Ladies, you know the drill: It’s 9:30 on a Friday night, and after a rough week of classes and after-school meetings, you’re ready to hit Midtown with your girls. Your outfit and shoes are on point, your hair and makeup look flawless, and your Uber is waiting for you downstairs. Fast forward to five hours later when, after a night of partying, you’re making the trek back to your place. You’re tired, your feet hurt, your makeup has lost its brand new shiny glow, and your sticky bra has just given up on sticking. At this point all you can think about is crawling into bed with your Jimmy John’s while wearing those comfy Victoria’s Secret pajamas your mom bought you for Christmas.
The next morning you’ll be sure to wake up with not only a killer hangover but, if it was a truly great night, some serious regret. Whether it was the endorphins or the rush of putting on that super cute outfit, you and your crew were just feelin’ some type of way last night. This surge of confidence may have caused you to do and say some things that — while in the moment they seemed perfectly fine — now make you totally cringe. I definitely know that my friends and I have been there, and chances are that you have, too. You’ll definitely be able to relate to this list of 10 not-so-great ideas you and your friends have probably had while out in Midtown.
1. Pigging outThis is definitely a huge one for me and my friends, so I’m sure it’s a big one for you all as well. Pigging out might be the best and worst reason to go out at the same time. On one side, you can stuff your face with all the Pizza by the Slice and Jimmy John’s your heart desires. On the flip side: So. Many. Calories.
2. Texting your exIf we’re being honest here, I’ll admit to being that one friend who will tell you partaking in this one is a good idea. This horrible idea could also come in the form of your friends telling you to call him to either a.) tell him off or b.) leave him a nasty voicemail. Note: Things have gotten seriously out of hand when this escalates to actually stopping by your ex fling’s place to tell him off in person.
3. Giving out your digitsThis one is not so bad compared to the others on the list but still, giving out your personal information to someone whose name you can’t even remember isn’t the greatest idea. Worst case scenario: He starts texting you nonstop. Best case scenario: He’ll add you on Snapchat and you’ll have one more person viewing your stories!
4. Bringing home a random person or going home with oneYou locked eyes with a cutie across the bar at Fat Daddy’s. Yay! Your cute outfit worked it’s magic. But the truth is that you can’t really remember if his or her name is Ryan or Danielle and you know absolutely nothing about that person. Who knows — he or she could be some crazy psycho axe-murderer who wants to come home with you to kill you in your sleep. On a real note though, it just makes for a super awkward morning the next day, especially if you wake up in the morning and aren’t quite sure how to politely kick that person out. Just spare yourself the awkwardness and only go home after Midtown if it’s with your roommates and friends.
5. Spending too much moneyCredit cards and a ton of cash are the most dangerous things you can take with you on a night out. If you’re of age and are intoxicated, you’ll think it’s a fantastic idea to blow big money on just about anything — drinks, shots, cabs to another party and of course food. But when you wake up the next morning, you’ll be filled with regret. Trust me when I say that waking up the next morning to a $100 charge from 101 Cantina is never fun.
6. Serious PDAYet another one on our list that will make you cower: public displays of affection. PDA is already iffy even when it’s just with your significant other, but PDA when you’re not in the best state of mind and at a crowded bar with some random person is a whole other ball game. This is one that we seriously don’t want to own up to, but I can pretty much say that a lot of college students have either experienced or witnessed this. Being all over a guy or having a guy be all over you at a bar is a big no-no and will score you some judgmental stares. No matter how encouraging your friends are about how cute that guy may be, trust that you’ll regret being so lovey-dovey in a public place.
7. Taking off your shoesThis one is a serious offense ladies, and it’s not one that we can take lightly. Every girl in the history of our universe understands the pain of wearing those totally cute but horribly uncomfortable strappy heels. You definitely knew that they were going to be a pain when you put them on, but you still have to commit to them! Not only is walking around barefoot gross, but it’s also ridiculously unsanitary, especially in an area like Midtown. Please do yourself a favor and keep them on. I promise that you can do it.
8. Picking up mom and dad’s callFreshmen girls, pay close attention to this one. While you may mis your parents and you want to keep in touch all the time, taking their calls while you’re out is never a great idea. It’s not even about being intoxicated (which obviously no one under 21 should be), but you really can’t convince them of what a great student you are when you’re taking their calls in a crowded bar on a Wednesday. Just let this one go to voicemail, and you can keep being their little angel tomorrow.
9. Posting on InstagramLet’s take a moment of silence for every disastrous picture that’s been posted on Instagram in the wee hours of the morning only to be taken down the next day. These are pictures that we thought were totally cute in the moment, and the ones that we topped off with what we thought was a super witty caption. When you wake up the next morning, you’ll soon realize that the picture actually features our smeared makeup and messy hair alongside our roommate, who just so happens to be closing her eyes.
10. Saying something you shouldn’t haveThis one can be super tricky and definitely one we should all try to stay away from. Sometimes Midtown can get the best of us and this includes being a chatty Cathy. No offense to Cathy, but this quality can get you in some pretty sticky situations. instead of being calm, cool and collected, you and your friends may just start saying everything that comes to mind with no filter. This includes saying something to your crush along the lines of “It’s so cool that you went cliff diving in Cabo with your brother over the summer!” You had absolutely no way of knowing this, and you basically just admitted to having Facebook stalked him the other night. I advise keeping your mouth shut on your walk home, unless it’s to take a bite of pizza.
If you’re of legal drinking age and have had one too many vodka sodas on Ladies’ Night, chances are you’ll engage in one (or maybe even all) of these activities on the way home. This week, before hitting Midtown or the next house party, scroll through this list again as a reminder to keep the shoes on, put the money away after midnight and refrain from posting on Instagram.