Over the last few decades pop culture has popularised intense, passionate female friendship: from the ironclad connection between Sex and the City’s four protagonists to the original (and quite literal) ride or die duo Thelma and Louise.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m delighted that these potent, platonic relationships between women are being rightfully celebrated but as a result we’re often peddled this narrative that if our friends won’t drive off a cliff for us or they don’t come to our aid with an empowering and emotive speech then they should be regarded with a heavy dose of suspicion.

Every few months discourse on the pros and cons of ‘low-maintenance’ or ‘low-stakes’ friendships pops up on social media like clockwork. People routinely take to platforms like X or TikTok to lambast those who don’t dole out their time and effort to all their friends in equal measure or (like me) who leave messages unread for days on end or (occasionally) flake on plans...

I read a post shared on X a few weeks ago that said ‘you........

© The Irish News