I shove my face into the mirror to make sure my waterline is exactly how it should be. To my right, a girl is inspecting her makeup, slowly rolling her head side to side. On my left, someone is curling her hair into bouncy waves. Across the room, someone is fiddling with the music, curating the perfect queue for the night. A sequiney blur of blue flies across the room, into the ready hands of someone in just a bra and underwear. All around there is an organized chaos, a flow of energy, a never-ending stream of compliments, encouragement, and excitement. Getting ready is a sacred time and event for those who participate. It’s in these moments that friendships blossom and morph into sisterhood, and here are multiple first hand experiences:

What do you think is the most important part of a friendship?

Nadi: Communication. Friendship is based upon mutual understanding, and if you don’t have clear communication when establishing that, it creates a rift.
Susanna: Being able to say whatever you want, and have them understand and hear you and support you, having people to confide in, specifically in college to have family away from home. 
Carolyn: For me it’s understanding and knowing and feeling like you are more than yourself and you know more than yourself. Even more than empathy, it’s wanting to know. The most important thing about friendship for me is the day to day energy.

What is your favorite part of getting ready and why?

Nadi: Doing my makeup, I can focus on a singular task and it feels very therapeutic. 
Susanna: Just the fun vibe of going out, having fun, there’s something so fun and special about being able to transform yourself, get ready, and put on the best version of yourself 
Carolyn: I really like doing my base makeup. It's so fun and it always makes me feel really good. I play 2 songs over and over.

In what way do you think your friendships have positively impacted your life?

Nadi: It’s made me look forward to doing things, especially with school. When asked about my favorite thing about Cornell, I always say school is going really great and I'm enjoying it, but the real thing I mean is my friends. My favorite part of the day is seeing my friends. 
Susanna: Friends helping me through tough times, when school is annoying or difficult. Even if I feel happy, they always contribute to my mental well-being. 
Carolyn: I think that I would not be here if I didn’t have friends… I just think there would be no joy and I would lose my mind, and I just really like having friends and people and having fun.

What is your favorite memory of getting ready with your friends?

Nadi: Getting ready for prom was really fun, I saw my friends who I hadn’t seen in a year, it was very circular because I hadn’t seen them in forever but it felt the same. It was fun because we did every step together, doing hair, makeup, trying on clothes…etc.
Susanna: The communal dialogue of everyone sharing their hopes for the night, showing off their outfits. There’s something so special about womanhood and asking if you can borrow your friend’s stuff. 
Carolyn: My friend Delilah and I have nothing in common these days but the two of us love getting ready together. It’s our shared passion, quality time, and bonding experience. Every time we get ready it’s really fun and it’s always just the two of us.

Do you find that you feel more confident when getting ready with your friends?

Nadi: Yes, it’s like a group activity. It can be therapeutic to get ready on your own, but when you do it with other people it’s like an activity. 
Susanna: Yes because everyone’s hyping each other up, and a part of friendship is uplifting your friends. friendship is all about loving and supporting each other, so the atmosphere is always positive and uplifting.
Carolyn: Yes, I definitely feel like there’s bad bitch solidarity.

Do you think getting ready can be more fun than going out?

Nadi: Yes, because you can actually talk with the people you're present with—the act of going out is different than getting ready and getting ready is just more fun!
Susanna: Yes because when you go out anything can happen but when you get ready it's a controlled environment of fun especially when you’re with your inner circle. It’s the most intimate and that’s why it's so fun. 
Carolyn: Yes, because you get to choose your music, you get to do an activity, you can drink and do makeup, and picking your outfit is so fun. Especially with your friends, it’s like a bonding experience, and it’s way more intimate.