Recently going out with a bunch of just guys gave me a whole new experience of 'hanging out'. Usually going out in mixed-gender groups or all-girl groups, it did feel a little strange at first. Maybe these differences don't apply to all of guy groups, but this was what I observed.
1. Manner of Speech
Girls obviously have higher pitched voices, but this seems to correlate with the speed at which they talk. Girls talk fast, whereas guys have a more chill and relaxed manner of talking. Guys, when excited about anything, still talk much slower than girls. Girls are just all over the place, talking about this, that, and in a group, five different things could be going on at once. With guys, one person talks, everyone listens. With girls, three people talk, and nobody listens. If you're lucky, the quiet girl of the group will listen to the jabber and smile with acknowledgement. Which leads me to the next difference...
2. Length of Conversation
Guys can linger on one topic for ages, but girls drift from conversation to conversation, with several people, until they find one that everyone can contribute to, which then makes it the longest and deepest conversational topic. It's tiring sometimes to be at a table with girls because once you have something to say, conversation shifts and suddenly nobody talks about the thing you wanted to say. Inside your head you're just like, 'But... I had a thing going on.' *cries inwardly*
3. Size of Travelling Herd
Ah, this. The classic 'girls travel in packs' dig. With girls, it's part of the code of conduct to raise a question of 'Anybody wants to go to the toilet?' to the others. And even if nobody else needs to go, somehow it's ethical to go in at least a group of three. ('It's ok la, I'll go with you.') I can't count the many times I've been to the toilet with girlfriends, just to stand outside, next to the paper towel dispenser, and wait for them to be done. But with guys? You want to go toilet, then you go toilet. Ain't nobody gonna follow you for moral support.
4. Shopping
Guys shop with a mission. They want to get food? They visit the food court. They want a drink? They drop by a beverage bar. They want to find a specific item of clothing? They tackle only the shops that they know will have the item. Girls, on the other hand, may say they want a new pair of jeans, but more often than not, I find the girls wandering in stationery shops, the accessories store, the grocery department, an ice-cream kiosk and five hundred clothing stores. After this long, drawn-out adventure, the girl who just now declared that she needed a new pair of jeans ends up empty handed, but everyone else has a new pencil holder, three pairs of earrings (only RM10!), grapes for the family, a cup of ice-cream (mango & chocolate), and possibly that cute floral print dress from H&M. Girl time!
5. Photo-taking
This has become such a ritual, almost, among girls, that it felt like something was missing when I was with the guys. I never initiate a photo-taking session when I'm with friends (mostly because I'm just lazy), but I always end up taking the photo (selfie-style) just because I have 'long arms'. We could well be eating our pasta in a nice restaurant and somebody will yell out of the blue, 'Snapchat!' Everyone will then automatically turn to the person who yelled, and make a face or smile at the smartphone. Naturally. Just before we leave the venue, or just before one of the girls go home, we'll be sure to take a nice group photo, preferably with an iconic statue that the mall has or with nice decorations pertaining to the season. That photo will be our 'official' photo of the day, and this will go up on at least half of the girls' Instagram accounts. With guys, this doesn't happen! Almost 4 hours of being in the same place, doing the same things, and no mention of a photo. Only after we played a game at the mall did we take a photo, which wasn't our idea anyway; it was a procedure that the staff-in-charge had to carry out. So there we were, taking a photo that wasn't even saved in our phones, and we had to wait for it to be out on the game outlet's Facebook page if we really wanted to see it/re-upload it. But honestly, I doubt that's going to happen.
*****
Being with girls and being with guys is clearly a different experience, but it's fun either way. I wrote this to take a jab at society and how things just are, and I did not write this to offend or insult any particular person. I thought it would be a laugh to write out some differences we all know too well, and I hope some of these were relatable. *winks*