November 2009

November 30th 2009

Can There Be Middle Ground in the Abstinence Wars?

- Laura Sessions Stepp

Abstinence wars are in full swing on the Princeton University campus.

A group of students, some belonging to a conservative group, The Anscombe Society, are lobbying university administrators to create a Center for Abstinence and Chastity, similar to existing LGBT and Women’s Centers.

The students argue they need their own space to discuss pro-abstinence, pro-marriage views they say are unpopular on campus. Their opponents have responded that spending money on a center is an inappropriate use of university funds; moreover, it implies – wrongly - that the other two centers do not support abstinence as a lifestyle choice.

November 24th 2009

Peppermint Patty Calls for an Online Team Evaluation

- Stefanie

The other day I was involved in an email chain, the subject of which was a potential date from an online dating site. I feel the need to state here that I have nothing against online dating. In fact, it has worked out fabulously for several of my friends. In my opinion, though, this guy was too much...but not everyone agreed with me.

Peppermint Patty:

    Ok so some 38 year old dude emailed me today. This was his opener!

    “Your profile jumped out at me and I had to message you. It wasn't some OMG love at first sight moment but it was one of those...hey she looks like the type of girl I am looking to meet.”

    Thought this was funny, so I shared!

    ~PP

November 23rd 2009

Words to Scrap: Chastity

- Laura Sessions Stepp

I’m about to toss another word into my trash bin. It can rest nicely there alongside “wedlock" (marriage is not necessarily a prison); “lost my virginity,” (have you found it yet?) and “practicing abstinence” (let me know when you’ve got it down).

The word this time is “chaste,” defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary as “not indulging in unlawful sexual activity.”

I’m okay with chaste’s first cousin, “abstinent.” Being abstinent implies something you choose to do or not do. You decide whether or not to abstain from smoking, drinking, or sex.

November 20th 2009

So Reckless Girl and The Ex Walk Into a European Pharmacy...

- Stefanie

The other day, Sunshine Girl told me the following story about her vacation in Europe.

While on vacation, Sunshine Girl and her two friends, we will call them Responsible Girl and Reckless Girl, decided to meet up with The Ex of Reckless Girl and his friends at a bar. They ended up getting smashed, eating a lot of potato chips, and dancing the night away. Innocent enough. Or so she thought.

The next morning Sunshine Girl woke up to find two very hung-over girls, which was not surprising considering how much they had to drink. But the real story of the night wouldn’t be fully known until weeks later, once they were back in the US of A.

The story goes like this.

November 18th 2009

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Really, Really Bad Ideas. . .

- Stefanie

I should first admit that I don’t watch The Hills. I have a basic knowledge of the evolution of the show: it was born out of Laguna Beach, produced the spinoff The City, and it is chock-full of drama and lots and lots of good old-fashioned manipulation. The other day my friend sent me this clip with the warning: “It may make your head explode.”

November 16th 2009

In German There's Not Even a Word For Dating...

- Laura Sessions Stepp

The young woman perched on a chair across from me at Cosi, waiting for her black coffee to cool. Her name was Wlada (pronounced Vlada) Kolosowa. A university student from Berlin, she was taking classes in Washington, DC, and had been assigned by a German newspaper to write about dating in the United States.

“In Germany, we don’t date,” she said. “There isn’t even a word for dating. So what, exactly, is a date?”

Good question.

Historically, I started, a date was a form of courtship in which one person, usually a man, asked another person, usually a woman, to accompany him to some event. He picked her up and usually paid whatever costs were involved.

November 13th 2009

Jane Austen and Rob Reiner: Ruining Romance For Real People

- Stefanie

The other night I was out to dinner with Hipster Boy, Calendar Girl, Sunshine Girl, and The Philosopher. The conversation soon turned to movies, as it often does. The Philosopher had recently watched Pride and Prejudice with his girlfriend (because he is a good egg and will watch chick flicks without much objection), and it left him with some lingering questions.

The Philosopher: “What is with girls and Mr. Darcy?”

He looked expectantly around the table for one of us to answer – and was met with silence.

Side note: There was a period of time when History Boy awarded himself “Darcy Points” whenever he did something he deemed chivalrous.

November 11th 2009

No Pain, No Gain: The IUD Insertion Process

- Lena Chen

I wish I could say that getting the IUD was easy once I made my decision that the love affair with the Pill was over. In reality, it took me three visits (one of which was an appalling comedy of errors) before I finally baby-proofed my uterus. First, I had to get a pap smear, since STIs in IUD users can cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disorder and in rare cases, infertility.

November 6th 2009

Polly Pocket Has a Little Too Much Fun

- Stefanie

The other night I received a frantic phone call from Polly Pocket. I should preface this entire conversation with the fact that I had already been asleep for 2 hours.

Polly Pocket: “Did I wake you up?”

Me: “It’s after midnight--is everything okay?”

For those of you at home doing the math, I had gone to bed at 10:00pm. Don’t judge--it was a school night.

Polly Pocket: “I did something very, very bad.”

Me: “How bad are we talking?”

I was in that state of barely awake where your eyes are still closed and you could fall back to sleep at any moment.

Polly Pocket: “It has to do with sex.”

I bolted up in bed.