the same.