Toxic friends

It's come to my attention that every woman seems to have one 'toxic friend'. You know the one; she's the 'friend' who always tells you your bum does, in fact, look big in those jeans, even if you haven't asked. She's the one who always criticises your opinions, lifestyle choices and decisions and as such you make every excuse under the sun not to have to see her on a Saturday night. The one who you breathe a sigh of relief over when she leaves & bitch to your family and friends about pretty much every word she said while she was there. She's the one who can never be happy for you or anything good that happens in your life. That's right it's all about her, Her, HER, and you just about can't stand the sight of her, let alone her voice!

.... And yet, you seemingly refuse to de-friend 'The Toxic One', regardless of the big yellow 'POISON' sticker flashing on her forehead and the steaming green-tinged cartoon fumes pluming from her ears. The fact is that every time you're within 100 metres of her you feel your fingers start to tingle in a desperate attempt to reach for a protective plastic jumpsuit, full face mask and all, to avert the danger of her oozing radioactive filth and turning everything to shit!

I've got to say, I'm fairly blessed with my group of girlfriends. Somehow I seem to have managed to escape the fumes of the toxic women I've misguidedly befriended throughout the years, which has left me with a quaint but quality group of girls. However, I know among the lives of my family and friends these hideous women seem to be lurking, and not so much in their shadows. It wasn't until my Mum changed states that she managed to detach herself from one such woman, granted that wasn't her initial reason for moving but it was certainly an added bonus! So why do women continue to do this to themselves? What purpose do these toxic friends actually serve and why would you continue to be 'friends' with someone who consistently shits all over your every parade and makes you feel like a lost, inferior little girl?

Is it because you get yourself in too deep with the friendship and all of a sudden your husbands or partners are friends and you alternate years for who's house Boxing Day is at and there's just no easy way out?
Is it because women get to a certain age in their lives and the inevitable confrontation is just too hard?
Or is it because Nelly-no-friends figures shit friends are better than none?

Maybe it's just because every Superwoman must have her Kryptonite. Does every woman secretly have a part of her that needs someone to make her feel shit. Are we all just tall poppies in need of a dirty great big pair of scissors to come along and cut us up and leave us crippled on the cold, hard, barren, dusty earth? Or is it because women are just so damn self-sabotaging? As a species I really do find us to be the sadists of the world, intent on hurting ourselves and making our own lives shit. Nobody is forcing us to befriend toxic people, we gulp hungrily from their cans of poisonous scum all of our own accord. Are women really that bored and deranged that they remain friends with these hideous people simply so they have something to bitch about? Or are they just so determined to seek the approval of someone it seems so impossible to please?

If more women actually took the time to enjoy their own company, rather than seeking the gratification or company of others, if they stopped trying to fill the 'void' with toxic people and found joy in their own self-appreciation through focusing on the people who really do care about them then, in my humble opinion, the world would be a much less sadistic place, if not a better one.

Australia says no to domestic violence and Little Bird says no to shitty friends! That's one small step for me - one giant leap for all womankind!