Stacy Robertson
Stacy Robertson
November 18, 2019 ·  3 min read

These BFFs Celebrate Their 23-Year Friendiversary With Beer and Chicken Wing Photoshoot

Everyone hopes that their relationships last forever, hoping to preserve the joy, fears, and adventures they have. Unfortunately, the only constant thing in life is change, and more often than not, we find friendships torn apart by life. But not for these BFFs.

Two women, lifelong friends since 1996, have gone viral after dedicating their 23rd-anniversary photoshoot to their most beloved pastime, munching on chicken wings, and swigging beer.

Samantha Clark and Christina Arthur have been best friends since forever; they both loved the same things and were always finding new ways to be silly and have a good time. So, when they got a reason to celebrate — the 23rd anniversary of their friendship — they decided to mark the milestone by capturing their fun-loving moments in a chicken and beer-filled photoshoot.

I thought it would be perfect for us because anytime we get together, we just laugh and act goofy and just straight up always have a good time with each other,” Samantha said. [1]

Samantha and Christina have been friends since they were both seven. They were next-door neighbors living on the same street and attending the same schools. However, what really bonded them was their love for softball.

Friendship goals

Unlike most friendships that end up fading away after high school, Samantha and Christina’s didn’t. Instead, they went on to experience their teenage years and young adulthood together, including all of their important coming-of-age moments; they were even both pregnant at the same time time.

Growing up as next-door neighbors our whole childhood years, we had the perfect friendship,” the two said in a Facebook post published on Love What Matters. “From riding our bikes through the neighborhood, to staying up all night during our many sleepovers in our homemade tents, and all the way down to us learning to drive and both having babies, we’ve been with each other through it all!” [1]

We’ve seen each other at our highest and we’ve seen each other at our lowest. Through thick and thin, we have been able to count on each other. Even if we went weeks without talking or seeing each other, we always picked up right where we left off,” they added.

Their incredible friendship was captured by Easy Breezy Photography, who did a photoshoot of them sharing chicken wings and drinking bottles of Michelob beer together, displaying the true essence of their bond.

Breanna Welch of Easy Breezy Photography told reporters that she really liked doing the shoot because the idea of celebrating a friendship appealed to her. She was happy that this wasn’t one of the typical couples and family photo sessions she usually worked on.

“You can tell the two were literally made for each other,” Welch told Inside Edition. “You can tell in their chemistry they’re going to be best friends forever.”

The photoshoot even featured a picture of them holding up a cute throwback photo of when they were kids, alongside their beers.  [2]

Spending time with friends can be beneficial to your health

A recent study has discovered that the strength of a person’s social circle is a better indicator of their happiness, stress, and well-being levels than any physical activity they are engaged in. The study came to this conclusion by comparing participants’ cell phone activity to their fitness tracker data. [3]

Nitesh Chawla, a co-author of the study and professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame, agrees that a multitude of factors go into one’s feelings of well-being, including their social interactions and the relationships they keep.

There’s also a qualified self, which is who I am, what are my activities, my social network, and all of these aspects that are not reflected in any of these measurements,” Chawla says. “My lifestyle, my enjoyment, my social network — all of those are strong determinants of my well-being.[4]

After Samantha and Christina’s photoshoot went viral, it sparked off a trend where thousands of people online tagged their best friends who they would like to have a wing-and beer-themed photoshoot with. Little did the BFF’s know their anniversary celebration could help the health of the people they inspire!

Reference:

  1. Women Create BFF Photo Shoot with Chicken Wings and Beer to Celebrate 23 Years of Friendship,” People. September 2019.
  2. BFFs Celebrate 23-Year Friendiversary With Chicken Wings And Beer Photoshoot,” Scary Mommy. September 2019.
  3. Social network structure is predictive of health and wellness,” Plos One. June 2019.
  4. Why Spending Time With Friends Is One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Health,” Time. June 2019.