"What's that in your hand?" she asked.

"Oh, it's something I got for my girlfriend."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, you are so whipped."

It's fun to poke fun and tease someone about being whipped. But sometimes the definition can be blurred.

Being whipped means having no mind of your own. That's no good for a relationship. (Unless both parties are comfortable with that dynamic. And some are.)

I've seen some guys take being called whipped too hard. These are tragic cases. Tragic for their girlfriends, especially. And for other single girls too.

When the term being whipped is blurred, it starts to encompass simple gestures of affection and romance. Buying a flower for a girlfriend, bringing her a gift, giving her a call to make sure she got home safely at night. These are simple gestures of affection. And of respect.

To some people, they are signs of being whipped. And so they go to great lengths to prove that they are not whipped, that they are independent individuals who succumb to no one's will. They lash out, humiliate their girlfriend, and act selfishly. All to show that they cannot and are not whipped.

Who loses in those cases? The girlfriends and other single girls who don't want a disrespectful guy like that. They look around and see all these disrespectful and immature guys and lose hope in a meaningful relationship.

The boyfriends lose too, after their girlfriends dump their disrespecting asses.

It should be noted that girls can be just as guilty of this as guys. I've known girls who've acted out in the name of independence too. Being whipped and being insecure is gender neutral.

So what's a gesture of affection and what is being whipped? Since being whipped means having no mind of your own, then by contrast, a gesture of affection is an independent act where one wants to show affection to their significant other.

Here's an example. I'm at a street fair with some friends. While walking around, I notice something that I think my girlfriend would like. It makes me think of her. So I purchase it as a gift for her.

Now let's spin that scenario around. I'm at a street fair with some friends. While walking around, my girlfriend calls. She says, "Buy something for me." I look around and mindlessly list off things that I see. "That. Buy me that." So I purchase it for her.

Which one is a gesture of affection and which is being whipped?

Hopefully the answer is obvious to you. If not, then buddy… maybe you really ARE whipped!