Jean in Newcastle Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Bromance? I'm watching The Voice and they keep talking about the bromance between Adam and Blake. But women have friendships like that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I think there is an implication that normal male friendships are not like that, but female friendships mostly are? Not saying it is accurate, but I think that is what is implied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I agree with MM. But, the closest things I can co me up with are bosom buddies, kindred spirits, soul sisters... although none of them are really a match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Follow up question. Blake and Adam kiss on the cheek and say "I love you". I know they are hamming it up for the camera but do you have friends who kiss you or tell you that they love you? I do but then I've had people I've just met kiss me. But my really close girl friends - kindred spirits - do - not all the time but every now and then. (I get the impression from some posts on this board that some people would be really really freaked out by that. . . ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 the word 'bromance' was created to approximate a description of a deep friendship between men that approximates the more culturally acceptable deep friendship between women. So, your question is backwards, in a way. There is a cultural norm when discussing women having a deep and loving non-sexual relationship. We call it 'best friends' or 'lifelong friends' or 'sister friends' etc. There hasn't been a word to describe the same thing between men, even though we know men are just as capable of having the same feelings for their dearest male friends. Only recently has it been even a tad socially acceptable to portray such 'face to face' relationships between men (instead of 'side by side'. ) To defuse the situation, and make it easier to talk about, a silly word had to be created. That helps give everyone some distance and might keep some from falling into a homosexual panic about the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I would say a female version would be bff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tita Gidge Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 In slang terms, I've heard it referred to as a ho'mance. Lovely, no? In terms of grown women with true friendships, I'm guessing BFF or soul sisters. Most of my closest friends are related to me, and we're a physically demonstrative family :) Those friends who aren't related to me come from the same culture, so they're also physically demonstrative LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 It has been quite common for a long time for women to call their close platonic friends "girlfriends". Men have generally never used boyfriend unless it was a same sex romantic relationship. Bromance seems to be being used in a way to approximate what people assume from girlfriend relationships among women without pinging homophobia or gay stereotypes Though there are still people who assume that any close male/male friendship must have "undertones". It seems to be a joke way of saying "they're/we're NOT gay but we have a deeper connection than just any two dudes". Which raises a whole pot of negative stereotypes and expectations of men that make me sad for my husband and sons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I call my friends my girlfriends and my kids think it's hilarious. If I say it in front of their friends, they'll say something like, "that's just what she calls her friends." It seems so normal to me to call girl friends, girlfriends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 I call my friends my girlfriends and my kids think it's hilarious. If I say it in front of their friends, they'll say something like, "that's just what she calls her friends." It seems so normal to me to call girl friends, girlfriends. I have "dates" with my girlfriends. Basically they are playdates but just called dates. Dd thinks this is hilarious. I just roll my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbeym Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I call my BFFs my 'heart sisters' because that's exactly what they are - sisters of my heart. I wouldn't kiss them on the cheek b/c I just don't do that, but we do say 'I love you' at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I've heard the term "girl-crush" used for the female equivalent of bromance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I have always liked the phrase from the Avonlea books "of the race that knows Jacob." That was her way of describing a soulmate of either sex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 In slang terms, I've heard it referred to as a ho'mance. Lovely, no? In terms of grown women with true friendships, I'm guessing BFF or soul sisters. Most of my closest friends are related to me, and we're a physically demonstrative family :) Those friends who aren't related to me come from the same culture, so they're also physically demonstrative LOL. Tita, I come from being raised in a culture that doesn't seem demonstrative on the surface but really is - esp. between women friends. When I first came to the US, my best friend who grew up with me overseas, had to remind me that it would be misconstrued if we held hands while walking down the street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Tita, I come from being raised in a culture that doesn't seem demonstrative on the surface but really is - esp. between women friends. When I first came to the US, my best friend who grew up with me overseas, had to remind me that it would be misconstrued if we held hands while walking down the street. I was in an Eastern European country and thought, there seem to be a lot of women with girlfriends here. Then, I realized that the women just held hands in that country if they were friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in SC Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 My very best friend lives over 600 miles away now. Since I'm an only, she's the sister I never had, and she considers me to be closer to her than her own sister. We refer to each other as 'girlfriend.' For the longest time, her co-workers thought she had a literal girlfriend in addition to her husband, so I guess many aren't used to the term applied to friendship? We really didn't care either way. We're the kind of friends where if one of us called the other and said 'X happened, and i cant handle it, and i need you here yesterday,' the other would find a way to get there. No matter what. We'll kiss on the cheek and say 'I love you.' I do that with everyone I love, because, not to be morbid, but you never know if you'll see someone again, so I always want the last words I say to be that I love that person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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