Coupled. It’s One Big Balancing Act

justice-scale

Being in a relationship in college is not easy. It pretty much goes against the rules of nature. The college gods never wanted their late night cramming, pong tournament winning, vodka guzzling subjects to be holed up in their dorm rooms eating takeout and cuddling with their partner every weekend.

But that didn’t stop anyone, including me. And while all of us coupled peeps absolutely love our boyfriends, we can all admit that we feel pulled in two directions. “Our girls or our boyfriend” becomes a weekly dilemma we have to hash out, mentally listing the pros and cons of which we should pencil in to our planners.

What makes it even harder for me is that my boyfriend doesn’t go to the same school, meaning seeing him is a tad harder then walking across campus to his dorm. It means packing a duffel, getting to a train station, an hour and a half trip, and then doing it all over again Sunday afternoon to be back in time for classes. Read More »

Gossip Girl: Call Girls Are People Too

blair serena

Just when you think everything is fine on the Upper East Side those Archibalds toss some dude in the water and really throw you for a loop. And, of course, Vanessa is there to capture the entire thing on tape.

Scandalous!

Last night’s Gossip Girl was full of all sorts of scandal. From the twisted, convoluted and sorta hard to follow situation behind Tripp Vanderbilt’s campaign (really? His wife somehow orchestrated that whole thing??) to Blair’s new super-old-looking-call-girl of a BFF, it was a roller coaster of an episode.

But let’s start at the core of it all: Blair and Serena’s waning friendship. While these two are far hotter/richer/better dressers than I could ever be, I really connected to their situation. I’ve been there and I know what it’s like to be on the outs with a very old friend. On the one hand, you wanna make up and move on out of respect for your long history together. But on the other, who you are at 18-years-old is not who you were at 12 and maybe the new people you’ve both become weren’t meant to be friends.

So what do you do? Read More »

Hey Hey, You You, I Don’t Like Your Boyfriend

spencer heidi bf

Presenting: the epitome of "I don't like your boyfriend...er...husband."

There is a stop on the Chicago Red Line train with a mosaic of passengers’ thoughts, photographs and stories expressed on individual tiles arranged on a cement wall. While browsing the collage the other day, the following remembrance struck me: “I’ll never forget this stop. This is where my best friend told me she didn’t like my boyfriend and we have never been the same since.”

I had two reactions to this: one, you’re an idiot for opening your mouth; and two, you’re an idiot for letting it ruin your friendship. Upon further review, however, this situation is a little trickier, and a little stickier, than I originally thought.

We have all been in this situation: one of your friends is dating a total jackass. Standard procedure is to discuss his McDouchery with the rest of the group, nickname him something awesome like “fart stick” or “lady balls,” then wait a couple months until he’s out of the picture, and she too can laugh about his pompous political discourse.

But what about the girlfriend who has is still dating that jerk? When is it appropriate – and wise – to tell your friend that her boyfriend sucks?

Here a few crucial factors to consider before opening your mouth.

Read More »

Best Friends > Boyfriends

best girlfriends

I’m a senior in college, single, loving it, and have just as many girlfriends as random sexual escapades (almost). So maybe I’m not having as much consistent sex as I’d like, but I am still getting my fill of lovin.

I am absolutely in love with my girlfriends.

I feel more fulfilled from my friend relationships than I’ve ever had from boyfriends. Maybe that’s not saying too much about my ex’s, but the power of the female friendship amazes me, especially in college.

In high school, I used to be a boyfriend-girl (you know the type). Although I tried to split time between the BF and the BFFs, I definitely ended up sacrificing girl time for the boyfriend. But now, after staying single in college, I never have to make the sacrifice of feeling lonely just because I don’t have a boyfriend. I actually feel more loved, supported, and celebrated through my friends. Read More »

Ask A Dude: Am I Only A Friend With Benefits?

Ask a Dude-1

Got a guy question that’s tearing you up inside? Don’t trust your girl friends to give you honest advice (because they’re afraid if they tell you the truth you will freak out and throw things at them)? Just want to try and understand what a guy is thinking?

We’ve got the dude for you. Send your questions to AskTheDude@CollegeCandy.com and he’ll give it to you straight. Because you can’t throw things at him, no matter what he tells you. Our dude is answering questions every Wednesday, so ask away!

Hey Dude,

Ok, so I have this male best friend. We have been super close for a long time and a few weeks ago we hooked up. I never really thought of him that way but after that night I’ve started to think about how he’d be a really good boyfriend. Anyways, since then we’ve been hooking up pretty consistently every weekend. But he only calls me to come over when he’s drunk. I realize we are entering friends with benefits territory but that’s not what I want. I mean, I know we love eachother as people and now it’s clear he’s also physically attracted to me, so it makes sense that we would be a perfect couple. I don’t know if that’s what he wants or how to find that out. I don’t want to mess up our friendship (although, after getting naked with him I’m not sure how it’s NOT messed up), but I also don’t want to just be his booty call.
Help. Please.

Best Friend With Benefits Read More »

The CC Weekly Weigh In: BFF Love

girlfriends_intro

A girl’s gotta have her friends, right? We need someone there to cheer us up when yet another guy has stomped on our heart, when we need someone’s honest opinion on how our ass looks in those jeans, and when our hair is too short for a ponytail and someone needs to keep it out of our face when we’re puking.

We love our BFFers, but what is it about them that makes them so perfect? And how often do we really tell them?

Having graduated from college, my best friends are spread out across the country. Maybe it’s my PMS (I cried at the More To Love finale), or maybe it’s the fact that I missed my BFF’s birthday party in D.C. last weekend, but I’ve been feeling a lot of love for my friends lately. I think we all need to stop and appreciate what we’ve got sometimes (especially after knowing what we don’t want), so I asked the CollegeCandy writers to share what they love most about their BFFs.

What does your BFF got that sets her apart? Read More »

Knock, Knock…Who’s There? Sexual Interruptions

do-not-disturbYou finally made it over to the bed. His shirt is off, your underwear is soaring across the room. The lights are dim. The bed is quickly being destroyed. Lips are locked and you’re ready for sexy time. And then you hear the tap, tap, tap at the door.

Ah, interruptions during sex.

Everyone hates it, but in college, it seems unavoidable.  Maybe college students just don’t have the decorum to realize that if the door is shut, locked, and the person inside is yelling and pleading for you to go away, you should just walk away. Or perhaps since most college students are used to sharing everything from computer labs to showers, they think trying to walk in on their roommates sexy time is a-ok.

Seriously, whenever my boyfriend and I are trying to have some alone time, one of his three idiot roommates ruins the moment. It is usually like clockwork. If one of them isn’t sliding pennies under the door (yes, this happens. It’s strange, I know) to get my boyfriend’s attention, it is his annoyingly pompous roommate knocking to “inquire” about a bill. Oh, and my personal favorite is when they need to borrow my boyfriend’s stapler. It’s 1am on a Saturday, why the hell do you need a stapler?

If we wanted them to join, I’m sure we would leave the door open. But we don’t. And I don’t get it. If we just said goodnight twenty minutes ago, why are you sliding pennies under the door? What is it that makes people so oblivious to the need of alone time with a significant other? Maybe human beings secretly enjoy ruining the moment for someone; a little satisfaction knowing that a simple interruption can make a couple lose the desire for the moment. Or maybe that need for the stapler really is that imperative. Read More »

I’m Torn: Boy Best Friends

male bffWe all have one. Some of us have two. You know who I’m talking about – that one guy you go to for just about everything. Whether you cuddle during chick flicks or meet up to play a game of basketball, you rely on him because he’s your boy best friend. The one who advises you, entertains you and buys you drinks at the bar when no one else will. It’s kind of like having a girl BFF…except you find him kind of, well, sexy.

I love the idea of the male best friend, but its the reality that I’m torn about…

Love it:

Sometimes you just need to get away from girls. They’re catty, annoying and borrow your clothes without asking. Plus, girls are so dramatic. It’s one thing to watch it on Gossip Girl, but dealing with crazy girl drama in real life just sucks. Guys on the other hand, are pretty much drama free. They don’t PMS, have great perspective on your relationship issues and love chauffeuring you around. They’re also good for reaching things on high shelves, scaring away creepy guys when you’re hitting the bar and carrying around your stuff.

The boy best friend makes a great stand-in wedding date, and your parents probably love him, unlike the last boy you dated. Oh, and it’s really fun to bring up tampons in conversation and watch him freak. the eff. out. Read More »

Bad Advice Men Get: Phase Out the Best Friend

jealous boyfriend

Men are tricky creatures. As much as we may wish we could read their minds, it just isn’t possible (yet… come on, science!). But don’t worry, I have discovered a trick to help us understand them a little more.

We all know guys that have picked up Cosmo from time-to-time (or have a monthly subscription) to help them figure out what their women are thinking. Hell, I bet a bunch of guys are reading CollegeCandy right now to try and figure something out about their girlfriends. Well ladies, we can do the same thing! Taking a peek at the kind of dating and relationship advice guys are being fed is a great way to get into the mind of a dude and see why he acts the way he does. Every Wednesday I’ll be doing just that. Hopefully, this will explain a few things…

This Week’s Article: Her Best Friend Is A Guy by askmen.com.

As someone who has a lot of close platonic male friends in her life, this article particularly irked me. And by “irked,” I mean “pissed me the hell off.”

The boys (they are not men) over at AskMen refuses to believe that a male and female can truly ever be good friends. As they say, “we’re operating under the assumption that heterosexual men and women cannot be best friends; sex always gets in the way.” I know many people may believe this, but I am living testament to the fact that it is not true. I would never dream of sleeping with my best guy friends, who I absolutely adore, and I know they feel the same way about me. In fact, the mere thought of it all makes me puke in my mouth a little.

Moving on… Read More »

EXpectations: Your Boyfriend’s Ex is Also His Best Friend?

college_couple_intro

I’ve been dating this boy for about two months. He’s great, and so far things have been going really well. We spend a lot of time together without getting sick of each other, but haven’t meshed into a creepy and mushy single being like some couples are prone to. He makes me laugh, although it’s usually more at him than with him. He’s GREAT in bed. But best of all, I just feel comfortable with him. I’m not constantly paranoid about checking my makeup or trying to force witty conversation. I can be completely me, and he likes me more for it.

It’s perfect, right?
Not quite.

He has an ex-girlfriend. Not just any ex-girlfriend, THE ex-girlfriend. His first love, the only serious relationship he’s ever had, the girl he was with for his entire college life, the girl his parents thought he would marry. The girl who broke his heart and destroyed his life, but with all the best intentions. The girl who was such a big part of his life that they still talk almost every day. The girl whose mother still tells him he’s the son she never had. The girl he calls when he has a fight with me and needs to sort stuff out.

Of all the ex-girlfriends out there, this one is definitely the most intimidating. How do I compete with this girl who was so perfect? Is he over her? Why aren’t they still together? What if she doesn’t like me, or tries to sabotage this? Read More »