(this essay first appeared in Purple Clover) Frank* and I are like an old married couple except that we aren’t married, until recently didn’t live in the same house and for years didn’t see each other every day, or even…
We No Longer Have the Luxury of Sheltering in Place
We may not be able to recall when we first heard the term “shelter in place” but it is being bandied about frequently now that we have shootings and major disasters occurring almost daily. Our understanding of the term means…
There Is No Safe Space
For the past few months it seemed like there was a school shooting every week. Those took the top news slots. Until they didn’t. Until they were bumped from the place above the fold by college students protesting against what…
What Not To Wear: Caitlyn Jenner Style
God help me. I grew up once upon a time when colleges didn’t provide safe spaces, when sexual harassment was de rigueur, when date rape was my fault for leading the guy on, when women could definitely not be anything…
How To Get Away With No Makeup and Hair
(This originally Appeared in The Broad Side) Recently, during a debilitating illness and after reading three novels and catching up on all my past New Yorkers, Elles, Allures, and Harper’s, I needed something to binge watch. I was hesitant to…
It is Time for Women to Start Using the Economic Power They Already Have
It is 1990 and my husband and I are out searching for a good used car. Our first used car we bought after seeing it advertised on the side of the road. We pulled over, I negotiated a price and…
That “Little Pink Pill” Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be
Here is what Viagra does: it allows a man to get an erection so that he can have intercourse with a woman when his body isn’t cooperating due to age, illness or medication side effects. Here is what Viagra doesn’t…
Hey Whiny Parents, Get Over Yourselves!
Full Disclosure: I do not like whiners. Especially adult whiners. Especially adults who constantly whine about how hard child-rearing is. (With this caveat: if you have a child who is emotionally or mentally challenged, stop reading. I do not know…
Dear Jessica Valenti, You’re Missing the Cat Calls?
Dear Jessica: At 36, I was still getting catcalled in the street. At 46, I was being accosted by men on the streets of Paris and in cafes where I sat, by myself, reading and writing. At 50, and divorced,…
Yeah, But I Still Feel Bad About My Face
Some days I look in the mirror and I think: You look pretty good for a woman pushing 60. Other days I glance at myself and wonder: Who is that woman? She looks nothing like me. More than once I…