Three Lessons Little Mix Taught Me About Friendship (Su)
“The Winner of the X Factor, 2011 is…..”
The million dollar question gives way to a moment of suspense, the four bandmates hand-in-hand, waiting for the gavel to drop.
“Little Mix!”
They scream. Cry. Jump up and down as they pile into a group hug. The audience’s thunderous cheers ringing in their ears, glory beating in their hearts.
Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards —- a.k.a. the UK girl group Little Mix —- stood out for several reasons. Bangers like “Power” more iconic than bangers and mash, phenomenal vocal abilities, and their down-to-earth nature are just some of the reasons why this band has been the UK’s most successful one to date. To me, however, Little Mix’s standout trait was neither their vocals nor their charts — but their friendship.
I’m dead serious. Little Mix has taught me more about friendship than a socialite, more about connection than a matchmaker.
They’ve supported each other since the very moment they got placed into a foursome by the X-Factor judges, who deemed them more suitable as a group act than four solo acts. Shortly after their first round of singing to Jessie J (the guest judge) made them emotional, Perrie and Leigh immediately shared a tearful hug. Neither getting uncomfortable with each other’s tears, nor telling each other to “toughen up”. Just a comforting embrace, as they hold space for each other’s emotions.
Lesson 1: What separates a meaningful friendship from a superficial one is the ability to handle each other’s uncomfortable emotions (or tears) with love and care, as opposed to awkwardness and silence. Few friendships of the fair-weather kind are capable of this level of heart-to-heart connection and platonic intimacy.
And then there’s the endearing scene of Jesy confiding to Jade about her body image issues during X Factor. You know what Jade does, after Jesy’s finished venting? She doesn’t tell Jesy the exact steps to get rid of her body image struggles. Instead, she tells Jesy that she’s the prettiest, kindest person she’s ever met, following the compliment up with the quintessential Little Mix gesture of friendship: a hug!
Jade knew that friendship alone wouldn’t solve Jesy’s struggles with body image. Yet Jade made a critical realization that sometimes, friendship isn’t there to solve a problem — but instead to listen, to encourage. They could work on Jesy’s body image in the future, but for now — all Jesy needed was support and encouragement. And Jade understood that.
Lesson 2: A strong friendship is when friends know when to comfort, and when to solve. Usually by asking and listening.
Perhaps the most poignant lesson Little Mix has taught me about friendship is that it’s both ephemeral and eternal.
The girl group parting their separate ways in 2022 was a glaring reminder that even the most intimate of bonds can drift apart by external causes. No friendship is entirely immune to being washed away by the tides of change.
Yet the moments they’ve shared and bonded over: winning the X Factor, hugging it out on stage, making music, laughing while playing party games and decorating cakes, telling each other how beautiful and talented they are — these moments will be written in the stars for billions of years to come.
Lesson 3: Even if the friendship doesn’t last until the end of time, the memories shared will. That’s why friendship is worth its weight in gold.
“So, here's my vow
Starting from herе and now
Nothing comes between us
Nothing comes bеtween us
I swear that we won't lose this thing we found
'Cause love will never leave us
Nothing comes between us, between us”
Little Mix, Between Us (2021)
If you are feeling down and need support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Letters Against Depression if you haven’t already. We send letters of hope and support to those who need someone there for them. You can request to receive letters here.