Man Backed After Realizing His 'Friends' Introduced Girlfriend as a Joke

Good friends laugh together and fool around, but sometimes pranks can go too far.

One man found this out the hard way, after discovering his friends originally set him up with his long-term girlfriend "as a joke."

Posting to Reddit's True Off My Chest forum on August 11, user u/TheThrowawayBuddy explained he'd met his girlfriend through friends the summer after graduating from high school. The relationship has been "the greatest four years of his life," and he's planning to propose to her later this year.

"We always joke about getting married, having a weird geeky wedding & starting a family - and I really want that so much," he said.

However, after telling the plan to his three closest friends—who he'd known since elementary school—they dropped a bombshell.

He said: "They kept asking if [I] was serious, even calling me a d******. They really were going at it with me.

"I just figured they hated the idea of marriage, so I ignored their comments. That's when they told me the truth, and holy shit the proof they had made it even worse."

His friends had met the poster's girlfriend eight years ago at midnight bowling. They thought she was "hot and cool" so stayed in touch with her.

"My friends continued hanging out with my girlfriend, smoking weed, playing video games, anime - and of course, sex," he said.

"They told me they'd 'pass her around the group for fun,' and that's practically why they were friends with her. They kept using the word slut. All 3 of my close friends have slept with her plenty of times."

Apparently, his friends introduced him to his girlfriend to see if he could "get lucky" and told him that he was a "d***** for dating her."

He said: "The only reason my friends told me this was because they think getting married to her is 'too far,' so they expected me knowing the truth would lead to me dumping her."

So-called slut-shaming is the stigmatization of someone based on their appearance and sexual availability—whether perceived or real. Slut-shaming is considered a gendered form of discrimination, as it disproportionally impacts women and girls, and begins in adolescence.

A 2021 study showed that being slut-shamed has a negative impact on a teen girl's wellbeing and development, and can lead to depression and other health problems.

Those who had experienced abuse in childhood—whether physical, emotional or sexual—were more likely to suffer mental health issues if slut-shamed. LGBTQ+ girls and those who don't conform to traditional gender norms are also more likely to be victims, with 57 percent of bisexual and 25 percent of lesbians surveyed having being slut-shamed at least once.

A 2019 study on "heterosexual double-standards" found that participants viewed highly sexual men and less sexual women in a positive light, while highly sexual women and less sexual men were perceived more negatively. Women were also judged more harshly for having casual sex, having sex at an early age, and even for their "general sexual activity level."

Unfortunately, TheThrowawayBuddy's pals weren't sorry for the pain they caused her friend. Rather than send apologies, they sent jokes instead. After talking to his girlfriend, he decided to cut them out of his life.

"What I know doesn't change my feelings towards [my girlfriend]," he said.

"I'm mad at my so-called friends. They're taking all of this as a joke, speaking of my girlfriend awfully. They didn't have good intentions when they introduced me to my girlfriend, they simply 'passed her to me' thinking I was going to treat her like a toy or a piece of meat."

Redditors were horrified by his friends' actions, with the post receiving more than 11,000 upvotes and over 2,500 comments at the time of writing.

Relative-Bank-1258 calling them "scum."

"The only thing the friends did right to the girl was introducing her to op," he said.

JacLac agreed, writing: "So your former friends 'befriended' a lonely 14 yr old girl, made her feel like she mattered, then gave alcohol and drugs [and] passed her round like a piece of meat. F****** lowlifes."

"With friends like that, who needs enemies?" said Abra_Kadabra_99.

While TruthfulBoy commented: "You're a kind, Good, person. You showed her that she didn't have to be treated like garbage, that she deserved better.

"I'm glad you cut ties with those cruel bullies. I wish you both so much happiness."

Newsweek has reached out to u/TheThrowawayBuddy for comment.