Totally hear you on this. I probably could stand to lose 15 or 20 pounds right now. I exercise because I like to hike and ski and don't want to be wheezing up and down the mountain, and because my body feels good when I do. But I refuse to survive on kale and water and rice cakes just so I can be super skinny. I like…

Nobody looks cute in an Ed Hardy t-shirt. Nobody. That is an inarguable fact.

What? You mean this isn't the very definition of good style?

Douchebagette is a word that desperately needed to enter my vocabulary. Thanks!

I was taught that even *thinking* about sex outside of marriage or about anyone other than your husband inside of marriage is a grave sin. I wasn't raised Catholic, though, so presumably my use of birth control now that I'm married is cool. Not that I believe any of that crap. :-)

I know this post is old news, but I wanted to add something to my last comment. I actually have a black friend that I have known for years and years (providing context, not a pat on my back). The thing is, his skin color is not even among the top 10 things that come to mind when I think of him (which is exactly how it…

One of my friends was raped by her biological father. My experience wasn't so bad by comparison. The worst part was that after that evening with the pastors my parents NEVER spoke of it. They just acted like it never happened. Years later, I asked my mom why and she said she didn't think I'd want to talk about it. For…

Woah, the thing that happened in the store to your mom, that's ... ballsy of him? What a creep! I hope your mom reported him. How do so many men become like that? I wonder what the statistics are on these public masturbators. I mean, do women do it too? I admit I may have sat fully clothed on top of a washing machine…

Yours is a sensible approach that has worked for me in the past.

I tried to add this to my other comment, but for some reason I'm unable. So, the guy who molested me worked at the church that my family attended. When my mom told the pastors what had happened, their solution was to "pray with him" about it. AT MY HOUSE. WHILE I WAS HOME. Unfuckingbelieveable. I later found out I…

I am always very open about my past experiences (being molested by a pervy old babysitter, nearly being raped out in the middle of nowhere), as are most of my friends who have been victims of sexual abuse. And I know so many women who've experienced sexual abuse in some form. The more men hear, the more they realize…

And how many people wouldn't open their doors? It's so scary. I know I've been followed before, but fortunately I've always managed to get to safety. I also feel fairly lucky that I am tall and strong, so I am not an obvious target to predators.

Yeah, I ran all the way home, passed right my house in case he was following and circled back home through my neighbor's yard. Flight is the correct response, but it means not being able to identify the vehicle or driver, so the perv gets away with it and gets bolder the next time. I'm SO glad that your little niece…

When I was 12 and on my way home, a car pulled up to the curb ahead of me about a block away. I glanced over as I walked by, thinking it was odd that nobody had gotten out, and the driver had his pants down and was stroking himself. Then he leered at me to make it very clear he'd wanted me to see him. Horrifying. I…

Agreed. Sweeping generalizations of every sort are a bad idea.

Yeah, I think you're probably right.

When I first moved out on my own, away from the campus dorms, I settled in my city's gay neighborhood. When I made my first gay friend, I probably called him "my gay friend" all the time because I was so excited about it. I grew up very religious and didn't even know what gay was until I was in high school…

Yeah, it takes me a minute to remember my husband's last name sometimes, so that's not an indicator of friendship for me. Actually, I can't remember my bestie's middle name for the life of me, though I remember countless other details about her. I don't have a middle name, so I never even think about them.

@digital_ruse: Is there a way to communicate privately on here? If so, I can send you a link to my story. There was a lot of good advice in the comments section.

The lying is a weird phenomenon! I presume some people lie because they fear how people will perceive them (as racists or whatever) versus who they wish they could be (someone with a diverse social group). If I were to be honest, I'd say I have several black acquaintances, but no black friends (some probably would be…