Whether you’re single and ready to mingle or you’re considering finally quitting men for good, being single can be the best of times or the worst of times — either way, it’s no fun to go it alone. You don’t need a guy in your life to get by (even though, occasionally, it is kinda nice). What you really can’t live without is your besties — because even while guys come and go, you can always rely on these 10 friend types to have your back:
- The Party Animal. For every evening that you’d waste away eating delivery pizza and watching period romance dramas, she’s there to drag you out of bed, doll you up and take you out on the town. This girl is unstoppable and you love it because without her, you’d never come home with such great stories to tell. While all the taken girls hang off their boyfriends’ arms, the two of you are hanging from the chandeliers. Who needs a man to dance up on when you can dance on tables instead?
- The Wingwoman. Not only does she know a ton of guys that she’s always down to introduce you to, but she’s also a killer co-flirter when you spot some grade-A man meat at the bar. This girl can come up with a hundred and one reasons to talk to anyone, and she’s not afraid to use them. When she finally does leave you alone with your target, you’re already past that awkward meeting stage and free to explore your chemistry together — and for the Wingwoman, it’s all in a day’s work.
- The Mom Friend. When you do one too many tequila shots, she’s there with a scrunchie and a backrub while you hug the toilet. Haven’t eaten anything more substantial than Hot Pockets all week? She’s got a casserole in the oven with your name on it. Her sage advice on men and dating is the stuff you only wish your own mother had told you — and damned if every time she comes over to visit, she doesn’t manage to leave your apartment cleaner than it was when she arrived.
- The Straight Talker. There comes a time in every girl’s life where she’s totally losing it over someone she shouldn’t be, and the Straight Talker is there to slap some sense into you when you do (literally, if necessary). This is the girl who tells it like it is when no one else will — so when you’re chasing that dude who is so obviously wrong for you, she’ll give you the red light, and while the rest of your friends are assuring you that you look cute with bangs, she’ll help you pin them up while they grow out again.
- The Comedian. The single life can get you deep in a rut sometimes, and this girl can be the only one who knows how to laugh you out of it. When things get too serious, she’s always there to lighten the mood. She can make being stood up by a blind date into nothing more than a hilarious memory one night, then effortlessly disarm that creepy dude at the bar with her sense of humor the next.
- The Monogamist. Sure, you can’t remember the last time she wasn’t in a long-term relationship, but that’s what makes the Monogamist so valuable to a single gal. She’s the reminder that not every relationship has to end in heartbreak, that true love really can conquer all, and that not all men are players— some are genuinely worth keeping around for a while. Not only that, but when she bitches about her own relationship woes, you get to play the part of the Single Friend.
- The Sexpert. She’s the one who will help you buy your first vibrator, select the right condoms and even teach you how to put them on (who knew there was actually a process to it?). When your casual flings whip out something freaky in the bedroom, she’s the first one you can go to with your WTF stories, and you know that for as long as she’s around, you’ll never have to Google weird sex questions ever again.
- The Made Woman. While everyone else is heading down the marriage path and looking at settling down, this girl’s hustle is what inspires you to keep going. When she talks about focusing on her career, it doesn’t even sound sad or pathetic — if anything, it’s empowering as hell. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it, man or no man. With the Made Woman as a role model, you don’t need to fear becoming an old maid or a cat lady — you can develop a hustle of your own.
- The Free Spirit. Being with someone or flying solo doesn’t matter to the Free Spirit — she’s just livin’ life, man. When you start to stress about whether or not there’s someone out there for you at all, the Free Spirit is the girl who will drag you on a road trip of self-discovery, recommend you a book that will change your life or just sit on your roof with you and drink cheap wine until you’re not so worried anymore. With the Free Spirit around, your single life doesn’t seem quite so sad — if anything, it’s just another magical part of the journey, dude.
- The Token Guy Friend. When every other man in your life has lied, cheated, double-crossed and betrayed his way right into the doghouse, your Token Guy Friend is the one man who you can count on to not be a snake in the grass. He can provide the male’s perspective on all your guy woes, pretend to be your “totally real” boyfriend when that creep won’t stop hitting on you, and act as your date to all those weddings you’re too embarrassed to show up to alone. When every other dude in the world seems like crap, he’s proof that there are still some good ones out there — you just have to bide your time and know where to look.
