And was Midler wrong? I mean, we have all seen her naked roughly a million times...there’s nothing new here. That’s all.

I found it not long ago that my niece has a purity ring from her dad. I don’t think she wears it anymore (she’s 21 and has a serious boyfriend and I think the “promise” ring he gave her trumped dad’s ring) but I went all Feminist Aunt on her and gave a whole talk about how her body and her sexuality belong to HER…

Eh, not everyone who is a virgin has hang-ups or baggage. She may not have even dated seriously enough to have considered it. Maybe she wants to wait and has made the decision for herself. Or maybe she has totally done it lots of times but hasn’t told her dad because it’s none of his business.

Yeah, my ex would get upset when I had fun without him. Mind you, we were long-distance, so my option wasn’t to hang out with him - it was to be isolated from my local support system. If he can change, great, but you have to ask yourself if you want to deal with this.

Met at 31, married 18 months later at 32 (if you had told me the day I went on my first date with him that we’d be married in less than two years I would have told you to shut your lying face) and still happy five years later! He was 36 (almost 37) when we met. He had been engaged before (years ago to college…

Ha, perfect “nope” gif!

The promposals are a thing in CA too. How do I know? Because my niece was asked in some asinine way (which she thought was cute because of GODDAMN PINTEREST or whatever the fuck) while I sat at home looking at the photos, wanting to die of second hand embarrassment for all involved. She was asked by her boyfriend, at…

Right? I could have let him buy me dinners and whatever for however long OR I could end it and free him up for the right person. Gee, I’m such a bitch. The thing is, I was such a late bloomer/clueless when it came to dating and dealing with guys that I did tend to second-guess myself because I wasn’t experienced, so…

Right? I mean, that was also a comment I got from a guy who I turned down for a second date. I still cannot fathom how he thought we were compatible at all (aside from a lack of chemistry/attraction on my part, we really just didn’t have a lot in common when it came down to what we enjoyed doing) and then thought it…

Whoa. That’s messed up. I’m glad your coworker recognized the situation and was helpful. That’s the worst, when you’re just told you need to lighten up or be flattered. Blech.

Thank you for the explanation. I figured the hotel was involved in some accidental way, like the stalker pretended to be a maintenance dude or something, so he was let in, but not intentionally. How fucked up!

I’ve been doing my part by screaming “WHORE!” at women - was that not helpful?

Oh absolutely right. Like I said - I think you’ve got this figured out and no one can blame a single person for doing what he/she can to meet people. Lord knows I heard “Put yourself out there!” for years and it’s easier said than done. It sounds like you know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em and can hold a…

Holy shit. Dear Prudence has gotten 400% better since Mallory Ortberg took over. That said, she’s absolutely right. It’s also fucking weird that the mom threw in “I’m a single mom and the other family is wealthy” like that matters? They’re not trying to extort you/your son, lady, they are advocating for their kid.…

Oh, no, you’re fine! Sometimes these threads get muddied with weirdness and I respond defensively. Hope your day turns around!

As far as fun when we’re out, it’s a crapshoot. Really.

OMG. That is so ridiculous. WTF? Shocker you weren’t throwing your undies at him after that!

Uh, that was a joke. Spreading rumors about someone is hardly what I’d consider to be chivalrous behavior.

Yep. I was out with a girlfriend a few weeks ago, jut getting a beer and these two guys came over to us and were chatting us up. I’m married, she’s living with her boyfriend, but our hints that we weren’t up for any chit-chat (i.e. we’re just having a girls night and then turning away from them to talk to each other)…

At best my experience has led to some epic mansplaining or shaming (“This is why you’re single - you don’t give good guys like me a chance!”) and at worst I’ve been made to feel unsafe. I’m lucky that no one has ever gotten violent but it’s also pretty fucked up that I think I’m lucky that I haven’t been harmed for…