This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Amna Faheem. Find her on Instagram at @amnaf.aheem. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Since early childhood, friendships have been a pivotal feature of our existence. Playing outside together, sharing our toys and braiding our hair, painting each others’ nails, this found sisterhood was so beautiful to us. Girlfriends laugh with you and hold you when you’re crying. They understand the trials and tribulations of being a women in society. Girlfriends are deeper than just a friend you can grab a coffee with; They are a pillar in the structure of our lives. We can count on one another in a way we cannot others. Appreciation for our shared moments and hardships helps us flourish as people and as members of society. Like vines, we are able to grow together in the most splendid manner.
If we have nothing, we have our friendships.
What is Girlhood?
Girlhood meaning is sharing lipgloss on a night out. Girlhood is switching clothes and helping each other tailor the outfit to look the best it can. Girlhood is listening to your friend talk about the same problem over and over again forever and still offering an ear and support. Girlhood is feeling so safe around someone you can pour your innermost thoughts and emotions out without fear. Girlhood is being there when your friend is vulnerable with you and holding their hands. Girlhood is making friends with the girls in the club bathroom and watching out for them at the bar. It’s consoling and uplifting.
Female friendships are integral to our existence. The concept of sisterhood among our friends has carried on over the years. Women provide a shoulder to lean on in a way that no one else could. Within our shared experiences, there is a deeper understanding of the way our lives proceed that transcends expressed and verbal communication. Girlhood is not just gossiping at a cafe- though that is very entertaining- but holding each other’s hands in the darkest parts of our lives and celebrating in the lightest parts. The meaning of it varies across ages and demographics.
Girlhood is not limited to your childhood and adolescence. Girlhood is being excited to share your newest accomplishments with someone. It’s living many lives and seeing each other grow into new people and out of old habits. We are each others’ loves and friends and companions and therapists and bodyguards and wing women. We help one another overcome taxing parts of our lives, navigating personal problems and assisting with relationship and familial worries. In every part of life, girlhood is there to help you and hold you.
How Girlhood Impacts our Health
Women cannot exist without a close community. More than just the emotional support we receive on a girls’ night, friendships among women provide psychological and physical benefits. Our heart rates decrease alongside our blood pressure, providing longevity in our lives. Our cholesterol is also reduced, and we are happier overall due to the increased release of oxytocin. The more we connect and bond, the less stress we endure.
Such a fact only emphasizes the importance of girlhood. We are not just giggling and embracing; We are, in a sense, saving each other’s lives. We find solace in one another. We crave community and seek out connections. We yearn for relationships. We long to be seen and our experiences acknowledged. In our worst moments, we look for none other than our fellow women. To gain safety, we gravitate to each other. In our struggle to gain confidence, we hold compliments from other women in the highest praise. We value their opinions more because they themselves are the most important. Girlhood meaning is giving out support and affection regardless of whether you know each other or not.
Girlhood is a constant interchange and reciprocity of comfort and strength. In our admiration for each other, we begin to find beauty in the world as a whole. We become independent and gain assurance to step into ourselves.
Girlhood is elegant and graceful. It gives life and births love.
True Love in Girlhood
We often define love and soulmates in a romantic sense. The story is as old as time: you find someone, you connect, you fall in love, and you spend happily ever after together.
But the greatest love story in life is not your romantic significant other. It’s your closest girlfriend. It is such a beautiful thing to find someone you can speak to for hours on end about any given topic and never run out of breath. To start off as children and prosper into adulthood. To see yourself in every stage of life with your girl friends. Playing silly games together. Matching outfits in middle school and talking about boys in high school. You will always find yourself in your girl friends. Girlhood will never leave you but rather build you up. Its love will never abandon you, but be there when you feel you have nothing. Girlhood will mend your heart and empower your soul. We cannot be without girlhood. We have nothing without our sisters.
Love is taught through friendships. It is deeper than romance, but it is all intimacy. Women grow into their best selves in girlhood. We learn what it means to be generous and unselfish. We teach each other how to be loved and love others. We define what beauty is. We create vaults within ourselves to carry the secrets and memories we share and create. We hold the pain and sadness that grow with time as life goes on.
Girlhood is a love story- maybe the love story.
What does girlhood mean to you? Let us know in the comments bellow!
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