How many girlfriends/boyfriends have you had?

[BucEyedPea]

Six as actual boyfriends meaning in a relationship that's fairly long-term and exclusive; 7 mos min or longer by a year or more starting from age 16. ( My first infatuation that I thought was love) Not counting people I dated for a short time or on/off.

[Gadzooks]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Six as actual boyfriends meaning in a relationship that's fairly long-term and exclusive; 7 mos min or longer by a year or more starting from age 16. ( My first infatuation that I thought was love) Not counting people I dated for a short time or on/off.

As a lady do you agree with Rainman's definition of a girlfriend? You seem to add a clause of exclusive for 7 months or more...

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Gadzooks

As a lady do you agree with Rainman's definition of a girlfriend? You seem to add a clause of exclusive for 7 months or more...

I was struggling to define the term, and that's an interesting topic in an of itself. For simplicity, I'll use the term 'girlfriend' below, but it could apply to either.

"Girlfriend" implies a romantic relationship, though that doesn't necessarily have to be a sexual relationship.

"Girlfriend" implies some length or duration of the relationship, but it doesn't have to be long. Maybe it's more about intensity, so it's not just 'this girl I had a date with'.

To many, 'girlfriend' would imply some exclusivity, but that's not necessarily ironclad. A person could conceivably have two girlfriends if they're okay with the deal. (Or if they don't know, then it still implies some exclusivity on the female's part, right?)

"Girlfriend" implies familiarity. It means that you're past the point of dressing to impress as a requirement, even if you still do it. And it implies that you know each other well enough that you can use this honorific as a title.

"Girlfriend" implies a preference. She's your default date to the movies on Friday and you're hers.

Agree? Disagree? The definition may be changing over time, too, and it's been a long time since I've had to consider my own use of the term. So maybe I'm out of date.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I was struggling to define the term, and that's an interesting topic in an of itself. For simplicity, I'll use the term 'girlfriend' below, but it could apply to either.

"Girlfriend" implies a romantic relationship, though that doesn't necessarily have to be a sexual relationship.

"Girlfriend" implies some length or duration of the relationship, but it doesn't have to be long. Maybe it's more about intensity, so it's not just 'this girl I had a date with'.

To many, 'girlfriend' would imply some exclusivity, but that's not necessarily ironclad. A person could conceivably have two girlfriends if they're okay with the deal. (Or if they don't know, then it still implies some exclusivity on the female's part, right?)

"Girlfriend" implies familiarity. It means that you're past the point of dressing to impress as a requirement, even if you still do it. And it implies that you know each other well enough that you can use this honorific as a title.

"Girlfriend" implies a preference. She's your default date to the movies on Friday and you're hers.

Agree? Disagree? The definition may be changing over time, too, and it's been a long time since I've had to consider my own use of the term. So maybe I'm out of date.

That's overcomplicated as !@#$.

Have you ever stood alongside her and introduced her to anyone of importance as 'my girlfriend...'

If no, she's not. If yes, she is.

It takes a fair amount of understanding between the parties involved to get to holding each other out as boyfriend/girlfriend. You don't do it in front of her if you haven't gotten there yet. And if you won't do it yet, it don't count.

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

That's overcomplicated as !@#$.

Have you ever stood alongside her and introduced her to anyone of importance as 'my girlfriend...'

If no, she's not. If yes, she is.

It takes a fair amount of understanding between the parties involved to get to holding each other out as boyfriend/girlfriend. You don't do it in front of her if you haven't gotten there yet. And if you won't do it yet, it don't count.

Sure, but what about situations where a chick refers to you as her boyfriend but you don't reciprocate with friends/family. Failure by a guy to acknowledge a relationship doesn't necessarily negate the seriousness of one.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Cave Johnson

Sure, but what about situations where a chick refers to you as her boyfriend but you don't reciprocate with friends/family. Failure by a guy to acknowledge a relationship doesn't necessarily negate the seriousness of one.

I don't agree.

If you won't call her your girlfriend, then she's just some chick you're dating for a bit.

And if she calls you her boyfriend when you're around and you keep calling her your friend when she's around, you'll find out real fast that the dating thing isn't long for this world.

You're simply at the precipice of the 'girlfriend/not a girlfriend' decision at that point. You can start calling her a girlfriend and she'll keep dating you, or you can continue to call her 'my pal' and get curbed. Your choice says plenty about the relationship status.

[oldman]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

To many, 'girlfriend' would imply some exclusivity, but that's not necessarily ironclad. A person could conceivably have two girlfriends if they're okay with the deal. (Or if they don't know, then it still implies some exclusivity on the female's part, right?)

Like I said earlier, the late 60s were complicated or maybe I should use the term fluid.