Graphic by Andrew Mazariegos-Ovalle/The Olaf Messenger
The most annoying word in the whole dictionary has got to be “boyfriend.” Don’t you hate it when you ask a friend out and they reply, “Sorry, I’m doing something with my boyfriend?” Through your mind the thought that appears cannot be anything but “just use his actual name.” Why is it that we as college students are so embarrassed at the idea of love? Why is it that we cannot normalize something that happens naturally in literally every single college campus, in the real world? It seems as though not only social media but the profile of people nowadays has alienated us into believing that people are not supposed to be openly emotional, especially when it comes to a significant other.
I can certainly state that absolutely everything is cringe, icky, disgusting, and annoying. Human interactions that are completely normal cannot be but something to be embarrassed about. Everything is embarrassing, everything is icky, and you cannot live without the fear of constantly being judged, of being laughed at. While a public display of affection can make people uncomfortable, holding hands in the quad should not be illegal. These things are normal. And I am not saying this because I am in a relationship, but because I don’t condone the normalization of turning ourselves into machines with a lack of emotional availability. Maybe it’s because I can be sensible and insecure, but speaking to fellow girlies, it really is hard to breathe when girls are always under a magnifying glass of judgment.
It has also led me to stop being as openly proud about my sexual orientation. It’s like my own community invalidates me because I am attracted to both men and women. Did you know that that includes men? It’s like you’re not allowed to be a part of the community the moment you don’t look like you’re a part of it. I have dated girls, and guys — it’s almost like I am bisexual! Not to mention that in college the dating pool can be incredibly limited, especially in times like today. People put more effort into their Hinge profiles than their internship applications, and even then you always have to make sure to put up an appearance that you are chill, aloof, cool. These appearances constantly shatter the tissues of true human friendship, love, and connections in general. So excuse me if I want to be proud that I met someone cool at a bonfire and actually like spending time with him, and I don’t have to pretend like I am cool and mysterious with anyone. If that makes me an annoying person, then I’ll proudly be annoying.
Can we, then, please start a petition to be able to flaunt the fact that maybe us girls sometimes have boyfriends? Or can we just let women be? This is why discourse like this ends up being a Heartbeat. I don’t want to apologize for valuing and cherishing true human connection.
