I get along with other women pretty well on a surface level, but it can be hard to really relate to a lot of women my age because I don’t have kids. And there is a certain amount of stereotypically female pop culture that I’m not into, like the Kardashians or romantasy books, which can be limiting when I’m trying to connect with someone new.

I’d love to make IRL friends with some women my age who share some of my interests - makeup, nail polish, star trek, kayaking, gardening, '60s music, weightlifting, French language. But I don’t know how! I’ve struck out on Bumble BFF and kind of gave up for a bit haha

It’s a community for women. We’re not so hard up that we need men to come in and be sympathetic. Sometimes we just want a kiki with other ladies. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You did a nice job, especially with shaping them!

Reminds me of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

This makes me think of the Ani DiFranco lyrics:

I am not an angry girl
But it seems like I’ve got everyone fooled
Every time I say something they find hard to hear
They chalk it up to my anger
And never to their own fear

Rather than take what we do or say at face value, there’s some kind of interpretation that is meant to diminish us. So assertive becomes bitchy, and honest becomes angry. 🙄

What an insecure little manbaby. I feel bad for his wife!

In my early twenties I worked in the main office for a company that staffed medical imaging personnel (e.g., x-ray techs and sonographers) to local facilities. It was an office full of ladies and only one guy, and this guy was a jerk. His job was to handle the scheduling for the techs. He had been a daytrader on Wall Street but couldn’t handle the stress, so I guess he was slumming it with us for a while. He was a very intense dude with no chill, and he clearly had a pretty low opinion of women in general.

Anyway. One of our ultrasound techs was heavily pregnant and feeling unwell, so she called out sick one morning. And this douchebag went on a huge angry rant about how being pregnant isn’t a sickness, it’s not an excuse to miss work, his wife never took a sick day during her pregnancy, and how the tech was creating more work for him to have to scramble to find someone to replace her at the last minute. And nobody said anything - all of the other ladies in the office were just silent. And I guess my New Jersey came out, because I told him the fuck off. Told him that he has no goddamn idea what it’s like to be pregnant, and no right to judge her for taking a sick day, and he’s in an office full of women, so he should be respectful and keep his sexist tirade to himself because nobody wanted to hear it.

I was so sure I was going to get reprimanded for that, but a bunch of the women in the office thanked me for saying something. I was really surprised! Even my boss said something like “yeah, you probably shouldn’t have done that, but I’m glad you did.”

Please tell Leonard he’s precious 🤍

Not to nitpick but I think chav is more like white trash for Americans. Redneck is more rural or Southern, and may or may not be white trash. Although I suppose there are chavs of color so it’s not a perfect analogy.

• Protect your time and your peace. You don’t always have to say yes to every request or invitation. Get comfortable with saying no and advocate for yourself.
• Prioritize your physical health. Drink a bunch of water, commit to a regular weightlifting regimen, learn about nutrition, count your calories and macros, watch out for saturated fat and limit your sugar, eat a fuckton of protein (1 gram per pound of ideal body weight), make sure you get at least 25 grams of fiber daily, and limit alcohol and caffeine. The goal is to age healthily!
• SUNSCREEN. For godsake use mineral sunscreen with both titanium and zinc. Not because it’ll help keep you looking young (although that is a nice side effect), but because you are pale as fuck and the dermatologist is gonna have to remove a bunch of things from you in your thirties, and you’ll hate the scars.
• Yes you need to floss. No it’s not optional.
• Learn to differentiate between need and want. I need a roof over my head. I want that new eyeshadow palette. Most of your spending should go toward needs, and set aside a small amount for wants. The rest goes in savings (consider that a need too).
• It’s OK to be imperfect, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for perfection.

And

• Be proud of yourself!

I wish someone had told me this when I was young. It’s such good advice 🤍

Man that sucks :( I’m curious, why do you feel like you have to allow it and pretend to enjoy it?

Those are both good! Especially humor, funny is very sexy.

• If they smell good
• If they take pride in their appearance
• If they can make me laugh
• If I feel safe to be myself around them
• If they make me think
• If they have green eyes (I’m a sucker for green eyes)
• If they’re kind
• If they take a genuine interest in me

The smelling good thing is huge for me. Some animal part of my brain craves the way my husband smells, for example. Not deodorant or shaving cream, but just his smell. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Looks good. I hope she feels better!

He a niblet

You may indeed be the only one.

Well with that title, you have to pay the cat tax!

I’m happy too! It was surprisingly easy once I found the right doctor. I went to a GYN who specializes in perimenopause and she really listened to me, and had a whole plan for approaching it. I’m starting with progesterone, and in 3 months we’ll adjust the dosage if needed and add estrogen, and 3 months after that we’ll adjust again and add testosterone.

I was so relieved because the previous 2 GYNs I went to didn’t seem to understand. The first (a man in his 60s) said I was too young and my symptoms were probably from stress, not peri. 🙄 The second (a woman in her early 30s) said it was probably peri but there was nothing she could do since normally she’d prescribe birth control for my symptoms, but I was already taking it. This time I looked for a woman who was definitely old enough to have been through peri herself, and one who specializes in peri instead of just a regular GYN.

Third time’s the charm, I guess!

I’m finally starting HRT this week. I’m not sure what to expect but I’m excited! So far the only downside is that I have to go off of the birth control pill for this, so I’m going to have to have periods again. 😡