Female rivalry has been portrayed too many times on young adult narratives, and it is safe to say that these tensions are so last season. Instead of making fans dispute over being Team Serena or Team Blair, it comes as a breath of fresh air when we witness three women with contrasting personalities join forces and uplift each other. This is the type of team spirit that we get from trio Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens), Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy), and Kat Edison (Aisha Dee) inFreeform’sThe Bold Type. Set in the fast-paced work environment of a fashion magazine called Scarlet (inspired by Cosmopolitan), these best friends navigate relationships, identity, and professional decisions side by side.
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For those who aren’t familiar with the series, here is a brief character guide to the three protagonists. Jane is a writer for Scarlet, who is usually very sensitive and filled with aspirations. She is sometimes afraid to take risks at first, but when encouraged by her friends to take a stance, she fights for what she wants. Kat (the head of social media) on the other hand is very vocal about her beliefs and isn’t afraid to show confidence. However, her strength serves as a kryptonite when she is quick to do things without thinking twice about the consequences that may come from her actions. Sutton (an assistant at Scarlet) is both confident and sensitive. Having grown up with a single mother and without any privileges to catapult her career, she has conquered everything by herself. Her upbringing makes her strong to deal with any hardship, but it also disables her from accepting help from other people. Since all of them have their strengths and weaknesses that bounce off each other, their bond comes in handy to help them grow and become even better versions of themselves.
In all honesty,Sex and the Cityhad to walk so thatThe Bold Typecould run. Instead of meeting for brunch, these women get together in the fashion closet at any time of the day to share what is on their minds. Their tradition is only one of the aspects that make their friendship a standard worth noting. After all, it demonstrates that Jane, Sutton, and Kat value open communication as the only remedy for an internal or external chaos.
In Season 3, Episode 6, we get to see a flashback from the trio when they met for the first time in the fashion closet. Each one is trapped in a professional crossroads and even though they weren’t close at that time, their conversation about taking ownership of their careers is what leads them to create opportunities for themselves to thrive at Scarlet. From then on, we get to see these women go through thick and thin together.
Whether its popping open a champagne bottle to commemorate Jane’s new position as writer for the magazine to helping her go through a medical examination that could change her life forever, these characters teach us that a true bond requires reliability. Healthy friendships aren’t about superficial get encounters for popularity purposes. They are about being dependable both in celebration and hardship.
Now, even though these women are in good terms 90% of the time, they do but heads occasionally. Two moments that stand out are Jane and Kat’s argument over white privilege and Jane and Sutton’s fight over gun possession. In these two instances, their contrasting point-of-view dictates their perspective on these heavily controversial subjects and draws them to an in-depth dialogue. Do they change their minds after things cool off? No. However, at the end of the day they learn to respect each other’s perspectives and put their friendship above personal beliefs.
Jane, Sutton, and Kat live faithfully by the Spice Girls’ lemma: “If you want to be my lover, you got to get with my friends”. When Sutton reveals to the girls about her relationship with Richard (Samuel Page), she even organizes a dinner party for them to get to know him better. Things get out of hand, but Richard is quick to understand that if he is eager to stay with Sutton then he must be “okay” with having her two sidekicks around. Not only that, but all the significant others in the show realize that if one of the three calls for an emergency hang out, they will always put their friends first.
As the title of the show points out, one of the reasons that make the trio’s friendship so powerful to the viewers is their impact on each other’s boldness. If one of them is instantly nervous about approaching Jacqueline (Melora Hardin), Oliver (Stephen Conrad Moore), or another authority about earning more or doing a certain story for the magazine, their friends push them to be confident. This only reiterates the importance of having friends that are selfless and that prioritize each other’s dreams. On many occasions one of them has an opportunity to leave Scarlet and try something else, and despite that meaning that they won’t be in the same work environment, they will still be there for them off-hours.
Overall, what setsThe Bold Typeapart from many toxic female friendships on-screen is the way that the show reinforces the idea that friendship is hard to maintain, but always worthwhile. Challenges may come and go, but healthy relationships are those that withstand the burdens of life and contrasting worldviews. They prioritize the other’s well-being over self in the right amount and serve as a source of inspiration to be brave and conquer any fears. Jane, Sutton, and Kat’s bond teaches viewers that sharing is caring and that it is important to be there for your friend in the highs, lows, and in between. They set an example of female empowerment that isn’t just based on talk, but in actions. As we evaluate our friendships after binging the series, it is necessary to think about what type of friend we are to others and if our friendships mirror a bond that is honest and selfless like theirs.
