Posted on: Tuesday, January 11, 2005
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ABOUT WOMEN
Girls' night out is just for us girls
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By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
A bunch of my girlfriends are getting married this year, which means my calendar will be full of weddings and bridal showers.
I enjoy these occasions — they are touching and sweet. But I have to admit I'm also pretty excited about another celebrated, yet less mannerly, bridal event.
The bachelorette party.
No, it's not that I want to see men dancing around in G-strings. (Believe what you want, but I think other women will back me up on this. Can you say "Too much information"?)
It's just that the bachelorette party is the last chance for the bride-to-be to live it up with the girls before she enters the world of matrimony.
In other words, before she leaves us.
OK, so I'm being a little dramatic. But I don't see my married friends as much as my fellow single buddies. Many of them have kids or are pregnant, which makes going out for pupus and drinks — or even a trip to Starbucks — a bit more complicated. Their priorities, rightfully, have changed.
Which illustrates the importance of such girls-only field trips. And I do emphasize girls-only.
I've heard about soon-to-be-married couples having joint bachelor-bachelorette parties. Perhaps their friends get along so well these couples would rather share this bash, even if they're already going to be spending the rest of their lives together.
It's also a convenient way to supervise each other during this last spree as a single person. And if this is the case, hel-LO, shouldn't you trust the person you're planning to marry by now?
I'm not saying such joint parties can't be fun. I just think it can't be nearly as much fun as an outing with only the girls.
There's something to be said for Girls' Night Out.
We speak more freely. We laugh louder. We get a little silly.
Some of this could be attributed to beer and cocktails, but the real intoxication comes with the freedom to do and say what we want without having to explain ourselves to shoulder-shrugging, head-shaking guys.
The bachelorette party is the mother of all girlie get-togethers. There's no need to justify one's behavior at an event commemorating a woman's final moments as a single person. No apologies. No looking back, except at giggle-inducing images captured on digital cameras.
The guest of honor with the makeshift veil on her head is invincible, and tagging along is never boring. She's determined to have fun, and we're determined to show her a good time, whatever and wherever it may be. (Did I also mention that calories and carbs don't count on this day? Now who could say no to that?)
So while I look forward to wearing Cinnamon Girl dresses and dabbing my eyes at my friends' weddings, I say bring on the bachelorette parties, too.
Just keep the dancing men away from me.
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-2470.
