The Beautiful Bond Of The BFF
November 29, 2010 No Comments
The news that BFFs Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston have decided to buy a Mexican holiday home together has been met with much tongue-clicking and concern. Are people worried about the civil unrest, or the germs? Nope — it seems that female friendships can get a little too close for comfort.
Of course, The Sunday Times is not the first to bring up the dangers of camaraderie. It was only when the girls began ignoring each other and listening to their men that Bridget Jones and her friend Jude managed to hold onto their relationships and eventually get married. Shakespeare’s romances almost always start with a close coupling of two girl friends and two boys which must be broken up and rematched to get two sets of boy+girl. And I won’t even get into what the people of Salem though about BFFs.
Really close same-sex friendships can become coupley — time and secrets can do a lot to bond a pair — and girls get the added bonus of being allowed some physical affection without the specter of homosexuality to come between them. And it is true that in order to form a romantic bond the friends must lose some of their coupleliness to make room for sexual partners they want to have a relationship with.
The best BFF is no faux-boyfriend, ready to fill the void left by a man, but a sister you had the privilege to choose yourself. She will keep you in line, watch your back and always be there for you. An emotional safety net, she gives you the security to know that you don’t need a lover to be happy.
While we walk a different path in life, we are heading in the same direction and have to clamber over similar obstacles.
I have found my life partner to trudge along with me, but it’s great to know that a few miles ahead my BFF will be waiting for me with a cup of hot cocoa to discuss how the weather was and what the best way might be to climb the mountain that lies ahead. She’s a much needed shelter if there is a storm, but she’s always a patch of sunshine along the trail.
Contact the author here: mick@morningquickie.com
