10 Ways You Know Your Girlfriends Are Your Family

With her BFFs including the likes of Lorde, Emma Stone, Selena Gomez, and Lena Dunham, it's no wonder Taylor Swift is a champion of strong female friendships. In fact, in a recent interview with TIME, Swift credits her friendships as the secret to her success. She tells TIME:

"I surround myself with smart, beautiful, passionate, driven, ambitious women. Other women who are killing it should motivate you, thrill you, challenge you and inspire you rather than threaten you and make you feel like you're immediately being compared to them."

It's no secret, then, that Swift is one of those special few who treat her friends like family. She's even prone to posting "family portraits" of her friends on Twitter, in addition to images of them doing everyday things like baking or drinking tea. By sharing these simple moments, Swift constantly reminds us that true friendship has nothing to do with glitz and glam and everything to do with the little moments in life — bonding over a meal, a laugh, or a meaningful conversation.

Swift also reminds us that a real, honest friendship involves celebrating each other's accomplishments and helping one another to become the best versions of ourselves. In essence, it involves treating one another with the support and respect of a family member. After all, friends are the family you choose for yourself.

So in the spirit of Taylor and of female friendship, here are 10 ways you know that your girlfriends are your family:

1. They're The First People You Call When You Have News

Or when you need to tell them about a huge sale at H&M.

2. You Can Ask Them To Drop Anything And Come Help You

If your friends see you as a priority, no request is ever a burden. If it's important to you, they'll be by your side in an instant.

3. They've Seen You Cry (Multiple Times)

The moment your friends witness the ugly cry, they've entered into family territory.

4. They're Not Afraid To Make Fun Of You To Your Face

And they're the only ones who are allowed to do it.

5. They'll Defend You To The Death

Like family, your friends are fiercely loyal. They have your back at all times — even when you're wrong.

6. They Know Which Picture of You To Show To People (And They Probably Took It)

Just like my mom knows which photos of me NEVER to send out to my extended family, your friends know which photos you like best. So anytime they need to show you off to a cute guy when you're not around, or help to set you up on a blind date, they know which pic to use.

7. They Never Hesitate To Call You Out

They know when you're being unreasonable, when you're being annoying, and when you just need to flat out get your shit together. More importantly, they're never afraid to say it out loud.

8. They Think You're Amazing, Even When You Mess Up

My favorite quote from the movie Juno is when the dad tells his daughter, "Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with." The same applies for friendship as well.

9. Even When You Fight, You Know Your Friendship Is Never Really At Stake

I'm lucky enough to know that, no matter what my friends and I might do or say, our friendship will never end over a single argument or disagreement.

10. They Know Things About You That Even You Don't

If your friends are truly like family, you'll often find them pointing out things that you never knew about yourself, like that you make a weird face when you disagree with something, or talk like a robot when you're nervous around a hot guy.

But even if one of these categories tends not to apply, the best way to tell if your girlfriends are really your family is to see if you trust them completely — to keep your secrets, to have your back, and to never, ever judge you for being exactly who you are.

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