I recently read an article called Not every woman has a strong unit of female friends. It's time to stop feeling guilty about it by Rebecca Holman. I address how the media can portray unrealistic female friendships in my book, so I felt the article did a fabulous job of exploring this topic.
An excerpt from the article:
"For one thing, plenty of women simply don’t have the time – one of the most
unrealistic elements of Sex and the City (more unrealistic than
Carrie’s beautiful apartment and ridonkulous wardrobe on a writer’s salary)
was the idea that four friends with busy careers, relationships, and later
children, still found the time to meet up several times a week and talk on
the phone several times a day. Some women find it easier to form friendships
with men, and for some women, making friends, or negotiating the tricky
relationship politics between women just isn’t that easy."
I agree with Rebecca and also focus on Sex and The City in my book, as I feel it creates an expectation that all women should have friends who they see and talk to almost daily. However, how realistic is that? Yes, it would be fabulous to meet up for brunch on a whim and to chat for hours on end, but in real life (you know, what you wake up to each morning?), it's just not that simple!
What do you think? Does the media (television, movies, magazines, etc.) influence how you view friendships and/or impact your expectations of your friendships?
Ever since the book came out, I've received feedback about how it's made women think about friendships throughout their lives, as well as who is in their lives now. The goal of this blog is to open up and create a dialogue about friendships: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Each week I will post my thoughts, experiences, as well as various articles, topics or quotes that I feel are important when examining female friendships. Please feel free to leave comments; I look forward to hearing from you!
Email me: survivingfemalefriendships@gmail.com
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This makes a lot of sense. It's been a few years since I watched Sex and the City, but there are so many other shows like this. One example I watch right now is How I Met Your Mother... even when Lily and Marshall have a baby they are still at the bar like every night! I don't even have a baby and I don't have time or desire for that! I have a lot of great friends and I'm very lucky but I definitely do not see them or talk to them all the time. I talk to my best friend about once a week and see her once or twice a month. The rest of my friends I talk to and/or see more like once a month if I'm lucky! This is why I like social media and e-mail because I can catch up with people a little easier. Life is busy!
ReplyDeleteSo true! Thanks, Kelly!
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