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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

To withdraw from toxic friendship group ?

186 replies

Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 10:08

So I'm 29, and am friends with a group of girls I met at secondary school , age. 29. Last year one of my friends , "left the group" as she felt it was toxic. She said she felt that both of us were just there to make the others feel better about their own lives , and I'm beginning to agree.

The queen bee married her childhood sweetheart at 22. At the time , because k wasn't in a long term relationship , I had a few more sexual partners than her. She'd regularly make comments to imply I was a slag, e.g. "I'm sorry, but your not discarded vagina is just not as sacred as ours."

However the marriage broke down when she was 26, ( she works at a university , she cheated on him with one of her 19 year old undergraduate students). Immediately after the marriage broke down, she signed up to dating sites and was having multiple sexual encounters, ( including threesomes), with men she met off the internet. She never apologised for repeatedly calling/ implying I was a slut previously, and instead went on to judging and making harsh comments about people she felt hadn't had enough sexual partners , ( she's now changed from judging people she feels have too much sex, to judging people who have to little sex).

Despite this , I was supportive of her during the time of her marriage breakdown. She'd ring multiple times a day, and I was supportive. Yet we went out for a meal with another girl in the group a few weeks later, and she rveeted back to openly mocking me for sleeping with more people than she had in front of the other girl, ( at this point, she had actually slept with many more people than I had, but didn't want the other girl to know this). I didn't say anything to reveal she had been having threesomes / sleeping with more men, as I didn't want to embarrass her.

She regularly gives the , ( unasked for) opinion that Lucy* , ( another girl in the group), "doesn't know how to be single" and berates her for getting together with her new boyfriend too quickly after s relationship break up. Despite this , she was signed up to online dating sites within days of her own marriage breaking down....

She regularly mocks me and Lucy for making "bad choices in relationships" but skirts over the fact her first husband had a lot of issues, ( he'd regularly shout racist abuse out the car windows at other drivers, would regularly shout "j , get the f out if my chair, I want to sit next to my f* wife" at group meals), and that she then dated on her undergraduate students.

She regularly makes comments about Lucy's tattoos being badly drawn and tacky, despite the fact she herself has tattoos.

The queen bee told her new boyfriend I had previously been raped, and he casually brought this up in conversation the first time we went out for lunch together, which left me feeling awkward. He regularly gives pseudo diagnosis's to members of the group , ( one evening he repeatedly told me I must be autistic cos I didn't look people directly in the eye, and refused to listen despite the fact I wa getting tearful and trying to explain I have a diagnosed visual impairment that makes that difficult). He also tells anyone that will listen that Lucy* had classic abandonment issues due to the fact her parents immigrated abroad when Lucy was 19.

We also have a mutual aquantance who has a mild learning disability, ( still functioning enough to work, drive , live independently etc). She has recently announced an engagement to a lovely man, ( I have met him), and instead of saying congratulations, all they can do is laugh and mock cos she had a broken engagement to someone else four years previously.
Am I right to just slowly stop bothering with the group ?

OP posts:
Billybagpuss · 30/09/2021 13:04

Do you want to go quietly or in a blaze of verbal put downs?

Maybe mute the group for a week or so if you don’t feel ready to leave straight away.

Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 13:08

@Billybagpuss

Do you want to go quietly or in a blaze of verbal put downs?

Maybe mute the group for a week or so if you don’t feel ready to leave straight away.

I kind of want to tell QB and Aleesha to f off, was thinking of texting them directly to tell them why, ( as opposed to calling them out publicly on the group chat), and then leaving the group ?
OP posts:
Ihopeyourcakeisshit · 30/09/2021 13:09

[quote JamieNorthlife]@Ihopeyourcakeisshit, we can do Bingo!!![/quote]
I think we're heading for a full house @JamieNorthlife

dangerrabbit · 30/09/2021 13:09

Friendships can be abusive as well as relationships.

Get rid of this person.

Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 13:10

@youvegottenminuteslynn

Don't slowly withdraw, completely withdraw.

They aren't your friends, they are people you've known a long time who bully you. That's it.

Leave them to it. If they want to be horrible and toxic, let them do it to each other.

I would rather have no friends than have bullies around me.

Unfortunately, the line "they aren't your friends, they are people you've known a long time who bully you" is completely true.
OP posts:
gailplattshairbrush · 30/09/2021 13:11

If you're going to go out with a bang then definitely call them out in the group or in front of the group in person. Bullies only get to act like they do because their hangers on give them the attention and adoration that they crave. If you all left the group who would be left for them to criticise? By telling them how it is (you don't even have to be rude about it) you will show the others that it's possible to be brave enough to stand up to these dickheads. I would rather be that person than some simpering fan of theirs.

I bet a few others will follow suit.

Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 13:13

@gailplattshairbrush

If you're going to go out with a bang then definitely call them out in the group or in front of the group in person. Bullies only get to act like they do because their hangers on give them the attention and adoration that they crave. If you all left the group who would be left for them to criticise? By telling them how it is (you don't even have to be rude about it) you will show the others that it's possible to be brave enough to stand up to these dickheads. I would rather be that person than some simpering fan of theirs.

I bet a few others will follow suit.

So you would say send a factual message explaining why I no longer want to be friends and then leave ?
OP posts:
JamieNorthlife · 30/09/2021 13:13

Op, the bIngo reference I was answering a previous post that mentioned jackpot.
Great I read Aleesha and I thought maybe you forgot about it.

They seem like a really nasty bunch. Violating others privacy, you are right thats an offence.

Someone suggested starting a group, Is that a possibility but maybe with new people so there are no bad habits from this friendship. It seems that you have a lot that you need to offload. Years of being mistreated. You are used to them but you don't need them. Your separation from them needs to be a clean cut, it may be feel scary or you may be lonely but you may find good health friendships after them.

keep writing and talking about it, you need to make sense of what's happening. Start plotting your escape from the queen bee.

NoraEphronsNeck · 30/09/2021 13:14

Well the rape scenario is indefensible in itself, regardless of all the other shitty behaviour.

Get rid and if they ask why let them have it both barrels!

ThanksCake

Billybagpuss · 30/09/2021 13:14

I kind of want to tell QB and Aleesha to f off, was thinking of texting them directly to tell them why, ( as opposed to calling them out publicly on the group chat), and then leaving the group

I totally get that, and your reply did make me smile,, you probably need a specific trigger though, otherwise they’ll just laugh and repeat the autism rubbish. People like that are not really worth your energy.

JamieNorthlife · 30/09/2021 13:16

One more thing, friendships are supposed to be helpful, supportive, understanding and most importantly fun!
You should feel happy after meeting your friends or looking forward to be with them.

Notaroadrunner · 30/09/2021 13:17

I'd just leave the go up and block them all. I wouldn't bother explaining why. If any of them manage to contact you through some other means asking why you left the group then you can say it became too toxic. However, I'd leave without a word initially as otherwise you'll open yourself up for more criticism from the bitches. You can do without the stress so just block them on all social media too.

Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 13:17

Yeah , I thought of focussing on other friendships outside the group , and then seeing Adam and Tina , ( who I am close with) and Lucy separately etc.

TBF, Sally, ( the girl who originally left) , managed to escape and keep in touch with me and Lucy, so I guess there is hope I can do to.

I went away for a weekend with Sally, and the queen bee's boyfriend regularly berated me for going on holiday with someone who'd been "so mean" by dropping queen bee, but I'm glad I did and kept in touch with her.

OP posts:
Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 13:21

I think the dynamic started when we at school that Lucy / Aleesha were seen as more desirable/ attractive, ( I had glasses / didn't wear make up and Lucy and Sally were both overweight at the time). We were always all considered , "the nerds" by most other people in the school year tbh, ( although nothing really wrong with being a nerd !) But I guess Lucy/ Aleesha liked to pick on/ criticise us and others to make them feel slightly higher up the pecking order and that dynamic just stayed.

OP posts:
Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 13:27

There was a time when we were at school , where Aleesha got one of the boys in the friendship group to list/ rank all the females in the group in order of attractiveness, and I came at the bottom. They couldn't see how hurtful that was. Similarly, they used to go to Sally's house and look through her kitchen cupboards and make comments like, "wow , look at all this processed food, no wonder you are so fat." All this was when we were 14, and some people grow up , but, I feel there superiority complex has just stayed even though we all left school at 18.

They had a certain "superior air," about them though, ( despite being in the nerdy group). All the comments about "processed food" were made directly in front of Sally's parents, and they went up to Sally's mum directly and told her to clean the toilet, ( and reminded her to use some bleech), before they used it, when they were 14 also . It sounds silly, but I feel even at that age they could make certain adults, ( e.g. Sally's mum), feel small.

OP posts:
JamieNorthlife · 30/09/2021 13:38

@Judygiraffe

There was a time when we were at school , where Aleesha got one of the boys in the friendship group to list/ rank all the females in the group in order of attractiveness, and I came at the bottom. They couldn't see how hurtful that was. Similarly, they used to go to Sally's house and look through her kitchen cupboards and make comments like, "wow , look at all this processed food, no wonder you are so fat." All this was when we were 14, and some people grow up , but, I feel there superiority complex has just stayed even though we all left school at 18.

They had a certain "superior air," about them though, ( despite being in the nerdy group). All the comments about "processed food" were made directly in front of Sally's parents, and they went up to Sally's mum directly and told her to clean the toilet, ( and reminded her to use some bleech), before they used it, when they were 14 also . It sounds silly, but I feel even at that age they could make certain adults, ( e.g. Sally's mum), feel small.

Its a very pailful experience. You are still attached to that memory of wanting to be liked by them and to belong.

As an exercise to release their control. Can you stop looking at them with your 14 or 18 year old's eyes and emotions and see them for who they really are now?

You seem to have different believes and morals (the GDPR stuff). Can you look at them separately/individuals and analyse them, them tell yourself this person has no control over me.

Make a decision that you are not going to start 2022 with them. Leave the crapp (kween b and bitches) behind in 2021.

JamieNorthlife · 30/09/2021 13:40

I'm on codeine right now and some stuff I write may not make much sense. apologies for that.

PennyPooBags · 30/09/2021 13:42

Fade out/mute Queenbee and Aleesha and meet up with the nice ones (but for goodness sake don’t post it on SM).

For some Queenbee types it’s the highlight of their lives and they are for ever reliving their teenage bitchfests, while other people grow up and get on with their adult lives. If you want to do some bridge-burning then tell Queenbee that she’s nothing but a bitch and to fuck off in front of others.

user1000000000009 · 30/09/2021 13:47

I would do one last meet up and just go for it, everything comes out if she started her shit then block and delete.

ElspethFlashman · 30/09/2021 13:54

Honestly I wouldn't go postal and throw truth bombs.

They sound like the sort who would tell all and sundry that you were a psycho.

I'd just leave the group without saying a word.

ElspethFlashman · 30/09/2021 13:57

And its also OK to not leave the group but just mute it and turn off notifications.

And if QB or Aleesha actually text you directly, just answer "oops, did I not answer? Totally thought I did, must have been to another group, lol! Sorry meant to say I'm committed to something else that date, but have a great time and share lots of pics!"

Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 14:01

@ElspethFlashman

And its also OK to not leave the group but just mute it and turn off notifications.

And if QB or Aleesha actually text you directly, just answer "oops, did I not answer? Totally thought I did, must have been to another group, lol! Sorry meant to say I'm committed to something else that date, but have a great time and share lots of pics!"

I get that, but to some extent, ( and I'm probably wrong,) I actually want Aleesha/ Queen Bee to know they are wrong.
OP posts:
BunnytheFriendlyDragon · 30/09/2021 14:05

You don't need to ramble about what you don't like about the "queen bee". If you don't like the group then of course it's not unreasonable to leave.

JamieNorthlife · 30/09/2021 14:23

3. Shut down any “revenge fantasies” before they take hold.

"While some people enjoy getting caught up in the conflict at hand and wallow in their anger and negativity, this is not the best choice for their mental health or emotional well-being. If you have been the victim of intentional hurt, offense, or disrespect, it is normal to feel anger and, for some, to have the desire to see the perpetrator face consequences for their behavior. Obsessing about this desire, however, is extremely detrimental to your own well-being."

more info on;
www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/lifetime-connections/202102/whats-the-best-way-end-toxic-friendship

Peggytheredhen · 30/09/2021 14:25

Cripes OP. Yes, ditch them.

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