7 Reasons The Girls from 'Now and Then' Would Make Awesome BFFs
They'll be there for you now...and then!
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 trip to the Gaslight district to spend some time with one of my favorite movie group of best friends from my own childhood: Roberta, Samantha, Chrissy, and Teeny from Now and Then. So why would they be great friends?
They'll help you deal with family drama...
Whether a divorce, absentee parents, or the death of a mother, these girls stand by their own in an incredibly sweet and comforting way when it comes to family drama. Who could forget Teeny naming every single unconventional TV family she could think of to convince Sam that her parents' divorce wasn't all that abnormal?
...And they'll tell you what your parents won't.
When Chrissy's mom refused to give her daughter any explicit or correct information about the birds and the bees, her friends were there to step in (with some good-natured mocking included, of course).
They'll try new things with you.
These girls were down to go on adventures together, including crosstown bike rides, pranking the neighborhood boys, sharing a cigarette with a Vietnam vet, or visiting the town witch to do a tarot reading. If you've got something new to try, count these best friends in.
They work hard together.
Between saving enough money to buy a tree house, painting Roberta's dad's garage, and solving the mystery of Dear Johnny's death, Roberta, Sam, Teeny, and Chrissy aren't afraid of a little hard work. It's basically just another adventure for these gals!
They'll cheer you on...
No one cheered harder for Roberta during that infamous stickball game than her best friends, and same goes for Chrissy when she was giving birth (even as freaked out as Sam was). They may not be actually cheerleaders, but they'll sure act like it when one of them is in need of some encouragement.
...And fight for you.
During said stickball game, Roberta got into a fistfight with a neighborhood punk who insulted her and her dead mother. Once she was pulled off of the guy and about to jump back into the fight, Sam held her back and sprang forward instead. She got knocked around, for sure, but it seemed like it was worth it to defend Roberta's honor.
Most importantly, they'll be there for you...forever.
It's not called Now and Then for nothing, y'all. Thanks to a pact the girls made when they were twelve, they came together years and years later as adults when Chrissy was in need. And they discovered that maybe they were all in need of some good, old fashioned friend time. That's pretty special.
This long weekend, curl up with Now and Then and spend some time with these four besties. You won't regret it!
