Have you ever thought about the dynamic of a group of girls? One minute you could go from talking about clothes and nails with your best girlfriends and next thing you know people are talking behind each other’s backs. I’m not saying this is always the case, but if you’re a girl reading this, I bet you can’t deny that you and your group have had ups and downs. In movies like Clueless and Wild Child, girl posses seem to dominate and make sense, but growing up I just didn’t understand this.

I was a guy’s girl. I know because instead of playing with dolls at age 8, I was with the boys playing legos. In middle school, I was with them on the field during gym class. And in high school, I confided in my best guy friends during things like breakups and bad SAT scores. Don’t get me wrong, I had girl friends but I never found the same trust in them as I did with the guys. For years, I was criticized on hanging out with too many boys. I was called names, and judged by people who thought I was “dating multiple guys at once.” I struggled for years to be able to admit that I am simply a “guy’s” girl, and here is why.

1. Guy’s advice is the best advice

Guys lay it all out there. If they don’t like the guy you’re dating, they will tell you. If you’re being overdramatic or overthinking something, they will tell you to shut up and move on. They are simple and straightforward. No lies, no BS, just honesty. Girls are going to try and sugarcoat their advice because we as girls are usually scared to hurt each other’s feelings face to face. Also, who could give you better advice about dating boys and getting a boy to like you, than an actual one himself?

2. Adopted brothers

As much as I love my sister, I always wished I could have a brother also. Someone to throw the ball around with or teach me how to skateboard and a family member who could protect over me in a way that I wouldn’t want my father to. I missed out on all these things but luckily, I have guy friends that feel like my adoptive brothers. They look after me and would seriously knock somebody out if they ever hurt me, I couldn’t ask for better.

3. They are always down for an adventure

I love my mall trips with my girlfriends and the nail appointments and slumber parties, but there’s nothing like jumping off a 40 foot cliff with your best guy friend. They bring you out of your shell and basically force you to step outside of your comfort zone. They challenge you to be “one of the guys”, and it can seriously make you a better person. My guy friends don’t care what I am wearing or what drama is currently happening at school. They would call me up at any time, tell me to get athletic clothes and sneakers on and we would go on the craziest adventures. Hiking, rock climbing, random tennis matches, and more, when I am with them nothing else matters besides having fun.

I have learned to branch out and yes, despite the tone of this article, I do in fact hang out with many girls as well. If you ask who I am always going to have a special bond with though and confide in… I am a guy’s girl and I find nothing wrong with it. We are always going to meet new people and be different than them and form different friendships. Our values, personalities, ethnicities, backgrounds and more are bound to never exactly match up. So why is it that the girls who hang out with mostly guys growing up are judged so much? I don’t think gender should determine who you can and cannot be friends with. Don’t ever let it stop you from meeting as many people as possible and forming bonds with whoever, despite your differences.