16 Times You’ve Loved Other Females More Than Anything
“Ovaries before brovaries,” Leslie Knope once counseled and she was pretty much spot-on right. Sure, it’s always a kick to hang out with male colleagues after work, or to play a rousing game of tag football on Thanksgiving with your cousins. Guys can be fantastic in so many ways—especially when they’re up for moving a huge piece of furniture to a U-Haul or catching a super scary horror movie your girlfriends just don’t want to see.
Men can be wonderful. But there are some instances (as this Buzzfeed post proved) when it really does help that the person next to you knows all the pains of menstrual cramps and removing glitter nail polish. So, lady friends, this one is for you. In your honor, the 16 times you’ve loved other ladies more than anything (including bacon and/or the perfect white tee shirt):
1. Getting an honest opinion about clothes. Sometimes asking for an opinion and just hearing a subtle “hmmm…” and a three second pause from a friend (or even a stranger or changing room attendant) speaks volumes. Definitely better than a generic “Hon, you look fine in everything” from your boyfriend.
2. Whenever another woman stops you from entering the bathroom stall that doesn’t have any toilet paper. Seriously, that was a close one.
3. Coming to a fellow over-served girl’s rescue. When you see a girl at a bar or party who’s had a little too much to drink nearly walk out or get in a car with some creeper, but another woman or group of ladies pulls her aside and keeps her safe instead.
4. While waiting in a horrifically long line for the bathroom at some event and everyone just decides to commiserate, to pal around and make in-jokes with one another. (I honestly think I’ve had some of the funniest conversations of my life while standing in a restroom line at Comic Con.)
5.When someone genuinely compliments another girl’s sweater/nail art/purse/sneakers rather than simply coveting said item. Bonus: when this happens they’ll even tell you exactly where they found it and whether it’s a) on sale, or b) if there are only extra-extra-smalls left… damn.
6. Tampon emergencies: they’re great at this (I love you, lady in the break-room at work).
7. Sharing hairstyle tips and generally just beauty tricks. Let’s face it, this is not a conversation to have with straight men.
8. “I broke a nail” may be the world’s most prissy cliché, but, who cares, when the girl next to you sees you freaking out over a horrendously painful torn nail and offers up an emery board/nail file…it’s awesome. We see you, ladies, and we adore you.
9. Sharing a disgusted sideways glance at the obviously gratuitous underwear/nude scene in the movie you’re both watching. The boys might not get it, but one look from a fellow shell-shocked sister two rows ahead of you is all you need to re-affirm the fact that you’re not going crazy. You complete me, Star Trek girl who practically shouted, “You’re joking, right” at the Into Darkness premiere.
10. The little nod of approval and knowing smile from the girl who showed up wearing the same jacket/dress/top/outfit as you (great minds think alike!).
11. Two words: Clothing swap. No need to spend cash when your roommate has a closet like an H&M “new arrivals” rack.
12. When a stranger sees that you’re bored to tears at the party/bar/concert and starts up a full-length, in-depth conversation about the pros and cons of dating Ryan Gosling.
13. When you’re at the gym and the girl next to you makes a joke about being at the gym, like how you’ll be able to eat TWO pieces of pie after all of this sweating. It makes for an easier workout, trust me.
14. When they sit quietly with you after a crisis and simply offer a hug. Sometimes, you don’t need advice, just the comfort of being around someone who gets that you’d rather not talk about it.
15. When someone makes a blatantly sexist comment and you and a random woman utilize your best death-stares together.
And most importantly:
16. When you all come together online at a female-empowering site like HelloGiggles and talk about all the cool and amazing things you do for one another.
Uteruses before duderuses forever.