On New Year’s Eve 2011 I put on my shortest, tightest, and sexiest; little black dress with sky high heeled boots, and actually put time into my hair and make-up. I got ready with my oldest friends, and we started mixing drinks and talking about what was to come. It’s New Years Eve, and there’s an incredible amount of pressure to go out and have the time of the year. I don’t understand this pressure, it’s impossible to live up to the expectations, but that’s not the point. After hanging out at my friend’s house in Charlottesville and playing some routine drinking games my go-getter friend and I decided to walk to the bars and see how the Corner was fairing. The Corner is Charlottesville’s most concentrated bar area, and where UVA students gather to eat, drink, and party the nights away.
I have somewhat of a promiscuous background and I was expecting to run into some old hook-ups, but I didn’t realize I would run into every single one from my entire life. I’m literally talking about everyone from the bouncer to the bartender and everywhere in between. Every time I turned around, a familiar face was doing a mixture of trying to figure out if it was me, followed up by a sincere eye-f**king. Unfortunately, they had a pretty d@mn good idea exactly what that actually entailed (even if I did make it easier to call to memory my body with the scandalous dress I chose that evening). As I went through the routine awkwardness of acknowledging each and every one of them I realized how far I’d come since my high school (and college) sexscapades.
I’ve been in a committed relationship for over a year and a half and I rarely go home for breaks anymore. My boyfriend wasn’t with me New Years Eve, so I was fending for myself. Even though most of the guys I ran into I could have lived my whole life without seeing again it felt good to be able to see them out doing the same thing they have always done, knowing that I’ve made such a positive step forward with my life. I always hear girls giggling and groaning about seeing ex-hookups, but after this experience I would suggest just putting your best foot forward and owning the awkwardness. There’s no going back and re-writing history, so you might as well show yourself off as a smart, assertive, and mature woman who is able to face the past, no matter how terrible the experience (big or small). There really is nothing sexier than a woman who can stand her ground and portray herself as a respectable, and intelligent individual, regardless of her past, present, or future.
Photo Sources:
http://www.barblackbook.com/happyhour/wpcontent/uploads/2010/10/P1010009…