Going clubbing at 18 vs 28: differences and similarities

The time has arrived to admit that I’m getting older and to compare myself with my past version of ten years ago. This blog post is about the differences between going at the disco at 28 years old (I’m 28, if you didn’t know that already) and going to the disco at 18 years old. I don’t need to add anything. I mean, disco. It can’t get more juicy than that. Enjoy!

Photo by Anthony Delanoix

DECIDING WHAT TO WEAR. The “getting ready for the disco” ritual starts hours before the disco. This decision involves at least your mum, your sister and the girl friend(s) you’re going to dance with.

At 18. You text with your friends (yes, that’s for sure plural at 18 years old because you always go dancing with plenty of girl friends) whether they’re gonna wear a pair of jeans or a mini-skirt. Just to make sure you’re not, respectively, the one who is too undressed or the one who is too dressed. Then you go to your room with mum and sister, take all the possible options out of your closet (there’s a lot of them!), mix and match to find the best possible combination.

At 28. You only have two options: the black dress you wore at Saint Sylvester Eve two years ago or the black dress you wore at Saint Sylvester Eve three years ago. Mum and sister roll their eyes up wondering what happened to you and your good taste and blame those “bad companies” of computer scientists and nerds I hung out with in Germany. Mum takes out the black dress she wore at Saint Sylvester Eve one year ago and say that this is what I should wear tonight. Period. You text your friend (yes, singular, because somehow at 28 it’s hard to find gals still interested in dancing at the disco) and tell her that, no matter if she’s going to wear black trousers, you’re gonna wear a black dress because your mum told you so.

SHOWER + GETTING DRESSED + MAKEUP. Now you need to get ready to go to the disco.

At 18. You’re so excited that you start getting ready two hours earlier. It also takes so long for you to blow dry your hair and you haven’t quite figured out how to make it straight despite your efforts with the hair dryer and the brush. Wearing contact lenses is still a struggle because sometimes they break inside the eye and you have to call your sister for aid. Makeup takes a while as well because you don’t normally wear it to go to school. You deliberately decided to do that because: “if I wear makeup every day now that I’m 18, what am I gonna do at 28?” The best part is to finalise your outfit with a glowing pink Dior gloss. Ready!

Photo by Diana Kadreva

At 28. You lay on the sofa in front of the TV until half an hour before you need to get out of the house. Super straight hair isn’t that cool anymore and being allowed to leave some natural curls makes you dry your hair super fast. Contact lenses? The only problem is to remember to buy them. Makeup? You’re kidding me of course, I do this EVERY day. The best part is to finalise your outfit with a matt red Dior lipstick. Ready!

PARKING. Well, parking is the last step of the “heading to the disco procedure”.

At 18. You’re not into alcohol and you’d like to practice driving since you just got your driving licence. So you’re the one driving, picking up your friends and not drinking tonight. The hard part is parking. You head at the end of the parking lot, far away from people that can potentially see all the tries you’re gonna need to get the car parked. You and your friends now have to walk all the way on high heel shoes.

At 28. You’re not into alcohol THAT much and you’d like to practice driving since you live abroad where you don’t have a car and you’re a little rusty. So you’re the one driving, picking up your friend and not drinking tonight. The hard part is still parking. You head at the end of the parking lot, far away from people that can potentially see all the tries you’re gonna need to get the car parked. You now have to walk all the way on high heel shoes, while your friend has decided to wear ballerinas to have more freedom while dancing. 

Photo by Emily Gouker

DEFINITION OF “NICE PEOPLE”. The meaning of “there were nice people at the disco” varies depending on the age. 

At 18. Nice people at the CLUB means that there were guys between 17 and 24 years old. A bad evening at the disco would mean that you ended up at a place for old folks, those who are 30 years old.

At 28. You pray that this is not going to be the evening where the event at the disco attracted people in their teens. Please please please, at least people from the university please! You enter the disco and realise that there are men of your age and spotting 40-year-old folks doesn’t feel weird at all. 

GOING TO THE RESTROOM. As soon as you get in, you need to pee.

At 18. You go to the bathroom with all your friends, both for support with the bag because because they all need to pee. Afterwards, you can really start enjoying the evening.

At 28. You go to the bathroom with all your friends both for support with the bag because because she also needs to pee. Afterwards, you can really start enjoying the evening.

DANCING. You’re at the disco to dance after all, right?

At 18. You dance together with your girl friends staying close to each other in a group and you hold hands when you want to move to a different sport of the dance floor not lose them. You dance on the beat, but often mirror your friends and adjust your movements accordingly so that you’re not too over the top and you fir the group. 

At 28. Your friend is chatting or dancing with some guys so you can only dance alone… and you love it! You close your eyes to really feel the music and don’t give a damn about how you’re moving… because you know that, after one year and a half of latin dance courses at the gym every Friday night, you moves are the most graceful of the dance floor!

Photo by Brooke Lark

DRINKS. It happens that at a certain point you’re thirsty and you need to get something to drink. But what does the gal who drives drink at the disco?

At 18. Coke. Diet Coke, if you have it. Gosh, I really don’t like Coke. I really don’t like sparkling soft drinks. Ugh, it tastes horrible. But what was I supposed to do, drink water at the disco?

At 28. Water. Still water, please. And can you maybe put a slice of cucumber in the glass? So people will think I’m drinking gin tonic and that I’m not a loser…

ENGAGING WITH GUYS. That’s the part you were all waiting for, right? I left it on purpose as the second last, hoping that you’d read the post up to here ;)

At 18. Well, you DON’T engage with guys. You’re all sticking next to each other in a group, forming this inaccessible barrier that looks like an eight-head monster to any male. Sometimes, while you’re dancing, a guy passes by and &&&ti palpa il sedere, leaving you half offended half puzzled. 

At 28. Guys became men (hopefully) and come over and talk to you (also because you’re dancing alone and this is less intimidating). It goes something like this: “Hi, I wanted to tell you that you’re beautiful”. Oh, thank you! “Are you here alone?” No, I’m with my girl friend. She is over there talking to that guy. “Do you have a boyfriend?” Yes, I do. “And are you happy with him?” Very much! “So why are you here alone tonight?” I told you I’m not alone, I’m with my girl friend. “Can we still dance together?” Sure! When he subtly places his hands a little bit lower than your &&&cintura while you’re dancing, you let him do it. I mean,  you workout really hard at the gym (and even at home early in the morning) to get a firm butt. Of course now you want some sort of reward! So when the guy says: “You really have a nice butt”, you smile to him and reply: “I know!” ;)

Now I would love to hear from you: What are the differences you find between now and when you were ten years younger? Do you think that growing up eased something or not? Let me know in the comments below and if you want more content like that, then please subscribe to the Breaking Thirty Newsletter to let me know that you’re interested in that.