You know that friend who swears they’re happy for you… but somehow their “compliments” sting like a wax strip? Yeah. This episode is for that. 😬💅🔥

In “Toxic Friendships”, we dive into the glamorous, confusing, low-key unhinged world of the frenemy: the “bestie” who’s weirdly competitive, suspiciously jealous, and about as trustworthy as a man who says “I’m just going to the bathroom” at a party. We break down what actually makes a frenemy (spoiler: it’s not just “being a bit shady”), how frenemies are different from messy-but-real ambivalent relationships, and why some of us keep these people in our lives anyway (hello, shared friend groups and workplace politics).

Expect philosophy, psychology, petty anecdotes, and a loving reminder that boundaries are hotter than revenge. 📚🧠🍿🚧

• Frenemies aren’t just “bad friends”: the pattern is usually competition + jealousy + lack of trust.
• Ambivalent relationships (high highs + low lows) can still mess with your health—sometimes more than you’d expect.
• Frenemies often happen when:
  • you used to be real friends,
  • you’re stuck in the same social circle/work/class,
  • the relationship survives on proximity, not peace.
• You don’t always need to “cut them off dramatically in a restaurant.” Sometimes the move is awareness + boundaries + distance.

• Delaney & Malakhova (2018) — Philosophy Now article discussing frenemies as a friendship “façade” with underlying resentment.
• Williams & Packer-Williams (2019) — Work discussing frenemies and relational aggression (and how definitions can get gendered).
• Research on ambivalent relationships and health outcomes (e.g., links to cardiovascular stress, blood pressure, depression, and interpersonal conflict).
• Aristotle’s classic friend categories (pleasure, utility, virtue) — and our unofficial addition: the frenemy, obviously.