Woman expresses importance of female friendships after watching pair of women hanging out in cafe

Most of us have wished for our own "Sex and the City" squad in real-life at least once. A strong group of female friends ready to be "ride-or-die" for each other and with whom one can talk about anything under the stars. Unfortunately, that is mostly not the case for everyone as it is hard to make friends. Even harder is maintaining regular contact with our closest pals as life pulls everyone in different directions. This realization hit 22-year-old New York City-based creator Via Li (@via..li) hard as she burst into tears upon seeing a pair of female friends at a cafe.

In the video, Via Li is visibly emotional after noticing a pair of girls enjoying themselves in each other's company. It was touching for her as she seemed to crave strong female friendships herself. Amid tears, she shares in the clip: "I just got to this cafe and I saw these two girls just sitting next to each other. You know, they had their laptops out and they were just smiling with each other." The comfort the friends had around each other was very appealing to her.

She further made some speculations about the pair by saying, "I just get the feeling they probably live together. I think it's just so great to have this best friend that you can do everything with. They're not here anymore. I think they left. It just seems so happy, you know. And I'm here, literally about to have a mental breakdown."

Via Li admitted that the envy and sadness she felt while watching the friends was something that she did not feel even when she came across a couple. She adds in the video that although the pair of friends may have thought she is weird for reacting the way she did, but she could not help herself.

Via Li is undergoing a phenomenon known as "friendship envy." It happens mainly because of the popularity "girl squads" has garnered in mainstream media and celebrity culture. People regularly witness females supporting each other. In a patriarchal society, women find it progressively challenging to speak out, according to a study by the University of Cambridge. This is because, from a young age, females are conditioned to behave in a particular manner to be considered in a positive light.

Therefore females find more strength in each other's company because there is a genuine understanding of the situation and problems they face on a day to day basis. Hence, the lack of female friendships can leave a void in a woman's life. 

The comment section was understanding of Via Li's situation. @feathersquirrel agreed with the entire issue and commented, "No because same. It’s hard to find someone who matches your energy, humor and morals." @sunshinevalleye gave the TikTok user an offer of friendship and wrote, "You literally seem so likable I want to be your friend." @passmetheolives stated that she knows the feeling very well and shared, "I know exactly how you feel. I crave it so badly and never experienced the full thing."