Every woman needs a girl squad like Adele’s
Adele has written a rather touching tribute to the gal pals who helped her get through the sadness and turmoil of her marriage breakdown. And, at the risk of sounding like Sarah Jessica Parker, I think we can all identify the way in which different girlfriends contribute very different, but equally important, qualities to our lives.
Adele, 33, refers to her wise friend, her get-up-and-go friend, her wine-and-a-takeaway-athome friend. I recognised each and every one of them; can it really be that my social circle overlaps with that of the multi-grammy winning singer-songwriter superstar?
I’d say it’s unlikely. More that women are genetically predisposed towards gathering a group of unlike-minded souls
Power posse: Adele has paid tribute to her female friends around us whose soft-skill sets complement one another.
I’ve always been baffled at the my-best-friend-since-primaryschool brigade, partly because I’m jealous of such enduring fidelity, but mostly because I can’t see how one person could meet all my criteria: emotional triage, overpriced wine in car-to-bar heels, a leisurely cup of coffee, crazy weekends away, quiet afternoons at the cinema or just random stupid emojis that confirm someone is thinking of me.
Now at this point the young (or the foolish) will wonder aloud about the state of my relationship and intimate that my husband should really be responsible for providing all of the above. Cue hysterical laughter.
As if. No man could possibly shoulder that burden and still retain a scintilla of respect, much less desire. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes at least three Whatsapp groups to safeguard a marriage, providing a pressure valve, a comfort blanket and a safe space for sounding off at great length.
Then, once you’ve made up with your other half, said friends are honour-bound never to refer to any of the unforgivable flaws or dirt you dished unless you bring it up first.
Men find it utterly bewildering. But that’s why we call it girl code.