Girls Trip and The Beauty of Sisterhood

By Jenise Jackson
Blog Content Contributor

Many of us have that group of friends we know are our BFFs forever. At least, I know I do. My “sisters” and I have been rocking with each other since we were freshman in high school. However, all of our families were affiliated with the military so we have all been separated and living in different parts of the US for the last five years. Managing our friendship through distance has been extremely tough, especially as we have grown into young adults. But this past weekend, I saw the movie Girls Trip and it reminded me the importance of sisterhood and reassured me that true friendship lasts through all hardships.

To give a synopsis without giving too much away, Girls Trip is about four best friends who travel to the annual Essence Fest. While there, they work to rekindle their sisterhood while also reigniting their true selves that drew them all together. One thing I enjoyed about the film is that the characters were realistically portrayed. You could easily relate to the four friends because they felt so authentic. In fact, I compared my three friends and myself to the “Flossy Posse.” What I really loved about the movie is that I watched friends reconnect after drifting apart over the course of five years, the exact length of time that I have been away from my sisters. When your friends live around you, hanging out with them on the regular or catching up is a lot easier. However when you all are apart, life moves by fast and you feel as if you are missing out on everyth

ing in your friend’s lives. Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat updates you more on each other’s greatest moments than you all actually do personally. From experience, I can say that puts a strain on friendships.

I can admit that my friends and I don’t communicate like we should. Of course, all of us are busy living our adult lives but that does not mean we can’t make time for one another. When you develop real and healthy sisterhoods, it is something that should be valued greatly. Not everyone is blessed enough to have such a support system and comfort zone. You have that judgement-free zone where you have the ability to just be yourself around people who genuinely love you. When that starts to slip from your grip, you start to miss the essentiality of true sisterhood. Where are your “counselors?” The people who are supposed to keep you in check? The ones that have helped you make some of life’s most cherished moments? It feels as if a piece of your world is just missing. That is when you know it is time for you and your girls to revitalize your relationship. Maybe it takes a trip or maybe it just means taking the time to truly reach out to one another again.

Girls Trip was more than just entertainment for me, it was a lesson. I haven’t seen my girls face-to-face in two years since our last girls trip to Los Angeles. We were fresh out of high school and still oblivious to what the future had in store for us. We really believed it would be easier for us to keep in touch and make trips to be with each other because we were growing women. But since then, we have realized it is not that simple. We’ve faded but my faith has been restored. Girls Trip was a movie that shined a light on the beauty of female friendship and that is something I can appreciate greatly. It was the sign that I needed to start making the initiative to make sure that my sisters and I stay connected regardless of the circumstances. Seeing sisterly love up close was refreshing and I learned to never give up on your relationships with your girls. When you have a true, loving sisterly bond, It will prove to be priceless in the end.

Featured image by Jenise Jackson.