Name Ideas: - Girls’ Girls: The idea of women supporting other women, being a ‘girls girl’. - Girls Girls Girls: Well known and much used phrase, used in song titles and in classic neon signs for strip shows/sex work. Reclaim of power over the phrase. - Girl Code: The idea of a ‘girl code’ suggests interactions between women.

- Mums My mums kiss on my lips and then forehead whenever I leave the house

According to study (https://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/study-finds-motherdaughter-bond-is-stronger-than-any-other/news-story/e645a8460f6e0f741af56c2fa4e11df0) mother-daughter relationships are the strongest relationships of them all.

The study found that mothers and daughters have very similar anatomy when it comes to the part of the brain that regulates emotions. Which is why we clash with our mothers, but also why they are our greatest comforts well into adulthood.

Illustrations:

- Grandmother - Mother - Me  - Girls laying together - Girl Pictures: Justine Kurland

2. 7 Female Archetypes

Introduces illustrated ‘characters’ and also encourages individuality and the diversity of female relationships. The reader will most probably be able to recognise each of these archetypes and apply them to a friend or someone they know, making it more personal in their head. By using ‘characters’ in the book I will be able to illustrate more realistic scenarios and more intimate interactions, and also connects the reader with the girls in the book.

3. Explaining the Feminine Interactions

- The Meadow Theory:

Our female ancestors were sent out to forage berries and look for food. They would remember where the food was, where the animals were, and any other information that was relevant to their safety and survival. This can be seen today when women take note of events that have happened around them so that they can later share this information with their friends.

Example: Morning debriefs after a night out in bed and ‘gossip’.

- Going to the bathroom together

Women are innately conditioned to seek others as a form of protection, and even today we are subconsciously very aware of our vulnerability. So this is less of a social interaction, and more of a supportive one. However it’s super fun to 

- squeeze into cubicles together - hold the door with the broken lock - just have a break from the noise

- Can You Check Me?

A term that will be familiar to all people who have periods, but asking each other to check your trousers to make sure you have not bled through them.

- Illustration of two girls constantly checking in funny positions. Double Page.

- Asking Strangers for Sanitary Products

ActionAid poll results showed 100% of women would help another in a period emergency (195 respondents). Respondents said:

‘It is important we support each other in this way’ ‘If I had the means to save someone else from that kind of stress, I see no reason why I wouldn't do so’ ‘I would absolutely give a tampon/pad to anyone who needed one. I am sure all my friends would too.’ ‘Solidarity with no strings attached’

I took a time-lapse video of my best friend and I while we sat in her bedroom at home. The intention was to show a personal example of my interactions with the other women around me, and how intimate and comfortable these friendships can be. I want to use these screenshots as realistic references for illustrations, but I also very much like the video itself. I did not plan for it to get as dark as it did towards the end, but like the way that it looked in the time-lapse.

I took screenshots of my favourite stills:

I like this symmetry in this screenshot, and the way that although we are sat apart our knees are touching.

Lots of subtle bits of pink on each screen.

From this angle we appear to be touching again, with Coralie’s arm and my elbow. We are also laying with our heads very close together while we speak.

Another of us just laying together, heads close together and my knees are touching her arm.

I like the way our legs are at the same level across this screenshot, and we look like we're in a ‘box’ with the way we are angled.

Knees touching from this angle.

I found some old photos of me and the women in my life, and chose a few in which we are physically connected.

A sketch I did of some old photos I found of my mum and I. I used to kiss my mum with an open mouth as a baby, which she has always told me was one of her favourite things I did as a child. I have always been very close with my mother, and we have been through some very tough things together. My mum was 19 when I was born, so at this point in my life I can really relate to where she was in her life when I was little.

Abi and I have grown up together, so I decided to quickly draw out some pictures of us I could find. There is a photo of us sat in a pushchair together when we were toddlers, another of us (bottom) at 16, and (far right) at 21. 

I have box of printed photographs, lots of which are of me and my female friends. I went through this box and found photos in which my friends and I are touching (hugging, holding hands, kissing, etc.) and laid them all out as reference images and to display how physically intimate platonic relationships between women can be.

Abi and I accidentally started a ‘tradition’ selfie that we try and recreate every couple of years. These are very special to the both of us as we have grown up together, and it’s a really fun way for us to watch how we both change together over the years.

These are old photos of Abi and I as babies.

Here are some photos of my friends and I between 2010-2020. In the top row there are photos of Abi, Megan and I at 13, and then a photo of us together at Megan’s 21st Birthday Party.

Images: The Angel, The Classroom, The School, and The Coffee Shop. 

The Angel, The Classroom:

I wanted to illustrate the places in which I met my friends, as I find that I have met them all at very different points in my life. I also think that the pub I lived in as a child is stunning and it holds a lot of personal meaning. It is also where I met my first friend, and lived in a household full of women. I also included a primary school classroom, where I formed another strong bond with my childhood best friend.

Forming friendships is a developmental goal for children 7 and under, and can help improve their social, cognitive, emotional, and communicative skills.

It can expose them to and teach them:

Sensitivity

Conversational skills

Age-appropriate behaviours

‘Child psychologists find early childhood friendships contribute to children’s quality of life and ability to adjust to changes within their environments as well.’

‘Friends’ made during infancy (between 1-3) are considered to be more like playmates. Children of this age usually play amongst one another, not with one another. They may be happy and comfortable in the presence of other children, but do not form ‘friendships’ until they reach the age of 4-5. 

Children of this age usually have a ‘best friend’, and do not tend to form proper friendship circles. This could be due to the fact that it is too overwhelming for children to handle multiple relationships with other children, as they are still in the early stages of learning how to communicate and socialise on their own. If these friendships stand the test of time, your bond may be built around the reminiscent nature of the relationship. You may look back on your friendship with your oldest friends and associate them with happy childhood memories, which can also make these connections very comforting. They have also been present for the important events throughout your life early, so have a special understanding of your past and your personality.

The School, The Coffee Shop:

I met my two closest friends when I was a teenager, and these relationships are the most comforting in my personal life. The bond is built less on familiarity and history, but more on similar interests and similar experiences. This means that there is more empathy, where you may only find yourself sympathising with older friends whose lives may now be completely different to your own.

I experimented with illustrating type, which I planned to use in my book but decided did not fit in the end. The phrases that I used inspired the name of my project, as they are different examples of things we have done ‘together’. 

The two finished tests read ‘we were girls together’ and ‘we grew up together’, which were supposed to apply to my first friend and my childhood best friend. 

I tried to show childishness by using a crayon texture and sprawling words across the page, and added a sun in the top corner as that is something a lot of people associate with being young. This was meant to be symbolic of my 1-3 year old self, but I think it might have made more sense for it to be used to depict more of a school age.

The second drawing was meant to come out looking like fridge magnets, something I remember very specifically from being young and also from my friends house. When we were in primary school we would sit in front of her fridge and practise spelling together. I think it came out really well, but felt quite irrelevant and the choice to use fridge magnets seemed too personal, did not suggest anything about friendship or femininity, and just didn't make a lot of sense.