Are you loyal to your friends or your sex?

I have a lot of male friends. In high school I mostly hung out with an all male crowd - we played touch football and cards, hung out at fast food restaurants and - occasionally talked about girls. I guess they talked about girls around me because I wasn't really a girl per se. I didn't play the girl games on them that a lot of the other girls played and we didn't want to go out with each other. I think I just wanted good mates that didn't just talk about shopping and boys - and didn't giggle a lot.

They're some of my best friends now and yeah they tell me their girl troubles. Actually it's more like:

"Paige you have to help me find a hot chick."

"She has a boyfriend already and she doesn't want to mess around. What do I do?"

Now, some girls might be appalled at what these guys are saying. To me they're not disrespectful or assholes, they're just my friends and we joke around - and they really are really nice guys.

But then again, I've never hooked them up with anyone.

That's the thing, when it comes to what women want, I know these guys too well to feel like I can conscionably recommend them as partners. Meanwhile, I think guys do the same thing in that they won't refer their friends to date their sisters.


Who are you loyal to - your friends or your sex? Are guys really different in front of other guys away from the girls?
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The wedding

So I guess it happens at some point in every girl's life - no not THE wedding - I'm talking about the other wedding, the one where you're the bridesmaid.

In this day and age, can any girl ever get out of being a bridesmaid? Is it really like 27 dresses where you end up with a whole wardrobe of dresses you've only worn once?

I'm making the big walk down the aisle next year - and I've been told I'll be wearing...green. Yep. I have no comment.

And if rom-coms are right I'll spend the coming months dealing with bridezilla...she is getting quite involved with all the planning already as is the groom. It's like they suddenly have no more hobbies and the wedding is still 9 months out. And if rom-coms are right, I'll spend the time being really happy for her while I secretly wish that it was me...

I guess the thing with weddings is that they're symbolic, they mean something to the bride, groom, the parental groups - and we all respect that and celebrate it with them because it's important to them - unlike in the past when a marriage meant the survival of the village.

And while they mean something special to the wedding parties - I guess they mean something to us all individually as well. We find ourselves contemplating the future, the present and the past, wondering how we have arrived at this point right now, and where we are headed.

So here's to that first walk down the aisle. I'll be the one thinking deep drunk thoughts - dressed in green.

What do weddings mean to you? Can a girl go through her life and NEVER be a bridesmaid?
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Can We Speak Up? - Empowered Women Working

I've been neglecting this blog for quite a bit but it seemed as good a place as any to write down something that has been a real issue (one of the reasons that I started this blog in the first place)

In August 2009, I quit my old job. It was as the Online Editor of a cute small and on the surface, entirely likeable company. It flogged cute, good quality magazines on a socially important issue and was really on the surface - supposed to make a difference to the world and make everyone's lives a little better.

This cute small and likeable company didn't pay me for about a month. It didn't pay my superannuation for more than a year. That's about $7,500 maybe more if you think about interest - that's a lot for a girl in her twenties.

It owes my colleagues (at least 4 or 5 of them) the same amount of money if not more.

The thing is that it was run by a hot, blonde, smart and on the surface entirely likeable and empowered woman. Her first cute small and likeable company went bankrupt and then restarted itself under the guise of a "different" company...that is owned by the 22 year old BROTHER of the woman...but she still holds the reins and runs the place. (I'm pretty sure that's illegal) This "different" company has continued to be operated in the same manner of the first business that owes me money...and is now racking up more debt to co-workers of mine that have believed that they will recoup the money that they are owed...

And none of us have seen a dime.


And the worse part is, it is modern times that lets her get away with it. As a woman with a vision, people respect her. Wow - she started her own business that seems to have taken off. But then the number of times she's played dumb, flirted - maybe slept with people - to get out of trouble with the ATO, the creditors, the employees she owes money. Her crazy excuse for running her company into the ground? Bad employees (that she never paid) and "She didn't know".

If she was male - people would expect more from her.

For the rest of us, when do we get to speak out against then??? When do we get to say that wasn't right? When do we get to say a company...no matter cause and mission..can't do this to us? When do we get to say "no fucking way"?

She really does give the empowered business woman a bad name. :(

Have you been ripped off by a so called empowered woman? In what ways does society make it easier or harder for women in business?