‘At Least You’re Young Enough to Start Again’: What Not to Say to a Friend Getting Divorced at Thirty
Unlearning What Disney Films Taught Me About Relationships
I was SO offended when I first heard this. Not Belle – not my favourite Disney princess. Even when they showed the interviews of the little girls who participated in the experiment, I didn't want to believe it. The interviewer asked the girls what they would tell Belle if she was their friend. One said: ‘just keep on being nice and sweet as you are, and that will probably change him.’
‘We Need to Normalise Open Communication’: Setting Boundaries Within a Friendship
Setting boundaries is something that I have struggled with in the past. This was before I learned that saying the words, “I am not comfortable speaking about this,” does not make you an inconsiderate friend – it makes you human. In this unfortunate era of my life when boundaries were a foreign concept, various experiences in an accidental trial-and-error process made me aware of my limits…
‘You Know That He’s Toxic’: The Red Flags We Ignore Early On
Not all nice guys stay nice. We’ve heard this story before. So, why do we ignore the red flags that appear early on in relationships? Do we honestly believe that no one else will love us, or do we believe that we deserve to be treated badly? I guess we must do. There were certainly plenty of red flags that I chose to ignore in my last relationship…
‘You Shouldn’t Have to Hide Yourself Behind Someone Else’s Idea of Love’: A Personal Experience of Leaving a Toxic Relationship
I looked for someone to listen to me, to hear my pain. And that’s exactly what my partner did. I think, at first, I felt validated. But everything happened so fast. We would talk and spend time together, and then the next thing I know, he tells me I’m his girlfriend. It was a command, not a question…
Mean Girls or Golden Girls? The Spectrum of Female Friendship
Any woman who has been drunk in a club toilet will be able to tell you that we have this innate capacity to bond, quickly and forcibly, with other women, even if we have absolutely nothing in common. But it’s not all sweetness and light; the spectrum on which female friendships exist is a vast one. On one end is this type of beautiful, unconditional encouragement and support. On the other end is unhealthy co-dependency built on manipulation and toxicity…