Recently, one of my friends told me he doesn’t want to be accompanied anymore to all the cocktail parties and official dinners he’s invited. My friend is a star in science. Every time he arrives in a room, everyone looks at him and wants to talk to him. When we go out together just for a walk, we’re always interrupted by people who want to talk to him. He’s not a star like Stromae or Justin Bieber, who can’t go out without provoking hysteria and lots of people who want to have a selfie, a picture, or a chat with them. But he’s not like me, who can walk in a park or an exhibition without being interrupted.
Many women he dated had difficulty to stand next to him. One of his ex was even passive-aggressive with him. One of his ex was jealous of his success, and tried anything to bring him down. I was appalled by her behavior. I warned my friend she was mean with him. I asked him why he needs to be accompanied to his cocktail parties and official dinners. He didn’t reply, but I understand it’s important in high society to be plus one. In many people magazines, famous people are always accompanied by their plus one, usually the spouse.
I do understand his ex, though. Because it’s difficult to be the plus one of your significant other in official parties. In the film “The wife”, the character played by Glenn Close is shocked by her husband’s behavior during their stay in Stockholm. Joe Castleman says to his interlocutor his wife is bad at writing. People barely talk to her and are focused on her husband, who won the Nobel Prize of Literature.
It’s different from the experience I have with company parties. Usually, everyone knows each other during those parties, and with time, I’ve been introduced to every significant other of my coworkers. It was the same with my ex’s company parties. Usually, my coworkers stand next to their significant other all the time and don’t leave him/her alone. I only saw one exception once with my former boss and his wife. His wife was left alone at the bar while he was talking to everyone in the room. She always looked pissed. He never introduced her to us. I’ve never talked to her. I guess she has a difficulty to be next to him at official parties.
So, what’s your behavior with your significant other during parties?
What's love got to do with it? 