Shannine O’Neill
If the Barbie movie has taught us anything, female friendships are important. But it’s not always easy to make friends as an adult – so maybe online communities are the answer.
It’s easy enough when you’re in school and surrounded by people your age going through the same thing, but what happens when you have to move for a job? Or when you’ve had to put your career first and don’t have as much time to get together with friends?
Not all hope is lost; in recent years, social media has used its impact to unite women through female-led friendship groups online. These are usually set up independently by women who find it difficult to meet people and make female friendships as adults. Nearly every big city in the United Kingdom now has these female-led friendship groups, and they’re not slowing down soon.
A Real Success Story
“a safe, supportive and welcoming community for women and girls in the UK to come together and make new friends”
One of the first female-led friendship groups I remember hearing about was girlsonthegolpool. This group was set up by three women who wanted to create a running group for beginners in Liverpool in 2023 but quickly flourished into a female-led friendship group that has culminated in over 31K followers on Instagram.
This woman-focused group describes its mission as; “to make the UK a less lonely place for girls. We do this by creating a safe, supportive and welcoming community for women and girls in the UK to come together and make new friends.” Starting as a fitness and running-focused group, it has grown into an incredibly popular female friendship group that offers anything from workshops, wine tasting and painting classes to yoga and pilates.
Their events and meet-ups have been flooded with praise from those who have been able to branch out and meet like-minded women. Some comments include: “Made friends, went for a cute walk after the run, proud of myself again for trying something new” and “Girls, I had the best morning. Thanks so much for starting this up!” Their growth has even found its way to Birmingham in the form of girlsonthegobham.
The Next Generation of Female Friendships
The introduction of these female-led groups on social media offers this generation an incredible opportunity that was not available to our parents. Instead of going to community centres and finding belonging in a church or religious group like many generations before, we can simply go online.
“It’s not easy to put yourself out there”
Whether it’s exercise, makeup workshops or board game nights, these online female-led friendship groups allow you to meet new people who share the same interests. Their online presence also means that you can keep up-to-date with their latest ventures and events, so you are in control of how and when you want to put yourself out there.
Groups on the Rise
As a young woman, especially if you have moved to a different country or city, it’s incredibly difficult to meet new people and even harder to find people you really connect with. It’s not easy to put yourself out there, and even the owners and creators of these groups experience this feeling. Although many of these communities have been successful, it is still challenging to start with.
One that comes to mind is from the city I grew up in, called womenonthego.derry. It’s a recent female-led group that focuses on providing a space for women to walk together and make friends in a smaller city than Liverpool or Birmingham. The owner set up the group after talking with multiple friends who found it difficult to meet new people after finishing University and took inspiration from the incredible success of groups such as girlsonthegolpool.
It’s OK to Feel Lonely
Knowing that the owners of these groups are creating them with the same ideas and feelings in mind as the women wanting to join creates a sense of community rather than just a group. It can be difficult to put yourself out there, but creating these groups provides a safe space for women to create new friendships at an age where it isn’t as easy.
“More women are feeling the same than you’d expect”
It’s easy to feel embarrassed or ashamed about loneliness, especially when you’ve moved somewhere for a job or University. However, more women are feeling the same than you’d expect. The first step to combatting loneliness is putting yourself out there to meet people, and who knows, you might even have fun along the way!
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Featured image courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
