Yeah. I will take “fake-deep” over cynical bitchiness any day of the week. Leave Britney alone!

Not that my personal opinion matters to you, but I normally really like your writing Jia and this just felt needlessly mean. Who the fuck cares if Britney isn’t some well-read English major who spent her college years reading Yeats or Joyce.

I don’t quite understand the point of this. It seems smug. Are we supposed to be making fun of Britney Spears for not being an intellectual? That’s what it seems like, and it seems mean. She is trying to make sense of her life and broaden her horizons.

Also posted to Brit’s Facebook page:

Did anyone listen to the Mystery Show podcast episode where Starlee Kine investigated why Britney was photographed carrying this book by Kine’s friend Andrea Seigel? I recommend it.

My goodness Jezebel, I have been reading you in support for many years but fuck—its a bit exhausting to hear a loud and cynical cackle that is a headline like this. Can we not acknowledge that people are involved with their own evolution in a way that should be accepted and received in at the very least, applause by…

Between this and the math post I am so happy for her. A love of learning is always rewarding, no matter what else comes your way.

Truth. Faux depth or not, I hope Brit is feeling every ounce of this bit of wisdom and is finding all the acceptance within herself.

Amen to wisdom in whichever form it comes.

Heh, this is exactly perfect. *SPOILERS*

Isn’t it unrealistic to expect him to never have a boner unless it is related to her? I mean it was a movie, who cares? It’s not like he was using the boner to cheat on her or nor was he expecting her to do anything about said boner.

I didn’t understand this, either. Like I’d just rather not know about a dude’s boner for other chicks, i can't really understand pointing it out?

Was the poke’s intended message something like “I see you and I don’t appreciate you showing for anybody else but me?” Or “Haha, you have a boner from a movie”.

Other girls we knew let their boyfriends open car doors, pay for things. They liked to feel safe. We, on the other hand, liked to fuck with men, and also with each other, heckling each other’s boyfriends and thwarting each other’s attempts at romance for kicks.

If the toughness part is included in that it’s not a bad thing. Personally I’ve always found “tough” girls easier to relate to. They set clear boundaries, they communicate in a direct manner and they generally don’t give you feeling that you’re walking on eggshells.

I was thinking that too. Mocking the guy who was helping with the groceries was just rude.

What you would call ‘challenging’ in a woman, you’d surely call at least borderline ‘abusive’ in a man. My rule; people who are ‘challenging’ should accept an equally challenging partner. This is not what I’ve read out of this. She’s been looking for a human Piñata who will simply absorb anything she levels at him.

in new relationships i always try to be like. the cool girl. for as long as i can. but the truth always comes out eventually and I’m like, welp hope he loves me enough by now that he’ll deal w/ it!

There can be a fine line between being challenging and just being an asshole. This veered into the latter territory (and I don’t even mean the boner poke, which was just insecure and weird).

Men who can’t handle challenging women seem to be the rule, not the exception. Just as challenging women who haven’t had that aspect ground off by life (or self-suppressed) are the exception - especially if they value relationships. Almost all relationships require compromise. Not poking. ;)