Woman to Women
Catty Remarks, Cloaked in Sugar
Avoiding the sting of the jellyfisher
-Jennifer Lubell
One of the best moments in Helen Fielding's book Bridget Jones, the Edge of Reason is when our heroine comes face to face with the jellyfisher. "Bridge, how's it going with Mark? You must be really pleased to get a boyfriend at last. Is it heaven?" Bridget's nemesis, Rebecca, asks of her new relationship with the ever-elusive Mark Darcy.
The little gem at the end of that sentence is "at last."
This is a woman we've all met before: the snarky little witch who, in a matter of seconds, can stealthily and cunningly cut you down about your weight, your age and your lack of male companionship. "Suddenly something stings you and next thing everything is back to normal except a bit of you really hurts," Bridget wrote in her diary of her experience with the jellyfisher.
Women and men are taught different combat skills from a very early age. Guys will happily pound each other with fists, swords or, in some cases, light sabers in order to work out their aggression toward one another. Women, on the other hand, are told they must sit on their little chairs, stir their tea, smooth out the wrinkles in their dresses and act like ladies. read more...
