Why I May Start Wearing Earphones in Public Places

Sick and tired of my three-day weekend morning routine of getting out the griddle and cooking eggs, pancakes, sausage and the like, my husband suggested IHOP on Sunday and it was music to my ears.  That was, until we overheard some of the conversation at the table behind us.

At the table were two young women, early 20s, with a child who was probably six or seven.  All of a sudden, once our food arrived and we quieted down to eat, I heard the following:

"Yeah, I know he likes to, like, sleep around or whatever but he's so hot... he's so hot I'd do him I don't care who else he does."

There was more, but honestly I think I've blocked out the rest.

What has happened to these young women?  And, by the way, I have a hard time even referring to those two as women - to me they are girls, because they haven't yet grown up or matured or even figured out that maybe that's a conversation that, if they can't stop themselves from having at all, they should at least not have that talk in front of a child.

I just want to know this: when did feminism devolve?  When did women stop caring about important equalities -- like getting treated the same as their male counterparts in the workplace -- and only care about being on the same playing field sexually as men?  Is this all Sex and the City did for us?  Is Samantha to blame for announcing it was okay to have sex like men?

Historically, feminist moments include:  getting women the vote, demanding equal pay (which we still don't have, but I digress) and fighting for reproductive rights.  So when did feminist ideals turn into sleeping with every guy who will let you and then talking about it in front of your child at IHOP? 


Don't get me wrong, I love Sex and the City.  However, I haven't watched it since...well, since I was in my 20s.  I almost walked out of the second movie and seriously wanted my money, and those 146 minutes, back.


I think where Sex and the City went wrong in the later years, is that the emphasis, the screen shots, the outfits -- everything was sex.  Yes, there is a time and place to be all, I-am-woman-hear-me-roar, but I don't want to have a side of your sexual cravings with my pancakes, thank you very much.

To avoid backlash from the women in their 20s who would never have this conversation at IHOP, let me be clear:  I know plenty of ambitious, socially-conscious, incredibly mature women who clearly have adopted the third wave of feminism in a positive way, and who clearly deserve better labels than what their generation has been titled (i.e. Generation Whine). 

And then there are the nitwits we encountered on Sunday.  Young women out there having vapid conversations about meaningless, loveless sex in front of their children, around strangers, never thinking twice about how they are devaluing themselves, their lives and their womanhood. 

If nothing else, remember one very important difference between the woman you aspire to be and the woman that Samantha is on Sex and the City:

Samantha isn't real.