Girls are born in competition. The rest of their lives are an attempt to unlearn this instinct.
In celebration of Women’s Month, 35 Young STAR readers pen love letters to the women in their lives who have molded them for the better; who have made their lives not necessarily easier, but more magical. The women who not only helped them unlearn this competitive instinct, but obliterated it completely.
Jessa Marie, 22, Cebu
This is me and my best friends of 15 years. These friendships are literally the pillars of my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the women in my life.
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Zarah Majam, 29, Makati
Maybe girlhood is holding hands and touching your best friend's wedding dress after her wedding and saying, "I love you" 200 times before saying goodbye. Adult friendships are hard and growing up is hard, so having a group of girls I can turn to in all seasons of my life has made me appreciate the beauty of female friendships. Life comes at us quickly so every moment we spend together, just us girls, I hold so close to me. My beautiful, beautiful girls, I love you all.
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Charisse Gonzalo, 18, Rizal
This was our last hangout as a complete group before we went our separate ways in college. My friendships with my girls made up half of my teenage years and it was magical. We chose to love each other. We saw the different and ever-growing versions of ourselves, not as daughters, sisters, or cousins, but as our own unique identities that no one else could recognize.
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Joy Villamora, 21, Bulacan
Female friendships are magical in that they create a rare space where you can be both fierce and tender. The magic lies in the way women empower each other to face the world while offering the gentleness needed to heal from it. It's like together, we are strong, invincible. But towards each other, we are soft and vulnerable, and we allow each other to feel seen.
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Cyrene Mundo, 25, Subic
Genuine female friendship is one of the most beautiful things that you could experience in life. I've been blessed to have met and befriended so many strong, kind, and passionate women throughout the years who have inspired me to live and love life. I think I'm very lucky to be going through life with such a supportive and uplifting community of women who have pushed me to become a better version of myself — not because of competition or jealousy, but because of how they've touched and impacted my life in a positive way. Growing up with them has truly been a highlight of my life.
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Marielle Filoteo, 25, Quezon City
I grew up in co-ed schools and fell into a lot of the “one of the boys” rhetoric. So finding the female friendships I have now has truly changed me. I know the hard times don’t matter so much because I’ll see them next weekend to gush about fictional characters from a show we’re all hyperfixating on. Instead of them feeling like an “add-on” to my life or something I can benefit from, my female friendships feel like we’re going through life together, figuring things out together.
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Jazmin De Jesus, 16, Bulacan
This photo is a constant reminder that life is worth living. I just love my friends so much and I’m lucky enough that I have them and can take cutesy little pictures with them.
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Jessie Ann Deocampo, 19, Iloilo
We cherish our bond not for the same of friendship, but for the profound journey it represents: the shared experience of growing from girls to women, together. The magic of female friendships lies in the comfort of shared vulnerabilities, the joy of celebrating triumphs together, and the strength found in mutual understanding and empathy.
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Andrea Sabater, 18, Cavite
These photos were captured during my 18th birthday (last year), which made our little teacup party dream possible. (Female friendships are magical because of) rare beautiful connections!
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Chloe Mutia, 25, Cavite
These photos capture the genuine happiness I feel with my girls. It also represents my gratitude for being a part of their beautiful lives. It shows that even the simplest moments that I have with them will always be cherished and unforgettable. (The magic of female friendships is) when you instantly connect and create a bond even in the shortest time, like something just clicks when you meet her. It eventually creates a relationship where you know what she needs even when she doesn’t know it yet. It is also when you are thinking so alike that you can communicate and feel each other's emotions with just one look.
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Anne Bobis, 18, Manila
This was taken during our retreat in Caleruega this year! A brief story of how we met: we both volunteered for a freshmen welcome walk class project and instantly clicked that I didn’t even mind that I was two years older. We have been inseparable ever since. She is my rock and I am a shoulder for her to rest on. I’m so happy that my first friend in UST who came by chance became a best friend by choice.
I’d like to believe that the woman I am right now is a result of all the female friendships that have molded me. May it be my hometown friends that I always run back to, or the girls who made me realize that home can still exist in the city, female friendships have allowed me to find the beauty in all of my experiences, and it has helped me grow into the woman I am today.
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Nicole Bautista, 18, Cavite
Living in the same small municipality in Cavite, I grew up being introverted and I did not have a ton of friends. That’s why moving to Manila (alone) was a big step for me. These three girls were the first people who welcomed me with warmth and are the same reason why Manila is my second home until now. From chanting "Go USTe" to taking our graduation pictures together, I saw them get out of their shell, cry about boys, sleep with no make-up on, and laugh non-stop while we studied for midterms. My girls are my home, and wherever the road takes us I know I will come back to them.
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Belle Radam, 25, Mandaluyong
Most of our pictures show how we take life not too seriously. We would cry as we talked about our struggles then a minute later we’d be laughing about something else. (Female friendships are magical because of) Getting to see our different versions throughout the years and honored to be part of each other’s growth.
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Meingel Damayon, 21, Rizal
This photo captures our tenth friendship anniversary, a moment from last year's annual vacation. From childhood to adulthood, we've shared countless memories and supported each other through thick and thin. These are the girls who've seen me at my best and my worst, always offering unwavering support and acceptance. Their friendship has taught me the true meaning of love and loyalty. It's a bond I cherish deeply.
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Francesca Floresca, 24, Bulacan
We were enjoying the broken swing and then walked after to see my childhood home which looked nothing like it was before.
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Ashley Cortez, 24, Laguna
Every time I look at this photo, I’m reminded of how grateful I am to have met such wonderful women like them in my life. As an only child, I really feel like I belong and as if I have the Ate I never had. From budol finds to sharing makeup and even clothes, that’s how we express our love for each other. I know I will always feel safe when I’m around them.
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Ashley Vivero, 16, Abu Dhabi
I can't stress enough how important female friendships are. Friends do save you, over and over again. I love my friends and I'd be nothing without them. I must've done something right to have such amazing people be a part of my life. I'm so glad we were girls together.
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Audrey Pike, 22, Manila
From my own experience, some of my friends tend to hang out with their significant others more often than with us, making them feel distant. But when they get their hearts broken, they always end up running back to us. I never take offense to this because when you truly know someone, you understand their capacity to love. They love in their own way, and there is no wrong way to express love but sometimes, there are wrong people to whom you give your love.
This is where the magic of female friendship comes in. Love is always reciprocated, and we have this unspoken rule of patching each other back to our magical selves. Genuine female friendships don’t blame you for your wrong decisions or misjudgments, instead, they take full responsibility for showing you the love you deserve.
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Renea Valdez, 19, Parañaque
In this photo, we were surrounding the girl in black because she asked us to take a picture of her. We were giving her feedback, helping her achieve better results in her photos.
Female friendship is magical because of the unspoken understanding between each other. It's the unspoken bond shown in simple gestures, like fixing each other's hair. These gestures make mundane days special, or a special day even more special.
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Makasha Madamba, 20, Isabela
The first photo was taken in junior high school. It was me, Liah, Nini, and Lyn. It was after lunch, were in our usual spot, being girls together. The second photo was taken recently, still in Isabela. Still the same girls, just older and wiser. We still love being girls together.
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Daniela Kuizon, 20, Davao
This was taken last August 28, 2024, when I took a brief trip to Manila (I'm from Davao) to finally meet the online film mutuals I've had since 2020. Female friendships are magical to me because of how they manage to defy time and distance! Like when I finally met Gie, Elly, and Fame in Manila for the first time after almost five years of being online friends, it hit me: TOTOO PALA SILANG TAO!!!
It's how you can build a bond through years of virtual conversations, sharing pieces of yourselves through screens, and still feel as deeply connected as if you'd grown up on the same street. That’s the magic: realizing these women have been real all along, and no matter the distance, you’re each other’s home.
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Gaia Bernabe-Belvis, 23, Berlin
I met Pauline and Annie for the first time when I took these photos. They have been friends for quite a long time now and Annie was there as an emotional support while I took portraits of Pauline for my ongoing series. I felt that I needed to capture the moment because it's been a while since I've seen a genuine friendship while being in a foreign, big city. After that day, they've been good friends of mine too.
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Lorraine Valencia, 18, Quezon City
My teenage female friendships began in my hometown. After school, we sometimes commute to our town's Capitol, near the sea, to take a breather even if it meant we'd go home late and meet our mothers' scolding. In our bags, there was the heirloom pain of being a daughter and being a girl, the worry of passing a quiz, and the dream to become bigger than what our birthplaces allow us to be. All that weight, however, is lifted off when we're all together, and no place matters except wherever we are. The sea knows how much we want to brave the polluted Manila streets, but even without becoming more, I knew that in my hometown we already had it all.
Female friendships are magical not so much because everything about them is magical, but because of how raw they are; how they foremost make you realize that being a woman is a shared experience. We dream different dreams and hope for the best for each other, and we sit in the kind of silence that knows and understands where all the rage and hopes are coming from. And because of them, I learned how to love better. How to wait for someone when they tie their shoe or always be on their left side while on a sidewalk. How to cherish and to remember, and how to be better, for and with them. On the bus, we shared music that understood us. We shared secrets that only we could understand. Knowing we came out of it all alive, and together — that's what makes it magical.
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Rhizza Comandante, 25, Taguig
This was during our Bohol trip. I’ve been best friends with these two beautiful souls since 2015. It was memorable because it was our first trip out of town since graduating from college.
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Bea Tronco, 25, Manila
Girls' trip to Siquijor. Our first post-graduation and post-pandemic getaway from the city.
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Shaina Espiritu, 19, Bulacan
This photo was taken at a cup sleeve event for a K-pop idol. We were just being fangirls together while decorating our top loaders. I’m so glad I get to share this interest and gain female friends who also go beyond K-pop. Female friendships are magical because we may not be bound by blood but I feel they’re my sisters! It is irreplaceable and no other entity can fill the gap that female friendships occupy in someone’s life.
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Julia Panizal, 21, Iloilo
From high school lunch dates to college mall runs, our friendship has grown with us. These girls have seen me through awkward phases, all-nighters, and spontaneous adventures, always with laughter and love. No matter how much life changes around us, they’ll always be my safe space. With them, life feels lighter and love feels louder.
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Faith Soriano, 23, Mandaluyong
My girls would travel all the way from Rizal just to stay the night and hang out the next morning. One of our love languages is getting ready together and hyping each other up. In this photo, we were doing exactly that. Nothing heals a woman's soul more than genuine female friendships. It's a love that asks for nothing in return, yet gives everything—acceptance, understanding, and the unwavering belief in our worth.
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Sydney Cañamo, 24, Marikina
This photo was taken during a research conference trip-turned-girls' trip in Puerto Princesa, Palawan! I brought two of my high school besties with me and my other bestie from college. The four of us spent days together in our villa, cooking, swimming, going to the market together, and having lots of heart-to-heart talks!
Female friendships are magical because there's a sense of solidarity and comfort in knowing you're in a safe space that allows you to be your most vulnerable and authentic self. Regardless of how much time you've known the other girls, genuine female friendships uplift you and make you feel seen and loved.
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Cherry Bacalso, 25, Cebu
This was our Christmas party for 2024. Everything was planned out and everyone showed up: five young adults back to their usual shenanigans. We were not our professions that night; we were simply our silly selves!
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Dani Hermina, 26, Quezon City
When I was a kid, I used to subscribe to the idea that female friendships meant nothing but drama. I used to be 'one of the boys' (I know that sounds so cringe) but then I grew up and realized that my relationships with my girl friends are things that I can't live without.
I think what makes them magical is the fact that women themselves are magic. It is the softness that we try to sprinkle into everything in our lives and the way that we resonate with each other at a level that we just cannot do with our male friends because they do not have the shared experiences that we do.
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Jewyz Ann Bunyi, 22, Muntinlupa City
My friends and I went to a limited-time screening of Wong Kar-Wai movies last year. We watched In the Mood for Love on a weekday — we were swamped with articles to write, but that didn’t stop us from seeing our friend’s favorite movie.
Female friendships embody the phrase, “to be loved is to be known.” It feels intimate when a friend knows the kind of clothes I wear, my favorite ice cream flavor, or even curating songs and films they think I would like. I find comfort in all of my female friends and it’s nice to know how they’ve seen different versions of me. I have friends from my elementary, high school, and college years, who all saw my growth and insecurities.
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Tristine Te, 20, Manila
It was my 20th birthday party, and I wanted to take the perfect photo. All the girls were instructing me what to do and took their phone flashlights out to provide lighting. We were out there for over an hour, but it was fun and I did end up getting the perfect photo.
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Ennuh Tiu, 36, Manila
(What makes female friendships magical is) a shared understanding of things.
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Danielle Mabazza, 22, Rizal
Came into college just wanting a few friends… now we’re leaving with a sisterhood that's been through it all. This picture was taken after our graduation last March 8. We wanted something to commemorate our journey and just everything in between. College was truly exhausting, but if there’s one thing we’re taking with us, it’s this kind of love!