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Girls Night Out Vs. Boys Night Out: A Tale of Jealousy

Posted: 06/11/11 10:53 AM ET

There is a difference between "girls' night out" and "guys' night out."

I went on my first planned girls' night out last week for the first time ever. The two girlfriends I went out with are fairly new friends, who I have become super-close with over the past year. They had never met each other. One girlfriend, the founder of a beauty company, which she sold for gazillions of dollars, is a gorgeous blonde who makes me laugh hysterically. When we usually get together, it's at her house, over protein bars.

My other friend is a producer and dresses like Nicole Ritchie or Kate Hudson (Who she is also best friends with). When she and I get together, it's usually at her place over green tea. On the outside, it would seem my two girlfriends would have nothing in common (one dresses boho, the other dresses designer). I wanted them to meet because I just knew they would get along. My producer friend gives great advice. My gorgeous blond friend needed advice. They are both super fun.

So I planned a girls' night out for the three of us. We all needed a fun night out. We were all stressed for various reasons. But, I want to make it clear: we are not in our 20s, so the idea of going to a trendy bar wasn't exactly our style. Two of us are mothers. All three of us are all recluses, and would much rather spend time at our own homes. We were definitely not looking for men. But, still, we went to one of the trendiest bars in town, known also as a meat market, because this was supposed to be a FUN girls' night out and what were we supposed to do? Hang out at Starbucks? So we drank alcohol. We drank a lot of alcohol.

Midway through the night, is when I realized girls' nights out and boys' nights out are completely different. First, I do not care when my boyfriend goes out for a boys' night. (I mock it, but I don't care.) Go forth! Play poker with your friends. But boyfriends, it turns out, do not really like the idea of girls' nights out.

I have plenty of friends who go on girls' nights out regularly and their husbands don't really like it either. They say they don't mind. But they do. For some reason, their husbands always seem mad at them the next day. I think this is because women get hit on. Now, I'm nowhere NEAR a supermodel, or even a model, or even a 'hot' girl (I give myself a 6.3 out of 10), but it turns out, that when you go to one of the hottest bars in town, all you need is a vagina and men will hit on you. (It also helps to have two blond friends with you. Sorry, it's true. Blondes get noticed!)

The minute we arrived, a man came up to me and said, "I own five houses, including one in Miami, Los Angeles and New York." This, before he even offered his name, as if I would jump into bed with him because of his real estate. Since it was a girls' night out, my friends dragged me away from Mr. Moneypants (or, more likely, Mr. Liar) and we sat at a table. We ordered more wine. We got a little (okay, a lot) messy. The table of men next to us offered to pay for all our drinks (bottles of expensive wine) and our food. And they didn't even talk to us. I'm sure they expected us to come over and say 'Thanks!' We didn't.

My blonder friend was hit on by a cute younger man who wouldn't leave her alone until she literally showed him photos of her teenage children. Meanwhile, my boyfriend called me every hour to check in. My friend's boyfriend was also messaging her all night long. Whereas I would never call my guy on a guys' night out because

a) I realize it's a guys' night out, and

b) I don't want to be THAT girl.

Men, though, seem to care when it comes to girls' nights out. My one friend was so messy that she picked up my phone when it rang (I didn't hear it.) It was my boyfriend calling and she said, "Your girlfriend can't come to the phone. Men are hitting on her." I'm not sure this was true, but I do know that, in my friend's defense, she was so drunk you couldn't possibly take what she said to be true. She could barely stand up straight.

And, yes, if I had called my boyfriend on one of his guys' nights out and one of his friends told me that girls were hitting on him, I too would be mad (and jealous.)

The next day, my boyfriend and I got into our first fight in seven months. It didn't help that I was completely hungover and, of course, grumpy because I spent all night vomiting. But I can see why he would get jealous or worried. Men, as men know about other men best, are persistent and, quite frankly, animals. Though I trust my boyfriend completely, and he trusts me completely, there is just something about these guys' nights out and girls' nights out that just do no bring out the best in us humans.

I learned two important lessons that night. One, if you are ever worried that your boyfriend isn't insecure about you, you're wrong. They do get insecure. And two, girls' nights out are fun! Once in a while, that is.

Rebecca Eckler is the author of "How to Raise a Boyfriend," "The Lucky Sperm Club," and a series of mommy memoirs, starting with "Knocked Up." She is the founder of the website www.howtoraiseaboyfriend.com.

 
 
 
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08:04 AM on 06/15/2011
Sounds hilarious. Glad you had fun.
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Eris23
Justice is in indefinite detention.
08:17 PM on 06/14/2011
"The table of men next to us offered to pay for all our drinks (bottles of expensive wine) and our food. And they didn't even talk to us. I'm sure they expected us to come over and say 'Thanks!' We didn't. "

Classy. If you had no intention of even displaying basic manners after letting people buy you something that was expensive, why let them buy it in the first place? Why not just say "no thanks?" After all, given that you were hanging out with two other wealthy people, it's not like you couldn't have paid for your own tab.

"there is just something about these guys' nights out and girls' nights out that just do no bring out the best in us humans."

In petty people, perhaps. It's never been a source of tension in any of my relationships.
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MIvoter1231
I don't engage with hateful responders
11:13 AM on 06/11/2011
I found out the same thing when I started seeing my boyfriend. He's been around the block a time or two with his band tours and he's still the bad boy. I had already established a routine of one night a week with my wild child best girlfriend. I'm her "wing man" as it were, nothing more. I never really did much flirting, but I'll admit to having enjoyed the attention.

Then boyfriend came along. Boyfriend flipped and still flips. Every time. We live an hour apart, he's been invited to come, I've tried everything.

Now some would say, give it up for him to keep the peace, why make an issue over it. I will tell you exactly why that is NOT going to happen. He's free to have his boys nights with my blessing and I couldn't stop him anyway. I however, will NEVER give up my friends, all of my independence, all of my activities for a man EVER again. If that's what a man expects of me, then he has no right to a guys night out, poker with the friends, etc. I'm not a big drinker, so it's not the drinking, it's the sense of I have the right to those nights, too.

So go out, tie one on once in a while, or once a week, have your girls night out and live it up however you want. But don't let his insecurity deny you that fun if that makes you happy. EVER!
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vorpalmusic
09:25 AM on 06/12/2011
Tell your boyfriend that you can find a more mature replacement if he doesn't chill out.
12:00 PM on 06/16/2011
Have a conversation with your BF to let him know you acknowledge his concern, and out of respect for him, cut your outings to once a month. Let him know that you still feel it is important to cultivate your own girlfriends and that he should support that. But you need to acknowledge that a relationship is about more than just you and your "needs". Its about compromise.
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MIvoter1231
I don't engage with hateful responders
09:42 PM on 06/18/2011
The conversation has been had many times and compromises have been offered on my end. When he's made more of a commitment to the relationship than he has, I'll consider changes. And I've told him as much. He admits commitment issues and I'm not forcing him into any at this point. But I won't curtail my activities when he won't.

As it is, with his main business being very busy in the summer, I rarely see him and never on weekends (he works most), only during the week. I know he is out with friends multiple nights after work, including going out with female friends. Knowing that, I will tend to my best interests first and foremost until he's willing to make that commitment. I love him very much and am willing to wait out his fears, to a point. If he can't make a change, then I will be OK if I choose to leave and still have my social circle intact.