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A Single Girl in Athens: Being the Third Wheel

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Alisa Caton
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rebekah Meiser
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ohio U chapter.

One of the many joys of being single is your single group of girls. You all hit the town on the weekends, movie nights, and lunch dates. It is the absolute best distraction from realizing how single you are. That is until the worst possible thing happens; boyfriends start to pop up in this group of friends. All of a sudden your nights out are getting less frequent and you are watching movies alone, or the worst of it all, you become the third wheel.
Tagging along with your friend and her boyfriend can be one of the most depressing activities. Unlike before when your friend was your distraction, she is now the neon sign in front of you screaming, “YOU ARE SINGLE.” It really isn’t fun. But in order to make the situation bearable, here are a few pros and cons about the new man in your friend’s life.

PRO: He will bring his own friends along and they could be great guys. It is possible that this dream man of your friend’s may be the perfect outlet to find your own prince charming. So to avoid an awkward third wheel situation, encourage him to invite his friends along as well.

CON: He will bring his friends along and they could suck. Just when you thought being the third wheel was the worst punishment attached to this new fellow, you realize that you’re wrong; now have to hang out with his lack-of-personality friends all night. In this situation, have a couple drinks to please your friend and then get the hell out of there. 

PRO: You could befriend him. A girl loves nothing more than her boyfriend and friends getting along, so your friend would really appreciate this. If you guys end up friends then he could have great male advice for you.

CON: Worst-case scenario your friend’s boyfriend is an all out loser and you don’t like him at all. Be careful about sharing this information with your friend since she will probably be offended you don’t love her new man. Instead wait until something extremely concerning happens to share your feelings with your friend. Or, start praying for a break-up.

All in all, give this guy a chance, because if your friend found something in him then most likely you will too.  Just beware of any blind dates these two may try to set you up on.

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Rebekah Meiser is a senior studying Magazine Journalism at Ohio University, with a split specialization in Italian and Art History. Like many Italians, she is obnoxiously proud of her heritage and fully embraces it by consuming embarrassing amounts of pasta, bread and cheese. She currently owes a scary amount of money to the government, but continues to masochistically check Net-a-Porter and Urban Outfitters online for beautiful items that she lusts but cannot afford. Rebekah goes to school in the middle of some of the best cornfields in Ohio. Although she finds the location less than ideal, she has become an avid star-gazer thanks to the unpolluted sky. A true lover of fashion, her friends make fun of her for playing dress up as often as she does, but she’s not one to be discouraged. Rebekah also loves to run (read: alternate between jogging and walking), read fashion blogs, bake, and read magazines (of which she owns a forest-worth). She hopes to live and work in New York City after she graduates in the spring.