My Fave Female Friendships to Celebrate on Galentine’s Day

Annabelle Shoel
Aug 8, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Nov 3, 2021

It’s Galentine’s Day! ‘What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year.’

Invented by our favourite fictional feminist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Galentine’s Day is all about ‘ladies celebrating ladies’, so we want to make sure we give a special shoutout to the women who showed us that sometimes the best love stories are friendships.

Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins

Parks and Recreation (2009 – 2015)

If you look up ‘friendship goals’ in the dictionary, there’s a picture of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones). One of the most wholesome friendships on television, the love between these two women is nothing less than aspirational.

The true ride or die duo, there is no shortage of sisterhood between these two characters.

Between the drunken fights and hungover apologies, these besties support one another no matter what. Oh, and if your friends aren’t calling you ‘a poetic noble land-mermaid’ or ‘a beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful muskox’, it sounds like you need to find the Leslie to your Ann.

Cher Horowitz and Dionne Davenport

Clueless (1995)

One of the most recognisable duos comes from the ‘90s cult classic Clueless in the fashion-forward friendship of Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne Davenport (Stacey Dash).

From their matching outfits and famous namesakes to their love matchmaking, these besties are the dream. As Cher says, ‘she’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have people be jealous of us’ — it’s no surprise then that this popular pair have established themselves as the quintessential BFFs. Simply iconic.

Elle Woods and Paulette Bonafonté

Legally Blonde (2001)

In need of a manicure and confidante, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) finds herself in the salon with nail tech Paulette Bonafonté (Jennifer Coolidge). The two share their emotional struggles and trash talk men, becoming good friends along the way.

Paulette greatly lacks self-esteem, and Elle’s friendship allows her to grow as a person and realise what an incredible woman she is. Elle teaches Paulette the now-renowned ‘bend and snap’ in order to win over the hunky UPS guy, as well as using her law school knowledge to help Paulette face off with her sleazy ex and get her dog back: ‘I’m taking the dog… DUMBASS!’

Eleanor Shellstrop and Tahani Al-Jamil

The Good Place (2016 – 2020)

Making the progression from frenemies to close friends, the relationship between Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and Tahani (Jameela Jamil) presents two polar opposites finding their common ground and a beautiful friendship within that.

As both characters grow as people, they grow stronger as friends, as put simply by Tahani: ‘Whatever progress I have made, it’s because you and I have become mates.’

Plus, Eleanor’s crush on Tahani is pretty strong too. In one reboot in the show Tahani was Eleanor’s soulmate, so whether you ship these two romantically or platonically, it’s clear that their relationship is truly something special.

Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington

Bridgerton (2020 – Present)

In a world filled with romance and a focus on marriage, the friendship between Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) provides a sense of youthful innocence and the simple joy between friends. Both appear to feel out of place in their own individual way and come together to bond over this shared feeling.

Their relationship presents the struggle of coming of age and defining oneself without being tied to the hip of your best friend, and even though these pair argue, they’re ultimately there for each other when it really matters.

This article was originally written for and published by cool.girl magazine.