Corporate Peon: The Rules


Monday, July 12, 2004

The Rules

I had the fortune of going to a great bookstore yesterday, the kind where they have rows and rows of uncategorized books. Fiction, nonfiction, textbooks, all line the walls in cheap floor-to-ceiling shelves. The tables in the middle contain more of the same. There's a mustiness in the air and in all of the pages and a good mix of old with new.

Each item - for there were obscure videos and CDs there as well - was normally priced at $1.00. However, for a week, all items were reduced to $.25. A quarter for a book!!! Heaven!

One of the books I purchased was 'The Rules.' Surely you know what it's about: it's a whole book of archaic 'rules' that are 'guaranteed' to win you a proposal from Mr. Right. I bought the book out of curiosity - I had heard of the book and the subsequent outlash, but never read it.

Oh, is it funny! Here are some of the notable quotes I've read thus far:
-- Men prefer long hair, something to play with and caress.
-- If you have a bad nose, get a nose job.
-- Remember that you're dressing for men, not other women, so always strive to look feminine.
-- Let him kiss you on the first date, but nothing more.
-- Always end phone calls first.
-- If you don't get jewelry or some other romantic gift on our birthday or other significant occasion, you might as well call it quits because he's not in love with you and chances are you won't get the most important gift of all: an engagement ring.

The really sad thing about this book is that it wasn't written in the 1950's, as it would suggest, but in 1995! And women followed these rules! Sigh. So much for womyn's lib.


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