6 Reasons the Gals from 'The DUFF' Would Make Great BFFs
You want these DUFFs to be your BFFs.
To try and deny or ignore the colossal effect pop culture has on us would be futile and silly. Pop culture: It's fun! We love it! And it's actually pretty important, too. Representation of yourself, your friends, your family — or people like you/them — is something you want to see in the books, movies, television shows, music, etc. that are supposed to reflect what our society looks like. Art imitates life, life imitates art, and so on. It's an imperfect system, to be sure, one that's constantly evolving and improving (we hope), and it's so important to be vocal when you consume a slice of pop culture that you like (and equally as important to highlight the rotten pieces of the pop culture pie, some of which you're sure to come across).
Something that I'm constantly looking for in my pop culture pie is a filling that includes a hefty helping/representation of female friendship (this pie metaphor is really losing ground, so I'm going to drop it now, mmmkay?). I love my lady friends — they help inform who I am, and so I like to see strong groups or pairs of female friends on TV, in movies, and in books. They can serve as role models, counteract the Hollywood myth that romance = everything, and also help reflect reality. So, in a new feature for Livingly, I'm highlighting a girl gang from pop culture that I'd definitely want to hang with, and what makes them so great. The spotlight will be on a different group/pair each time, so make sure to check back! This week, I'm taking a look at the 2015 hit The DUFF and the three besties at the center of the movie — Jess, Casey, Bianca (the DUFF* herself).
They can hack, sew, and curate a sweet horror movie marathon for you
Casey is a super hacker, Jess is an amateur fashion designer, and Bianca is obsessed with old school horror movies. How much more fun could they be? With friends with handy skills and awesome interests like these, you don't need...anything else.
They genuinely don't give a shi*t about labels
Okay, so Bianca had a mid-life (mid-high school?) meltdown when she found out she was the DUFF of her friend group, but she got over it and came out stronger for it. And Jess and Casey didn't even know what a DUFF was before Bianca freaked out about it. In general, these girls don't care at all about the typical high school labels, and that makes them pretty healthy company to keep.
They'll stand up to mean girls with you
When mean girl Madison tried to get away with inviting just Jess and Casey to her blowout Wednesday night party, Bianca's BFFs weren't about to let her. Casey ripped her invite in half to share it with Bianca, like the badass mofo she is. These girls have got each other's backs, for sure.
They'll make you laugh, dance, and in general just have a good time
Best friends should make you push yourself but you should also be able to chill out and just have a great time together. Casey and Jess are all about prodding Bianca to be more social, etc., and though she may not be a dance machine, the three of them have a good time together, always.
They'll come back to you after a huge fight, strong as ever
For the duration of The DUFF, Bianca, Casey, and Jess aren't on speaking terms. Which sucks! But it allows for a hell of a reunion tour toward the end of the movie, in which the three best friends apologize, hug, and generally just return to their best friendship stronger than ever.
They won't mind when you ditch them to make out with your hottie next door in the computer lab
When Bianca runs off at the Homecoming dance to make out with a certain someone in the computer lab, Casey and Jess — who spent all day helping Bianca get out of her funk and into her brand new plaid dress — aren't bothered in the least. Because hey, part of being a BFF is being happy for your gal pal when she gets some.
Three cheers for Kody Keplinger for writing The DUFF and three cheers for the team that turned it into the movie that graced theaters everywhere in 2015 and gave us another shining example of lady friendship. And three cheers for DUFFs everywhere!
*The Designated Ugly Fat Friend (but don't worry, SPOILER ALERT, the whole message of the movie — and the novel the movie adapted — is that we're all DUFFs and labels don't matter.
