Once upon a time, I had these two great friends who started hanging out more and more together. They did everything together. He would tell me where he was taking her for dinner. She would tell me what she was planning for him for his birthday. It was positively charming. Then, I made the mistake of calling her his girlfriend. They brushed it off and changed the subject. I persisted in calling them boyfriend and girlfriend, respectively. Finally, they told me they didn’t want to be labeled.
At first, I didn’t understand. Now I do. I can’t say I agree with their decision entirely, but I do see why they choose to avoid a label. I mean, movie genres like “Horror” and “Comedy” were invented by marketing companies to provide context for a movie. But, it subconsciously influences us. So if a movie is sold as a “horror” and winds up being more of a “Thriller”, the gore lover is extremely disappointed. Pre-dispositions and expectations are funny like that. I guess that’s where labels ruin things.
The guy I’m dating is wonderful. We spend almost every waking moment together and are such a perfect fit for each other. Yet, the second I asked if he wanted to be boyfriends, things got all weird. I ruined what we had by trying to force a label on us.
In my defense, I love labels because it shows my pride in the relationship and also my choice in partner. But alas, relationships are not food products so they don’t always need labels.
What’s your experience with labels?
