I have the unfortunate luck of finding too many girls in my life and not enough women. It's not an age thing – some women are younger than girls. The difference is in the way the two types act, think and live their lives.
Women and girls see the world differently. They understand the world differently. And they interact with it differently. Girls are a dime a dozen, but women… women are a scarcity.
This isn't to say they are non-existent; they're just difficult to come by. To be fair, they aren't completely to blame -- women and girls have to deal with the same dynamic with men and boys.
As men (not boys), we have to make sure we don't get stuck dating a girl, it'll probably be the worst decision of our lives. While it can be difficult to tell the two apart, there are 10 obvious giveaways:
1. Girls like to dress in revealing clothes because they think they look sexy – women know they look sexy no matter what they wear.
Women understand that being provocative isn't the only way to be sexy. A woman doesn't have to have her everything hanging out in order to feel sexually appealing. Women are so confident in their own skin that they do not care what they are wearing – they know that they are sexy because they are sexy.
2. Girls expect their men to know how they feel and what they're thinking – women use their words.
Ladies… men cannot read minds. We wish that we could, it would make things a whole lot easier, but we can't. Girls believe that their men should understand them so well that they simply know what they are thinking, how they are feeling and what they are "hinting" at.
Unfortunately, most men are not well-versed in picking up such signals. This is the point at which women get frustrated and bitchy while women accept their counterparts' shortcomings and speak their minds instead.
3. Girls expect you to pay the tab – women are financially independent.
Girls like to be babied and taken care of, maybe they were spoiled growing up. Whatever the reason, girls don't like whipping out their wallets. A woman, on the other hand, although confident enough to allow her man to pay for her sometimes, also makes a point to cover the bill herself from time to time – for both of them.
A woman likes to remind her man that she only keeps him around because he respects her and treats her well, and that she doesn't need his cash.
4. Girls go out and get wasted – women can hold their liquor and know their limits.
You know that woman who's hounding the table at the clubs, waiting to pounce on the next bottle? Of course, you don't. A woman doesn't do that. Only girls chug down free booze in order to get hammered – it allows them to make poor decisions.
This isn't to say that women don't drink their fair share. They do. But they know their limits and never drink to the point of losing control. Women always stay in control.
5. Girls can't wait to update their Facebook status to “In a relationship” – women forget they have a Facebook.
Women are just too busy with real life to bother updating their Facebook statuses. They will probably do it eventually when they happen to be on there and remember to do so, but they won't go running onto the site the second they believe an updated status won't freak out their new man.
6. Girls watch junk TV – women read.
Some TV is great TV – the rest is pretty much garbage. Women do have their TV shows – some being guilty pleasures – but they also like to spend their time with their nose in books and magazines with substance.
They don't enjoy filling their lives with meaningless pop-culture garbage that gets regurgitated over the decade. Women like to keep sharp. Girls like to keep occupied.
7. Girls talk about trivial matters – women know how to hold a stimulating conversation.
This is probably one of the biggest differentiating factors. Most girls are awful at holding conversations. They aren't up-to-date on global affairs. They don't have any intellectual hobbies or interests. And their opinions aren't really their own, but are the opinions of others they heard and took as their own. Girls are boring. Women are fascinating.
8. Girls eat salads – women eat whatever the hell they want.
This isn't to say that women don't eat salads – some do. But they don't eat salads in front of men just to go home afterwards and chow down on a pint of ice cream.
Women eat healthily because they respect their bodies. Girls eat healthily to let everyone else know that they are eating healthily. A real woman will sit down and have a burger and fries with you, with no fuss. She knows she can and because she wants to, she will.
9. Girls stick to what they know – women are always searching to widen their horizons.
Women are experienced in life and therefore understand the importance of experiencing life. They do their best to see the world, meet people, explore possibilities. They are passionate and driven. Women take life by the horns. Girls aren't really sure what their purpose is – they're hoping to find a man to pick them up and show them the way.
10. Girls need guardians – women don't need anybody but themselves.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, sexier than a female who can take care of herself. All females are capable of it, but few actually take care of business. Girls like to coast along in life – always looking for handouts.
Women take what they want and don't need anyone to help get it. They are strong, confident and independent. Women are the future. Girls are the past.
