Family & Friends

Why does my mother defend and make excuses for my bully?

I have this friend who has narcissistic tendencies. She bullied me relentlessly this past year calling me stupid, ditzy, criticising my body, said I am the “type of woman men only sleep with, while she is relationship material”, slept with my boyfriends behind my back and undercut my relationships with men. She also spread rumours about me and my past to other people to damage my relationships with people. She told me she was "always jealous of me" when she was drunk. She did this while smiling in my face pretending to be a friend for a whole year.

I have told my mother about this because I needed someone to talk to this past year and I needed support, but every time I talk about what this friend did to me, my mother tells me I’m overreacting, and that my friend is just “young” and “young people make mistakes.” She also says I "can't know for sure she was a jealous friend because I have no proof." However, my mother is now blaming ME for talking badly about this friend when I am just trying to air out how hurt I feel by being betrayed by someone I considered a friend. She defends my “friend” to no end, and blames me. Am I right in feeling gaslit by her?
Why does my mother defend and make excuses for my bully?
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