We all remember having that one Best Friend Forever (BFF) when growing up in the ’90s—someone we’d have late-night phone calls with, gossip about how strict our parents were, and even coordinate outfits together. When comparing best friends in the ’90s to today, a lot has changed, but some fundamentals stay the same: we still spend late nights on the phone with our BFFs and gossip with them. We also coordinate outfits but pretend it was a total accident. Honestly, things aren’t that different; we’re just older and drink more wine.
Best friends are like the siblings we either never had or didn’t get along with. While siblings might have stolen our favorite toys and run around outside with our training bra on their head (true story for some), our best friends were the ones we made prank calls with and cried on their shoulder when we saw our crush holding hands with someone else on the playground. We wouldn’t be who we are today without our best friends, both back in the ’90s and now, even if things have changed a bit.
1. The Fights We Get Into
In the ’90s: Your BFF totally promised to take care of your digital pet while you were on vacation, and then she let it die. You couldn’t look at her the same way afterward.
Today: Adults don’t really fight anymore. Instead, we leave passive-aggressive comments on Facebook and purposely don’t like each other’s Instagram posts.
2. How We Make Up Afterward
In the ’90s: This was the pre-smartphone era, so getting through a fight with your BFF often involved passing a note in class, filled with frown faces, dotting the i’s with hearts so she knew how sad you were without her, and ending it with “LYLAS” — “love you like a sis,” for those who forgot.