So, a guy wants to buy you a drink and you’re hesitant about letting him. Your hand automatically reaches for your purse to indicate that you’re willing to pay for yourself. Why are you doing that? You may have a great career and earn more than him, but your birth control still costs $50 a pack. Here are some drinks to go ahead and let him by because women’s healthcare isn’t getting any cheaper:
Gin and Tonic
Initially invented as a cheap antimalarial treatment, gin and tonics now cost $17 for some reason. Let your boyfriend buy you one despite your reluctance to reinforce this gender norm. Don’t worry! Remind yourself you’re already paying $50 a pack for a basic medication that should be free. Birth control gives you the ability to plan your life without being hindered by untimely, unwanted pregnancies—a fear men never have to live with! In fact, their inability to get pregnant only gives them more advantages. So just let him buy you this, just this once.
Subak-Soju
Subak-Soju is a watermelon juice cocktail that this Citibank analyst wants to buy you, so why not let him? After all, every night he probably showers in the cash he made that day and then flushes it down the toilet. Meanwhile, you’re dropping enough money on birth control to take yourself out for a nice dinner on your own. Did you know that if everyone had access to them, it could prevent up to 71% of the abortions performed in the U.S. annually, and 100% of the abortions performed on you, ever? Repeat this logic to yourself as you let him to buy you this one stupid drink!
The Pavlova
You’ll feel as sunny as this apricot cocktail tastes when you say, “Okay fine, you can pay for my drink.” After all, your birth control still costs as much as a budget airline flight to Chicago, even though birth control being free could save the U.S. billions of dollars a year. Because when unwanted pregnancies decrease, so do the costs of public assistance, health care and income lost as a result of lower education among children born to teenage, or otherwise unprepared mothers. So cheers! Just let your date pay for this round because he’ll never have to worry about this stuff.
Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary is a unique blend of tomato juice and vodka that you can just let your boyfriend buy for you. If you feel weird about it, remind yourself that no one’s trying to regulate his body. However, people still protest that insurance covers the birth control you need for your polycystic ovarian syndrome, because they think that women exclusively use birth control for having premarital sex. But many birth control users cite different medical issues ranging from acne to ovarian cancer. At least let your boyfriend be the one leaking money tonight when he pays for this cocktail.
Women’s access to birth control has improved a lot over the years, and there’s still more to be done. In the meantime, at least you didn’t have to pay for this drink?
