Boys having bromances

The wait is over! Bromances should have been one of the first posts, but alas all good things are worth waiting for. For those of you who are not familiar with the term, Urban Dictionary defines bromance as: the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males. That does not sound so bad. Boys loving each other in a friendly way is perfectly acceptable. Isn't that what football is about? A bunch of guys running around tackling and slapping each other on the ass to form piles of man love? I bet my guy friends would very much disagree with their beloved sport being turned into a homoerotic romp. I digress.

Guys having bros is definitely nothing new, but the bromance (and its term being coined) shows a turn in the way guys are expressing feelings for each other. In the old days, let's say the 1980's- I'm thinking Weekend At Bernie's is a good example, guys would show their affection by going to sporting events, or hanging out at bars to pick up chicks, maybe going to a sports bar for dinner. In other words, doing things that girls don't generally want to do. These days boys talk on the phone with their guy friends. Not just "Hey want to watch the game on Sunday?" but real, involved conversations. They hug each other with all body parts touching, not the one armed partial handshake hug of yore. If you have seen Superbad, the snuggle scene is the ultimate bromantic scene in cinema possibly to this date. I think it is only a matter of time before boys start going to the bathroom in pairs.

Don't think that I'm against boys having feelings, or having close friends. I just think that if boys are choosing to bond through snuggling, or feel the need to accompany each other to the restroom, they should not cry when I call them girls.

Boys having bromances (prelude)

This is a place holder for when I am able to devote the proper amount of time to the topic. Prepare yourself, it is coming soon.

Boys giving me writers block

I have been a bit of a shut-in the last few weeks, which may explain my lack of material. I'm not yet ready to believe that boys have been taking ques from my blog and acting more like boys. So I'm pretty sure my problem is a bit of writer's block. No girl (or boy who is a girl) is an island, therefore I am reaching out for help. I ask of you, dear reader, have you spotted any boys acting like girls? If so, please leave me comments. I will ponder and write about your suggestions. I hope you have some! If you don't, I guess I'll have to start going out more. Is that really what you want?

Boys gossiping

So I actually witnessed this: a boy went out of his way to eavesdrop on a married couple's argument. I was at a birthday party with lots of married couples in attendance. One of the married couples walked off to the side basically out of earshot of the party population to talk. There was no yelling, but there were slightly exaggerated arm movements. The group I was standing with noticed the move but didn't think much of it until Gossip Boy, out of nowhere, says he going to find out what the drama is. No one suggested he do this. He thought of it all on his own. Gossip Boy is not married, he didn't really know the people who were arguing, he was simply feeling meddlesome. Gossiping has always been thought of as a girl's activity. There is a show called Gossip Girl for god's sake. If boys are sneaking around to find out random gossip, maybe they need their own show titled: Gossip Boys Are The New Girls.

Boys having monthly emotional outbursts (BMS)

PMS is a serious issue for lots of women. Mary J Blige wrote a poignant song about it (It's called PMS. If you have not heard it you should look it up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvWYIh50IEw and listen while you are reading this. I suggest you sing along with the hilarious backup singers.). I've noticed that several boys seem to have a form of PMS. They don't have bloating or cramps, but once a month for a few consecutive days they are irritable. Irritable is stating it mildly; bitchy is more correct. Let's call this phenomenon BMS (Bitchy Male Syndrome).

Case in point: a friend of mine is generally a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He is pleasant to be around, makes an effort not to get stressed about little things. But out of nowhere and about once a month, he will freak out if you ask a simple question. The question can be something like "Did you go to the movies last night?" His response will involve a rude retort along the lines of "Why are you asking what I did last night? Stay out of my business!" He may also end this response with door slamming. If I ask the same question a week earlier or later he would tell me about his evening at the movies, what he saw, who he went with, how he liked the movie, etc. This behavior can be classified as classic BMS. He is not the only boy I know who has BMS. The bitchy behavior is unpredictable and their actions at the time are completely irrational. I'm not suggesting that balls are turning into ovaries, however, boys having hormonal outbursts is further proof that boys are the new girls.