Thanks to the Barbie movie, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and Beyoncé’s return to the stage, this summer was unofficially deemed the summer of girlhood and was certainly female-dominated. 

Whether it be for the help of the entertainment industry or not, I have realized just how important girlhood, or womanhood, really is,  — though it’s all the same. To fully embrace it, you need to find your community. 

Girl groups, or let’s be real, girls in general, get a bad rap. There’s a negative connotation around the idea of a girlfriend group. According to many people, girls are catty, mean, stuck up, dramatic and so many other awful things, but I have found that really isn’t the case. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Sure, there are always exceptions, but to label all girls as mean is just downright wrong and honestly makes people like myself timid to befriend other women, and friendship is a necessity. 

When I first moved to college, I felt a sense of loneliness that I had never experienced before, and I am fairly certain that I’m not the only person to encounter this. Sure I had a boyfriend, and I had classes and a dorm filled with people just like me, but I was in a whole new world. 

I didn’t have the same people I’d known and spent nearly every day with since elementary school right by my side or even within 100 miles of me. It wasn’t until this year that I finally found what I had been missing, the cure to that unfamiliar loneliness — girlfriends. 

Whether it be the right place, right time or just complete destiny, several girls I had known for over a year who were simply work companions became some of my best friends and simultaneously, their friendship has taught me so much about myself and why having female friendships is so important. 

As I already mentioned, girls are picked apart — whether it be for their looks, personalities, attitudes, interests, goals or really just any perceived flaw people can find — from the time they can talk, and no one better understands the struggles and pressures that society has put on girls than other girls. 

My girlfriends have taught me that no experience is completely unique, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Any and every situation or thought has either happened to them or has at least crossed their minds. Having a female friend means never being alone.

Having girlfriends has made me realize that I now have a community I can share things with that I may not have felt comfortable sharing with anyone before. The mutual understanding that exists between women offers a sense of comfort and vulnerability when opening up. Girlfriends understand things that may be difficult to explain to a significant other or family member.

Similarly, being able to share these experiences with other women means everyone has each other’s full support. I think girls bring a whole new meaning to support in friendships. Whether it be simply hyping one another up when they look good or rallying behind a friend going through a breakup, I have no doubt in my mind that every one of my friends would be there ready to offer love and support.

While each of my friends and I are different in our own ways, we never try to change things about each other. We see each other’s differences as unique and beautiful. I live a lifestyle that is arguably quite different from some of my friends, yet they have never tried to change those things about me and have always made me feel fully comfortable and welcomed in every situation. 

My friends have taught me that girls are fun. They find any and every reason to celebrate. If someone mentions wanting to throw a party, we each help plan and prepare to make it happen. A birthday of one of our friends doesn’t go by without a celebration up to their standards, and some if not all of them are always down to grab lunch, go shopping or just hang out. 

I know that hearing about how great friendship is can be difficult, especially if you are currently in a state of loneliness, but for anyone who was like me and craves that sense of unity and connection, don’t be afraid to talk to other girls. Who knows, they may even be girls you already know, like I did. Their friendship has taught me so much about myself, life and womanhood and I am so thankful for it. Female friendships are so important, and I can confidently say that I know these friendships will last a lifetime, which I couldn’t have even said six months ago. So don’t be afraid of other girls, they really are just like you.