It’s a blessing and a curse to be considered “the bro.” What does it even mean, in all honesty? Well, I’ve come to learn from personal experience that being that one designated girl in your friend group that claims the crown for being the bro means that you’re pretty much one of the guys. Sometimes, we initially deny it. Sometimes, we get overly excited the first time someone says it. Sometimes, we just don’t care. But in the long run, we will eventually embrace the lifestyle of being one of the guys—and yes, we will love it… usually.

Being a tomboy is not the same a being a bro.

It may be a significant part of it, but it is not equivalent. Being a tomboy means that you throw your hair in a ponytail or put a baseball hat on instead of taking the time to straighten it, you’d rather wear a T-shirt than a dress, and you prefer playing sports to trying new eyeliner techniques. It’s easy to be a tomboy. It’s a way of life. The difference is that being a tomboy is your individual being, but being a bro is having a connection like no other to your guy friends because of your individual being. You can’t really choose to be a bro. You also can't decide that you are a bro because that's the guys' job. Once relationships are established where your guy friends acknowledge your chill vibe and laid back attitude, a new comfort is developed and it is a two way street. It just happens.

That being said, just because I have a lot of guy friends does not make me a slut.

Yes, I hang out with pretty much only guys. Yes, I also have a boyfriend of nine months. No, I am not dating or hooking up with all of my guy friends because that would be almost equivalent to hooking up with my brothers. One of the most frustrating parts about being friends with all guys is that chatty girls decide to spread rumors that give you a really bad reputation. On the plus side, it's hard to care very much about what other people think of you when you're busy kicking back playing Super Smash Bros and laughing at the stupidity of other peoples' assumptions with your guys. A bro doesn't worry much about what others say about her because as long as the people you care about are all on the same page, there is absolutely no reason to change the lifestyle of luxury... and by that I mean belching on the couch after devouring a plate of nachos.

In fact, I'm pretty much always the designated wingman.

I don't have to worry about impressing my guy friends because I already have a boyfriend who I love very much. Just because I'm incredibly lazy and get a piggyback from my friend down the stairs does not mean that we are hooking up. My job instead is to be the best damn wingman out there and get my friends some quality girls that I approve of because, let's be real, if there's gonna be another girl added to the mix, I have to make sure she's a keeper.

So sometimes I have to dress up all nice and pretty when we are going out and that may even involve makeup! Shit...

Just because I'm a bro does not mean that I have penis. I'm still a girl and I wear dresses (mainly because I'm often too lazy to put on pants) and I own a very limited selection of makeup from CVS, but hey, I have makeup! I may not ever wear it, but I do have it! That being said, you get so used to living in your glasses and sweatpants and the same shirt you've been wearing for three days straight that your friends are very impressed when you actually brush your hair. Either way, I get ready with the girls, but it only takes me 5 minutes to brush on powder foundation and put on mascara, so then I go watch dumb TV shows with the guys and eat chips while we wait for them to finish.

Yes, I also have friends who are girls! Okay, fine, maybe just one...

Just because I only have guy friends does not mean that I avoid girls at all cost. I mean, I don't prefer girls as much, but when you find the right one, she becomes your best friend. I don't know where I'd be without my best friend and our cuddling, snacking, and Netflix-binging, but pretty much all other girls just become acquaintances because I've already found my other half and that's all I need. She hangs out with our bros and we are all one big happy family.

So yeah, it definitely has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, I'm happy as hell with the people I'm surrounded by. We may be judged and gross and rate our belches on a 0-10 scale, but I get to be the one kicking everyone's asses in Mario Kart in my pajamas while other girls are busy wearing heels and trying to impress my guys.