Saturday, May 28, 2011

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

The first excerpt of Mindy Kaling's book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns), hit the internet this week.  I appreciated the free 26-page excerpt (which you can read for yourself here) and, apparently -- according to The New Yorker, am Mindy's target demographic, "i.e., unmarried,
babyless women above the age of sixteen and under the age of thirty."  Gee, thanks New Yorker, there really isn't enough pressure to be married and having babies in your twenties, or even pejorative comments made in the media about young women -- I needed you to point out that I'm the target of certain authors.  


Media targeting aside, my favorite part of the excerpt was Mindy's rights and responsibilities for being best friends.  One of the best parts about being a women is the ability to have really great friendships with other women.  I always feel bad for guys because, although they often have a lot of male friends, for some reason men don't seem to be allow (I don't know if this is a testosterone thing or a society thing -- or some combination of the two) to have intimate friendships with men in the same way that women are allowed to be friends with women.  Personally, I think that having close, adult friendships with other women is the reward that girl's get for surviving middle school.  Mindy's best friendship rules remind me of how lucky I am to get to have great friendships with my best friends and include: I can borrow all your clothes (as long as you've worn them once), We sleep in the same bed (how else can we talk until we fall asleep?), I can ditch you -- within reason (as long as alternative plans for travel home have been established), I will try to like your boyfriend five times, I will hate and re-like people for you (but don't get mad if sometimes I can't keep track), and It's okay to take me for granted (when you fall in love, but don't forget about me completely).


At any rate, I wasn't blown away by what I read so far, but I did enjoy it and, given my love for Mindy Kaling, I'm sure I'll read the whole thing when it comes out.  That is, unless I get married or pregnant before that, in which case, I'm out.


xo kate

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