What it feels like for a girl.

Since the days of Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet), to even cartoons (Olive Oyl and Popeye––and even Brutus), women have been the ones chased by the man. That’s the way it goes. Even the most unattractive or the shyest female knows what it is like to get hit on by a guy, while most guys cannot and will not comprehend this in their lifetime. They don’t know what it’s like to have someone undress you with their eyes (okay, maybe someone like Colin Farrell might). A guy would never turn down a drink from a girl. They wouldn’t have to think twice about drinking it either. The average guy will most likely go through life without a swarm of women uncomfortably surrounding them trying to pick up the lone hottie. A girl giving him a compliment would never cause him to be repulsed. That’s just not the way it goes. So when this past weekend when my boyfriend got picked up by numerous males, I eagerly and without sympathy said, “welcome to my world.”

I spent the weekend away with some co-workers at Fire Island––the part of Long Island that’s formerly known as the really gay version of the Hamptons, and more recently known as a retreat both families and those of us that can’t afford to go out in the Hamptons. To my surprise, it was more or less the same crowd as in New York City. I started to feel guilty for making fun of Boyfriend for “fitting in” with the Fire Island crowd when he said he wanted a pink shirt.

Even with Boyfriend beside me, I managed to get stares from males at the bar in Fire Island. Of course, us females are often oblivious due to the overwhelming response from men, so I was unaware until Boyfriend proudly pointed it out to. Even with a guy by my side, I’m not surprised when I’m hit on. It’s like men have this tick that makes them feel obligated to stare, mumble, even pull deep into the pick up line archive for something cheesy when a pretty girl is standing in front of them. When I’m out with my girlfriends, forget it, I swear that the bat signal goes up over Gotham to warn every man in a 50 foot radius to get their best game ready.

Maybe it’s karma, but soon the tables turned. A woman with a pixie cut hairdo grabbed Boyfriend away from the pool table to hold his face and make sure he was aware of how “adorable” he was. All I could do was laugh; it could have been worse.

Not long after this, a guy approached me. I smiled and was about to walk away until I realized he wasn’t trying to pursue me. When he started asking me questions about Boyfriend and if I was HIS girlfriend, that’s when I realized the tables had really turned. I soon stood back and left the rest to him. After four other guys surrounded him, Boyfriend was begging to leave the bar. He felt violated. He felt like a piece of meat. He felt pissed off. He finally understood what it felt like to be a girl.