I am a mid-twenties female who has a sister and a boyfriend who are my best friends. However, I have practically NO other friends and due to that I barely ever go out. I am intelligent and very attractive (definitely not beautiful), and have no problem getting male acquaintances.

I feel most of these guys are friendly with me because they find me attractive. My main problem is that I have no female friends. I have two girlfriends that I retained from an out of state college, but I never had a tight bond with them and never totally felt comfortable with them. As long as I can remember I have NEVER had girlfriends. I am pretty shy, and feel 10X more comfortable around males, but I desperately want at least one true female friend. I have tried my best to be friendly and personable but I just can't seem to make that connection. I feel extremely weird and very alone, do you know of any support groups or have ANY suggestions?

Desparately Seeking a Friend

Relax. The harder you try to make "a friend", the more disappointed you'll feel about yourself.

Women always agree that female friendships are difficult to maintain - so you are not alone. Concentrate on doing things you enjoy, whether with a friend or not. That way you can develop a satisfying social life for yourself; on e not dependent on anyone else.

Anyway, having a best friend in your sister sounds too fantastic to overlook!

"X"

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A lot of women neglect to build friendships with other women while in high school and college because they are too "hung up" on male relationships and/or because they view/ed other women as the "competition." It's never too late though to start cultivating good friends, male or female, so don't despair. Certainly, don't be desperate because no one wants to be friends with someone who is desperate.

A friend is someone with whom you have things in common, so the best place to start would be co-workers, class-mates (hobby-type classes, night classes, etc.), people at the gym, etc. Just start up a friendly conversation with other women and let the relationship develop naturally... don't push! After several periods of casual conversation, perhaps, you could invite her for coffee or something and see where the relationship goes from there. Just relax and be yourself!

"Boomer"

PS - My absolutely best two friends are my two sisters! Don't minimize that precious relationship, it's too wonderful!