Is The Wizard of Oz the Ultimate Chick Flick? Shoes, Sisterhood, and the Power of the Squad

You have almost certainly seen the classic internet one-liner floating around social media:

“The Wizard of Oz is the ultimate chick flick: two women trying to kill each other over a pair of shoes.”

It’s hilarious because, on a purely literal level, it’s completely accurate.

A teenage girl gets caught in a storm, accidentally drops a house on an older woman, steals her designer ruby-red footwear straight off her feet, and spends the next 90 minutes running for her life from an angry sister who will stop at nothing to get her family heirloom pumps back. Throw in a flying monkey surveillance team and Glinda floating in on a pastel bubble with passive-aggressive advice, and it sounds like peak reality television drama.

It’s a legendary pop-culture meme, and it never fails to make people chuckle.

But beneath the shoe joke, The Wizard of Oz is secretly the greatest movie about adult friendship, chosen family, and starting over ever put on film.

If you look past the flying monkeys and the green makeup, Dorothy’s journey along the Yellow Brick Road mirrors the exact emotional roadmap every woman faces when she tries to navigate the modern world and find her people.

Here is why The Wizard of Oz truly is the ultimate movie about friendship.

1. Starting Over in a Technicolor New City

Think about how Dorothy’s journey begins: she is ripped out of the familiar, black-and-white predictability of Kansas and dropped into a disorienting, overwhelming, technicolor world where she doesn’t know a single soul.

She has no map, no local contacts, and no idea where to start.

If you have ever moved to a new city, started fresh after a major breakup, or walked into a networking event where you felt completely out of place, you know exactly how Dorothy felt.

Adulthood is full of “Oz moments”—times when the comfortable structures of our youth collapse, and we find ourselves standing on an unfamiliar road wondering: “How am I supposed to find my way from here?”

2. The Power of the “Yellow Brick Road” Squad

Dorothy doesn’t try to conquer Oz alone. Along the way, she collects a crew of fellow misfits, each struggling with a deeply relatable adult insecurity:

• The Scarecrow: Convinced he isn’t smart enough (the original victim of imposter syndrome).

• The Tin Man: Convinced he is hollow and incapable of feeling (the classic victim of emotional burnout).

• The Cowardly Lion: Convinced he is weak and terrified of failure (struggling with social anxiety).

Notice what Dorothy does: she doesn’t judge their flaws.

She doesn’t demand that they have their lives completely figured out before she lets them join her circle. She says, “Come with me.”

That is what true friendship looks like in adulthood. You don’t need an entourage of flawless, high-performing women who have everything under control. You need friends who are willing to link arms with you, admit where they feel broken, and march forward together through the dark forests.

3. Real Friends Mirror Your Strength Back to You

The biggest twist in the entire story is that the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion already possessed what they thought they lacked.

• The Scarecrow came up with every brilliant tactical plan along the journey.

• The Tin Man wept with genuine empathy whenever someone was hurting.

• The Lion sprinted headfirst into a haunted castle to save Dorothy from the Wicked Witch.

They didn’t need a magical brain, heart, or courage injected into them. They just needed friends who reflected their true worth back to them.

When you are isolated, your inner critic convinces you that you are boring, incapable, or unworthy of love. But when you are surrounded by loyal girlfriends, they act as an honest, compassionate mirror. They remind you of your brilliance when you forget it. (For more on how true friends elevate your life, read our guide on The 7 Rare Qualities of a Good Friend).

4. The Man Behind the Curtain (Ditching False Authorities)

When the squad finally reaches the Emerald City, they discover that the Great and Powerful Wizard—the authority figure everyone told them had all the answers—was just a frightened, ordinary man pulling levers behind a velvet curtain.

How many of us spend our twenties and thirties waiting for some external “authority” to validate our lives? We wait for a promotion, a partner, or a social milestone to tell us we’ve officially “arrived.”

The Wizard of Oz teaches us that the institutions and expectations of the outside world are largely smoke and mirrors. The real magic was never in the Emerald City; it was in the loyalty, laughter, and solidarity built along the dirt road.

5. Glinda’s Timeless Lesson: “You’ve Always Had the Power”

At the end of the journey, Glinda the Good Witch drops the ultimate piece of girlfriend wisdom:

“You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”

When the Scarecrow asks why Glinda didn’t just tell Dorothy that on day one, Glinda replies: “Because she wouldn’t have believed me. She had to learn it for herself.”

We need journeys. We need challenges. But most of all, we need the women who walk beside us while we learn our own strength.

There’s No Place Like a Community of Friends

Dorothy’s famous closing line is “There’s no place like home.”

In adulthood, “home” is rarely just a physical house with a white picket fence. Home is a feeling.

Home is the emotional safety of sitting in a kitchen in your sweatpants, laughing with girlfriends who know your flaws and love you anyway. Home is having people you can call for an 8-minute phone call on a rough Tuesday. Home is the village of women who make you feel seen, grounded, and protected.

So yes: maybe The Wizard of Oz started with a funny dispute over some fabulous ruby slippers.

But it ended with the most enduring truth in human history: you can survive any storm, defeat any wicked problem, and find your way through any strange world—as long as you have the right girlfriends marching beside you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is The Wizard of Oz often called a “chick flick”?

Beyond the famous pop-culture joke about fighting over ruby slippers, the film centers on a female protagonist’s emotional journey, female mentorship (Glinda), female rivalry (The Wicked Witch), and the prioritization of relational empathy and home over superficial power.

What is the main message about friendship in The Wizard of Oz?

The film demonstrates that healthy friendship is built on mutual support and vulnerability. Each character believes they are deficient, but through supporting one another, they realize they already possess the qualities they were seeking.

How do I find my own “Yellow Brick Road” friend squad as an adult?

Look for shared values and activities rather than perfection. Whether joining a local walking group, trying a hobby class, or connecting with local women on dedicated platforms like Girlfriend Social, look for people who are willing to show up consistently and grow together.

Find Your Squad

Ready to meet authentic, grounded women in your city who will walk beside you on your journey? Join Girlfriend Social for free or explore members in your area in our Local City Directory.