Attention Getting

• Hugo has another good post on the tendency of young women to eroticize their interactions with older men who they are drawn to. He also highlights the flirtation-default that many young women use in their initial interactions with him, which allows the women to break the ice with him in a way that is comfortable and comprehensible to them. Is it harder to establish relationships with older women as mentors due to the lack of availability of this tactic?




• Self-proclaimed "sex addict" writes her second memoir. The Jezebel crowd doesn't think that sleeping with 40 men is all that impressive or strong evidence of addiction. I'm inclined to agree. It seems like people sometimes feel that the only way to get attention and validate their experiences is to pathologize themselves. This does a disservice to those who actually have addictions, eating disorders, Aspergers, or whatever real problem the internet is diagnosing en masse this week.




• Conventiongoers attempted an experiment with "open source boobs," in which men were allowed to ask for leave to touch the breasts of participating women (without social oppobrium, presumably; you could do this normally, but you might get slapped). I don't think this is particularly empowering, although it might be a public service for some of the attendees. Nobody wants to reenact the "bags of sand" scene from The 40-Year-Old Virgin.