From Girls To Women: The Power Of Female Friendships

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

When I was six-years-old, I met one of my best friends. We were on the same youth cheerleading team, and she jumped out of formation in excitement to let me know she had the same first grade teacher as I did. We bonded immediately. Months later, I met my next best friend, and the next, and the next, until suddenly, I was conquering the awkward, sweaty throes of middle school with a group of five girls by my side.

A lot of women my age have a similar story — a large friend group of girls that they experienced their most formative years with, through puberty,first losses, bad test scores, and first tastes of success. Where my story differs, however, is that these five girls remain my closest friends to this day.

We’ve often been asked how we’ve done it, conquering such a transformative time of our lives while still sticking together. It feels almost impossible to describe. There’s no way to verbalize how lucky I feel every time I have a bad day, and the women that have grown with me for over a decade. From friends to pseudo sisters, they are always there to support me, even from over a thousand miles away. 

I truly don’t think I would be half the person I am today if life hasn’t worked out the way it did. We have all gone our separate ways since graduating high school — different majors, different interests, and yet, our love for each other is undying and constant, keeping us all afloat even when life grows difficult.

I never had to worry about being worthy of love or friendship. I was surrounded by the best women I’ve ever met in all of our different ways, from their loyalty to their incredible work ethics. Every time I need motivation to be the best version of myself, I can find it in their confidence, kindness, and self determination. They have taught me how to care for others and shown me respect even throughout the dozens of mistakes I’ve made as we’ve gone from girls to women.

In turn, I never struggled with embracing femininity and recognizing how incredible women are, and I’m grateful for that every day. Their influence has led me to being able to make strong friendships with women in all aspects of my life, and fully understand trust and belonging in ways I never would have imagined. 

Female support systems often feel massively important and beneficial from the inside, and it’s for good reason. Women are more likely to be able to provide each other with high quality friendships that reduce stress, and can lead to more success throughout their personal and professional lives. Women who help each other thrive are often much better off, and I’ve been lucky enough to reap those benefits first hand. 

I consider this a thank you to all of the women who have helped me grow, since before I knew that playground friendships would grow into one of the most impactful displays of platonic love I’ve gotten to see in my lifetime. To all of those out there who are lucky enough to have a group of friends as wonderful as mine, never take for granted how they’ve helped you grow, and don’t ever forget to remind them how special they are.