You see a girl and a guy walking down the street and you automatically start wondering how long they have been together, because it is obviously a date, right? In today’s society, it is almost impossible to have a platonic relationship with someone of the opposite sex without people around making awkward assumptions. However, girls have to deal with more of these misconceptions, which can give us a really bad rep. Coming from a girl that has plenty of guy friends, it is very possible to have a friendship with a dude and no underlying meaning behind it. Here are some common misconceptions of a girl with a lot of guy friends (and reasons why they are foolish).

1. “They’re probably hooking up.”

This is one of the most awkward misconceptions between two totally platonic friends of the opposite sex. Just like the example above, it is very hard these days to have a guy friend without people assuming that the everyday conversation between the two is more like flirting. However, coming from first-hand experience, it is very possible to have every day conversation without being flirty.

2. “They just like the attention.”

Honestly, if I wanted more attention from my guy friends, I’d go out and find new ones. For as long as I have known any of these friends, I know they are the last people to give me special attention. Being that I am just another friend to them, it does not matter how I fix my hair or what I’m wearing, the random chick across the street will be the topic of the conversation rather than myself.

3. “Someone always feels more.”

This is probably the most understandable of the common misconceptions. However, it is not always true. While I have had guys try to be my friend with ulterior motives, I still have the special ones that have been around for years without any more feeling than their brotherly love.

4. “They need a guy to be happy.”

Like every example explains, just because they are of the opposite sex does not mean I think of them any more than the average friend.They aren’t treated any differently than my other girls friends (yes, I have those too) so no, I do not need a guy to feel happy, but a friend helps.

5. “They can’t be girly around the guys.”

Although I would not consider myself a “girly-girl”, this statement is still false. I don’t feel the need to hide my sensitive thoughts around my guy friends or act tougher when they come around. I mean, I may not be able to depend on them to share tampons, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten weird looks from crying over that sappy romance story.