It’s a safe bet to say that the majority of girls have seen the movie Mean Girls at least once. In the movie, the ridiculous rules of “girl world” are used all over the place: Gretchen isn’t allowed to wear hoop earrings because hoop earrings are Regina’s thing, Cady can’t date Aaron Samuels because Regina was half a virgin when she met him, you can’t wear your hair in a ponytail more than once a week, and you can’t wear sweatpants on Mondays. If you break any of these rules, then you can’t sit with The Plastics.
The rules of The Plastics seem ridiculous, even laughable, but in your circle of friends there really are some things that are completely off-limits. This isn’t wrong; rules are made to help keep the peace. The following is a list of some of the unspoken rules among friends at BC, aka the BC Girl Code.
Best Friend’s Boy Interest/Boyfriend
If your best friend has a crush on the cute hockey player down the hall, he’s off-limits. If your best friend is dating the cute hockey player down the hall, he’s even more off-limits than when she just had a crush on him. If you’re really into hockey players, chances are he has friends on the team that he would be happy to introduce you to! But whatever you do, do not flirt, kiss, or text without your best friend knowing, or sleep with the guy that your best friend is dating or has a crush on.
Think of it this way – if you had a crush on a guy, you would be heartbroken if your best friend went behind your back and hooked up with him. You don’t want to be that girl and you don’t want to have to deal with the guilt. A drunken hook-up is not an excuse either. Your best friend’s boy interest/boyfriend is completely off-limits at all times. Period.
Do Not Publicize Your Friend’s Sex Life
It’s Saturday morning and you’re sitting in Mac or Lower with your friends. You know that your best friend hooked up with that one cute guy from the Mod that you were in the night before and you’re dying to know details. So you keep pressing her for details, acting like you’re the next Katie Couric. First of all, you’re not. Second of all, regardless of whether or not the girl is your best friend, it’s still her life and she only has to tell you as much as she is comfortable sharing.
Just because you have the title of “Best Friend” does not mean that you have the right to know every little detail about her sex life. Also, if you do have a friend who is willing to share, do not share it with your other friends.
She’s telling you because she trusts you, so broadcasting it to your group of friends will only lead to unnecessary drama, and honestly who wants to deal with that?
Clothes with Tags are Off-Limits
Just because your best friend or roommate walks in with bags filled with new clothes does not mean that it’s time for Fashion Week to take place in your dorm. She bought them for herself, so it would be great if you let her wear them first.
Granted, there is one exception to this rule: if you ask your friend if you can borrow one of her shirts for a date with the guy you have been eying at the Plex for the past three months and she hands you a shirt that still has the tags on it and says that it would be perfect for the date and that regardless of the fact that she hasn’t had the chance to wear it yet she wants you to because it’ll look perfect with the skirt you have on. Then and only then are you allowed to wear the shirt.
But if you are looking through her closet after she has left for class and see a really cute shirt of hers that you want to wear but it still has the tag on it, then you really shouldn’t take it without asking her first. Look at it this way, if you went out and spent money on clothes for yourself and then saw your roommate or best friend wearing it before you did, you’d be a little beyond upset (especially if she spilled something on it).
Don’t Impose Your Lifestyle on Your Best Friend
You and your best friend don’t have everything in common. Sure, you both may love cookie dough ice cream, Sex and the City, and going for runs. But that doesn’t mean that she necessarily loves Pilates class as much as you do. If you and your best friend were the exact same person you would probably drive each other crazy, so it’s okay if you have your own interests.
Friends should never force their opinions down their friend’s throats. Friends should also never make their friend feel guilty or bad about not enjoying the same activities or having the same opinions as she does. Friends should be a support system, not someone that brings you down. If you don’t agree with how your best friend chooses to spend her time, that’s fine, but there is no need for you to tell her that it’s your way or the highway.
Of course, if you’re concerned for your friend’s well-being, then you can say something about her lifestyle choices, however even then it is still not okay for you to impose your lifestyle on her. You can offer suggestions, but you have absolutely no right to get mad if she decides not to take your advice. After all, if everyone was the same, the world would be a pretty boring place.
At BC the girl code is much more reasonable then that of The Plastics. In fact, the code makes sense; I mean who would want to sleep with their “best friend’s” boyfriend any way?
Photo Sources:
http://dougal.union.ic.ac.uk/media/iscience/blog/mean-girls/
http://thedresslover.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/create-a-triangle/
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,268020,00.html