Five Articles that Prove Our Theory- Friendship is the New Marriage
Hi, we’re the Rachels (Winter and Steinman) and we met when we were 18 and in college and when degrees, parties, and boys were top of our mind-likely not in that order. We’ve now been friends for over three decades and supported each other through marriage(s), children, careers, and the ups and downs of losing a parent and sending a child off to college, among many others of life’s milestones.
While incredibly lucky to both be in happy marriages, we marvel more and more about how much we need and love our girl/female/women friends and cherish our times together. We have so much fun talking about living together with our group of girlfriends one day, each of us contributing and bringing our strong suits to the table. When we read an article about a group of seven young women girlfriends in China who bought an uninhabitable mansion to fix up and live in during their retirement years, we knew we were not alone. Friendship is the New Marriage was a global phenomenon.
We wrote Stay Golden, Girls- Friendship is the New Marriage because we wanted to celebrate the importance of women’s friendships after seeing so many signs around us showing we were onto something. The number one predictor of day-to-day happiness is the number of positive social interactions we have in our life- and we all know our best friends are the most positive interactions or at least our favorite interactions. In fact, having best friends is a true indicator of how long we’ll live, even more so than spousal and family relationships. We don’t only have to orbit around our romantic and familial relationships. We can and should prioritize friendship.
The word Girl as a mindset meant something to us. Girls who are encouraged at a young age to support one another create a strong and vibrant community. Seeing women take on roles we haven’t seen in the past and killing it, especially with the reinforcement of other women, raises the bar and makes cracks in the glass ceiling. It’s all the sweeter because we do it together and empower one another. As Roxanne Gay says, “Abandon the cultural myth that all female friendships must be b*tchy, toxic, or competitive. This myth is like heels and purses — pretty but designed to SLOW women down.” Our golden mindset is to support every Girl out there because we are stronger together! It’ why partial proceeds of our book goes to Girls Inc.
We love that our friend, Robbie Brenner, the producer of Barbie endorsed our book by saying:
“We are in an exciting time with a real focus on the power of women. Stay Golden, Girls is a gift I want to give every woman I love!”
And what about our hilarious friend, Andrea Savage, actress and creator of the hit TV Show, I’m Sorry and the president in Veep who said:
“Finally a book that will save you a therapy copay! Grab your friend, this book, and a jewel-toned jumpsuit, and get ready to live your best life.”
They see what we’re seeing and they feel what we’re feeling- Friendship is the New Marriage and the path for us Girls to Stay Golden!
Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day. This new favorite tradition is one to get excited about because it’s an inclusive celebration celebrated by everyone, whether married, in a relationship, or single-no monogamy or no sex needed. Galentine’s Day is, of course, like Valentine’s Day but with-out expectation and pressure, a holiday dedicated to celebrating friendship in all its forms. How fun to shower our non-romantic soulmates with love and chocolates, perhaps coffee, tea, Champagne, wine or Aperol Spritzes. Regardless of whether or not we have a significant other and/or a lover, our friends are there for us in ways our partners sometimes cannot be. It’s why TikTok and Instagram loves stories about #besties #bffs and #bestfriends.
If there is one thing we know for sure after meeting women who read our book and share their best friend stories or reading great articles about friendships, it’s our treasured besties that keep inspiring and supporting us to STAY GOLDEN!