https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/1qxv9n/does_the_cool_girl_exist_its_so_exhausting_trying/

Started looking at articles related to the 'cool girl syndrome' and came across this twox thread where many women admit that they were merely putting on a show attempting to be this 'cool girl' archetype. It got me thinking if the 'cool girl' even really exists.

Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl. Men actually think this girl exists. Maybe they’re fooled because so many women are willing to pretend to be this girl. For a long time Cool Girl offended me. I used to see men - friends, coworkers, strangers - giddy over these awful pretender women, and I’d want to sit these men down and calmly say: You are not dating a woman, you are dating a woman who has watched too many movies written by socially awkward men who’d like to believe that this kind of woman exists and might kiss them."

Comment 1:

Thing was, at the time I hadn't realized I was doing this. I had convinced myself to think I liked things I didn't like, was hyper sexual, didn't enjoy the company of girls and was totally ok with guys that didn't call. It's a charade you can't keep up long. It's too exhausting to be so "cool" all the time. My relationships never lasted much more then a month and I think this was a major factor. Now that I'm in my first long term relationship every once in a while my husband will say something like "but you said you liked X" and then look confused and disappointed at me that I don't want to do whatever it is. It breaks my heart, like I tricked him into falling for me. I know now that he loves me for how I really am but would I have caught his attention competing with everyone else playing the "cool girl"? I don't know.

Comment 2:

One of the reasons my last relationship failed was because I suffered from a very severe case of what I've heard called "cool girlfriend syndrome." I was so worried about my partner and his friends perceiving me as "nagging," "bitchy," or "controlling" that I didn't voice any concerns when I was troubled or unhappy with his behavior. And by the time I realized what I had done, the behavior was super normalized and it was too late. He didn't get me a Christmas gift? Shrugged it off. Stopped getting gifts after that. He tweeted about checking out other girls? Didn't say anything. He started tweeting more and more. And so on and so on. I was more concerned about how I was perceived, and how our relationship was perceived by outsiders, than my own happiness within the relationship. I've since conquered my Cool Girlfriend Syndrome and life's much better now.

Comment 3:

Honestly, when I was little, I resented "girly" girls because they got to be liked and popular for it. I internalized a disliking for all things feminine. As the years wore on, I came to terms with this and realized that disliking girls for being girly is just as bad as when other kids didn't like me for liking boyish things. It's sexist and mean, and I can't take part in that. Now, I still like TMNT and video games, but I like wearing dresses and squealing at cute puppies. It's my own choice to decide what it means for me to be a woman, and as long as I'm true to myself, that's all that matters. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just a doodie-head.

Q4All: Do you think the 'cool girl' even exists?

Q4All: Do you have any experiences with one you'd like to share?