Let’s be clear - I’m not hosting a dinner party. I refuse to spend the night faffing over courses when I could be fully engaged in excellent conversation with excellent women, armed with (cheese free) pizza, wine, and a lack of social pressure to wear shoes.
So, here’s the question: Which famous females would you invite to your perfect girls’ night in?
Would you pick someone hilariously unfiltered?
Someone deeply wise and full of life advice?
Someone who makes you feel seen?
Think about it for a second. Picture the scene. Who’s sitting across from you, laughing over a ridiculous story? Who’s the one dropping brilliant one-liners that have everyone crying with laughter? Who’s the woman you just know would end up being your best mate if only you moved in the same circles?
Now, at this point, you might be picturing your ideal guest list.
Maybe it’s women you admire.
Maybe it’s women you’d love to swap stories with.
Maybe it’s just women you know would be an absolute riot over a bottle of Prosecco.
But I’m guessing there’s one thing you didn’t do.
Who Did You Choose—And Why?
Let’s break it down.
I’ll bet you didn’t think:
Who has the best hair?
Who has the most toned abs?
Who is the most 'traditionally attractive' woman I can think of?
You didn’t pick someone because their figure was ‘goals’ or even because they have flawless skin. You picked them because they bring something that resonates with you.
Personality.
Intelligence.
Humour.
Energy.
And when we choose who gets our time, our energy, our space?
That’s what we look for.
So why - why - do we judge ourselves by completely different standards?
Why do we think our worth is in our waistline, or the absence of wrinkles, or whether our hair behaves on any given day?
Be the kind of woman you would invite to a girls’ night in.
The kind who lifts the room.
The kind who brings the energy.
The kind who makes other women feel good for taking that extra slice of pizza.
Much love,
Anna
xx
(ps For me? It’s Sarah Millican, Kathy Burke, and Siobhán McSweeney. Brutally funny. Ridiculously down-to-earth. Absolutely zero chance of diet chat ruining the vibe.
Also, I feel like Siobhán McSweeney would absolutely knock back a glass of wine and tell a stranger in the kebab shop that they need to rethink their life choices, which is exactly the energy I want at my hypothetical gathering.)
I would simply choose my 3 besties – we are all so different & yet our friendship has endured job changes, life changes & all aspects of living that require female support over the years. Each of us bring our own strengths to the friendship, & we can all learn a lot from each other. There is Jacquie (the Mumsie one) – full of family values, solid & steady with no frills, Sara (retired & living her best life) – reminding us all to live life to the full & grasp every opportunity, regardless of age, Holly (on a different planet to everyone else, most of the time) – giving an alternative perspective on life & making us laugh from an alternative perspective, & myself (the Arty one) – hopefully providing inspiration to try new things & be creative with how we view & experience our lives. As a friendship group, I think we’re AWESOME! And I wouldn’t change a thing