Apparently, I’m a TWIT.
The Frisky points out the latest female trend piece courtesy of Australia’s Herald Sun. Ladies such as myself — career-oriented, not waiting to get hitched or have a bebe just yet, although more than happy to pat the tummies of those who are and snorgle the sweet-smelling scalps of other people’s bebes — are apparently TWITS, aka “Teenage Women In Their Thirties.”
“Just like men with Peter Pan-syndrome who are not ready to grow up, TWITs are putting serious relationships and parenthood on hold, instead choosing to continue partying and enjoying the freedoms they discovered in their teens.”
I’m not really even sure what to say about this, probably because my blood sugar is a bit low and I need to eat lunch and also pick up a cable for my new laptop. (Why didn’t I know that the new FireWire ports are smaller than old FireWire ports and I’d need a cable to connect the two?) At first I thought it referred to people who Twit too much. But those would be Twats, no?
I don’t really “party” and it’s entirely possible, though none of your business, that I’m not “single,” but that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun even though I’m over 30. In fact, I demand it. I demand fun. All fun, all the time, including when I’m working and when I’m sleeping. I demand work I enjoy (so far, so good) and I demand wonderful dreams when I sleep (well, that’s a toss-up), and I demand not to be given a stupid fucking nickname for it because a writer had to write a trend piece about something kicky and female-oriented.
I know we all have to pay our bills, and sometimes that means writing about dumb shit, and sometimes editors take what you’ve written and crap all over it, but is it really necessary to make up yet another way to label and infantilize women and their lifestyle choices?
No, no, it is not.
i don’t much care for the wilfully ignorant judgement inherent in their implication that “growing up” is directly correlative to “serious relationships and parenthood”, either. i’ve seen plenty of each without the other (in both positive and negative contexts).
and i mean what about those of us who outgrew serious relationships and parenthood BEFORE the age of 30? why don’t we get a disdainful smartass acronym, or are we simply adjudged such colossal failures that we don’t even need one
I’m always annoyed by people who dismiss me when I say that I never want children:
“Oh you say that now. . .give it a few years.”
“But you would be such a wonderful mother!”
I don’t need to give it a few years. I know now that I don’t want children. I’m selfish and enjoy my freedom too much.
And hell yes, I WOULD make a wonderful mother because I can be wonderful at anything I put my mind to and make the positive choice to persue. But I’m not going to persue that particular choice. Thank you very much.