Female Friendships
Hi, friends! Happy Galentine’s Day! Though I am not able to host a Galentine’s Day Brunch this year, but I still wanted to celebrate my favorite holiday (yes, over Valentine’s Day) in some way. So in today’s blog post, I am sharing my favorite books, TV shows, and podcasts about or by female friends as well as a couple of blog posts about how to make friends as an adult.
BOOKS
Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman – Coauthored by two besties who also work together, Big Friendship discusses friendship in somewhat unconventional ways by emphasizing the importance of friendship (comparable to romantic or familial relationships) and how we need to communicate and work for our friendship if we want it to last. They also talk about interracial friendships, which I have never seen talked about before. Highly recommend if you have friends you want to keep around for a long time.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid – I loved this coming of age story! Set in the modern world of influencers and viral videos, recent college graduate Emira is trying to figure out what she’s doing with her life. Like most, if not all of us, she sometimes gets jealous of her friends who seem to have it together and can afford things she can’t. Emira’s best friend is really there for her during the challenging times. I appreciated the portrayal of real-life friendships in this book.
PODCAST
Bad on Paper Podcast – I have been listening to BOP religiously since I discovered it about two years ago. Hosted by former coworkers/friends Becca and Grace, Bad on Paper is about everything you would talk about with your friends–your newest obsessions from makeup to books! They do monthly book club episodes and often bring the author on the show. Suggested episodes to listen to: “Bad on Politics #6: Stacey Abrams on Voting Rights” and “Episode 112: Investing 101: Sallie Krawcheck on the gender wealth gap.”
Call Your Girlfriend – I have been listening to CYG FOREVER. Long-time and long-distance besties Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman talk from friendship to politics to books (do you see a pattern here lol. Amina and Ann have tough conversations and believe in investing in their friends (#ShineTheory). They’re the authors of Big Friendship book mentioned above. Suggested episodes to listen to: “Episode 111. Hillary: (interview with Hilary Clinton) and “Episode 223. Know Her Name” (interview with Chanel Miller).
She and Her – This podcast technically ended already, but it was another big part of my post-college life until last year. Created by Sandra and Anita who are based in North Carolina, She and Her podcast is an essentially a conversation between two feminist friends. They had lots of North Carolina-based guests on the podcast, which I appreciated as it felt like a way to learn more about and connect with my community. This podcast sounds more chill compared to the other two. Suggested episodes to listen to: “Episode 44: I’m Undocumented, and I’m Here to Do My Part” and “Episode 67: From NC To Netflix: Meet Gender Nonbinary Actor Lachlan Watson.”
TV SHOW
PEN15 (Hulu) – Cute, awkward, and heartwarming are three words I would use to describe PEN15 (I first heard about it on Call Your Girlfriend podcast mentioned above). Maya and Anna are two besties in middle school who are definitely not the cool kids. PEN15 follows Maya and Anna and explore conversations surrounding divorce, toxic friendship, boys, and racism.
HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AS AN ADULT
From one of my favorite blogs Cup of Jo On Making New Friends – Reach out to anyone/everyone. I racked my brain for people I sort of knew in Brooklyn. I emailed past co-workers to invite them to dinner. I met up with old classmates from my hometown who I didn’t know well. I joined friends of friends for hot toddies. I even made coffee dates with local Instagrammers (after all, we had established our commonalities online, like similar career ambitions and the same taste in memes).
From Carly Riordan (whose blog was the very first I started reading ) on How to Make Friends as an Adult – Real Life “Success” Stories – The Cold Call // This is probably the hardest way. It’s a skill I still need to develop and work on. The cold call is basically just reaching out to someone you don’t know and don’t have an existing relationship with and making a connection happen. I try to remind myself (and others) to be the friend you wish you had. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through pulling content for this post, it’s that A LOT of girls are looking for friends. Someone might be too intimated to reach out, but would gladly accept an offer to get coffee or carpool with you to the next volunteering event. Start small with your reach out. When in doubt, just strike up a conversation and test the waters a little bit.
