We all know what bromances are — they seem to make up a good majority of most movies, TV shows, and frat houses. Womances, on the other hand, for as long as they’ve been around, need a little more lovin’.
Who can forget those tender moments between two best girl friends in classics like Thelma and Louise and Fried Green Tomatoes? Moments full of unconditional love, deep, indescribable understanding, and all that hawt anticipation that made you wish they’d just make out already.
No? That last part was just me? Oh, well. I am not ashamed. The heart wants what it wants. Anywho.
Today we commemorate those unforgettable womances with a list, in no particular order, of the ones that still resonate; the ones we love to watch with our besties over glasses of wine and fond memories, the ones that still make us giggle and weep, the ones we use as an excuse to get one-on-one sweetness time with that [potentially straight/hopefully not-completely-straight] lady friend we’ve had our eye on.
Just me again? Oops.
1. Angela and Rayanne — My So-Called Life
Just a few words come to mind when thinking about the pre-Dawson’s Creek Dawson’s Creek: angst; love; and hyperbolic expressions of emotion. But through all the tears and the laughs and the subtle references to Sylvia Plath and Pearl Jam lyrics, two young women found and loved one another; Angela, played by a young Claire Daines, and Rayanne, as played by AJ Langer.
Hey, no one can get through the murky depths of sexual curiosity and the battlefield that is high school (“School’s like a battlefield…for the heart”) alone; and when Rayanne took on the impressionable Angela as a new BFF, everyone knew it was true love.
2. Blue and Magenta — Blue’s Clues
Surprise! Blue was, in fact, a girl.
So first of all, thank you, Nick Jr., for breaking gender stereotypes and letting me know it’s okay to be into blue stuff. Secondly, when I first mentioned this pairing to the ladies at Comediva, the response was, “Wait, were you that little when the show came out?” My answer was, “No,” which I think makes this show timeless. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
This is a stretch, you say, but my only response is, “Eff you, this was my childhood.” Plus, the excitement Blue and viewers felt with each of Magenta’s visits was sweet — Blue even wrote a song for the girl! Together, the two had fun and put up with Steve’s inability to pick up on obvious clues; which is something for which Blue needed as much support as she could get.
3. Cher, Dionne, and Tai — Clueless
Ah, yes, a classic; the teen movie we still quote and turn to when in need of a sassy comeback or vernacular that brings us back to our younger years. Nobody understood Cher’s love of fashion and, well, love, quite like Dionne and Tai did. Through romances gone amiss, rocky, life-altering, near friendship-ending events, and a quest to bring two lonely teachers together, the shopaholics relied on each other to bring on the funnies, as well as important life lessons.
4. Buffy and Willow — Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Nothing says chemistry like a BAMF demon/vampire slayer and a goofy (and lesbian!) witch. When the going got rough, these two kicked ass — oh, and comforted each other in times of need.
Yes, apart from being christened ridiculous names, these two shared a deep connection and perfectly complemented each other; where Willow needed to learn to trust herself and bring out her inner power and Buffy needed a reassuring, softer shoulder.
5. Xena and Gabrielle — Xena: Warrior Princess
Granted, this one’s a bit confusing, as the actual lesbian undertones really take this womance to the extreme. I mean, come on, was it really just a friendship? Pshhhht. These ladies had the hots for one another, and who can blame them?
They were in the trenches together; beating the bad guys and doing it in highly restrictive boob armor (lady-specific hardships no one else could relate to).
6. Thelma and Louise — Thelma & Louise
A little darker, this one, in the grand scheme of things; but the bottom line is, they had each other’s back. They stuck together through thick and thin; a rapist; a thief; Thelma’s persistent naiveté; and a cliff. Women on the run from assault, cops, and, above all, sexism. So not only were they each other’s heroines; they were also ours.
Plus, that kiss just before the jump cemented their womance in fact.
7. Mae and Doris — A League of Their Own
Ah, sass: the ultimate bonding mechanism for badass women (all women, really) the world over. Like kindergarteners in a playground, they constantly shoved each other in the sand in order to say, “I love you.” And their seemingly opposite personalities — a sex-driven hottie and a [mildly frightening] butch lady — just couldn’t compare to the power of their shared love of snark.
—
So go forth, readers, and revisit these old classics and reconnect with your own womances! Because womances never die.
What’s your fave womance? Let us know in the comments below!
