2+ hour, 40+ min ago (386+ words) Big deal-breakers are all very well, but the seemingly small things often tell in the end. How do they feel about sell-by dates? Will they walk out of a bad film? Not asking will come back to haunt you A friend of mine once declined a date with a kind, funny, clever man because she hated his shoes. When she relayed this to our group of twentysomethings, it didn't warrant comment or discussion, because it was such a rational decision, which we all would have made. I mean, come on " you can't go out with someone with bad trainers, can you? Fortunately for the continuation of the human race, today's daters appear to be a little less fastidious. A recent report on relationships by the dating app Plenty of Fish not only failed to mention footwear, but showed that people…...

2+ day, 16+ hour ago (548+ words) From a silk sleep mask to Google's smart speaker, here are the sentimental and practical presents for your mom, sister, wife or friend To shop for your favorite woman, think not only about what they already use, but what they've mentioned they've wanted in passing. Everyone scores peppermint bark-flavored brownie points around the holidays for proving they actually listen. From splurge-worthy tech to luxurious scented goods that'll transport them to a blissful place in the dead of winter, the best gifts for her strike a balance of practical and sentimental. We tapped several women for the best gifts they've ever received to get your wheels turning on gift-giving this season. "Last year, my husband got me the most perfect gift," says Jacqueline Hopmeyer, a marketing director. "I love printing pictures and Polaroids, but this connects to your phone so you…...

2+ day, 21+ hour ago (196+ words) Lausier walked out of the studio "feeling like I could do anything. The experience "has transformed everything and "absolutely gone into my regular life " but not in the ways she expected. For Lausier, it was stunned silence. "I never felt so beautiful. But why is it necessary to strip off to have this experience? If it's not about sex " as all these women say " why do it in lingerie or less? "There's a desire to be fully seen, not just physically but emotionally, Witt says. "To be fully loved for what we are as human beings, as women. "I can only take on what it was for me, Witt says. "And for me it's not that. Can I control if that's what it is to other people? No. And although the images might look like the product of a male…...

4+ day, 14+ hour ago (1256+ words) Here's what you should know before getting an epidural " and why it might not provide full pain relief as expected The first time I got an epidural, it was too late. I'd heard it was best to wait, for fear the medication would run out mid-labor (I later found out this is a myth). So I gritted my teeth through hours of contractions, and when I finally told the nurses I was ready, the anesthesiologist was with another patient. Another unbearable hour passed before I finally got the medication. But by then, I was minutes away from pushing. I went through the final stage of labor feeling almost everything. When I had my second baby, I got my epidural right away, but it made me incredibly itchy. Throughout 24 hours of labor, I scratched and wiggled so much that the epidural…...

5+ day, 14+ hour ago (445+ words) Venues designed for people to smash things up safely are seeing an enormous rise in bookings. But why? And what explains the pronounced gender gap? Appearance: Full of old appliances and angry women. Hang on, rage rooms aren't new, are they? No, the idea of charging people to smash stuff up safely as a form of commercialised catharsis reportedly emerged in Japan in 2008, around the same time Chicago entrepreneur Donna Alexander started charging people $5 to break things in her garage. But it really went global in 2015 and 2016. Ah, yes, the Brexit vote, the first Trump administration " angry times. Makes sense. So, what's new? They're booming again, especially with women. The Times reports bookings at Virgin's Ultimate Xtreme Rage Room are up 219%. Weston-super-Mare's Activity Dome has seen a surge of 150%, and 90% of them are women. Funny, I never imagined Weston-super-Mare as…...

5+ day, 14+ hour ago (801+ words) Experts unpack the common myth of menstruating people's cycles synchronizing when they're in close proximity for long enough Tell us: what are the best and worst gifts you've ever received? To be someone who menstruates means continuously trying to untangle fact from fiction. Is it true that you can't swim on your period? No. Does the scent of a person menstruating attract bears? Also no. There is one period rumor I've always kind of enjoyed, though: when women are in close proximity for long enough, their menstrual cycles will eventually sync up, also known as "menstrual synchrony. I've had several friends over the years claim that my period had yanked them on to my cycle. "I remember hearing that from family members when I was younger, says Dr Rachel Jensen, Darney-Landy fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists....

5+ day, 16+ hour ago (198+ words) UK tour operators have reported an increase in solo traveller bookings, primarily among older women Do you enjoy holidaying alone, unencumbered by demands from family, friends or partners? If so, you are part of a growing number of women opting to go solo. In the UK travel companies have reported an increase in bookings for solo travellers, primarily older women, often leaving partners behind to "explore on their own terms. Last month, tour operator Jules Verne said solo travellers accounted for 46% of bookings for its trips departing next year, up from 40% in 2023. Just under 70% of its current solo bookings are by women. Have you opted to go on a holiday by yourself? Or perhaps you are planning one? We would like to hear from you. Why are you going it alone? If you've done it before, what do you like…...

5+ day, 20+ hour ago (152+ words) Stereotypes that centre mens" worth in their work are strangling sensible debate, and letting down women too Finn Mackay is an academic and the author of Female Masculinities and the Gender Wars First it was mechanisation threatening our jobs, then AI and now this: the Great Feminisation is taking over the workplace. Well, that"s according to American journalist Helen Andrews, who popularised this thesis in a speech to the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC. The thesis makes two fundamental errors. First, stereotypes attached to femininity don"t represent all women, any more than stereotypes about masculinity define all men. Second, nobody needs a feminised world, whatever that nonsense even means, but we all need a feminist world. There"s a big difference. Finn Mackay is the author of Female Masculinities and the Gender Wars, and a senior lecturer in…...

6+ day, 22+ hour ago (613+ words) It is said to be harder to make friends as you age. But I found that a mix of apps and other tools, as well as a happy attitude, led to a world of potential new pals Tonight, Rachel, Elvira and I will meet for dinner. A year ago, none of us knew the others existed. Six months ago Rachel and Elvira were strangers until I introduced them. But now, here we are, something as close to firm friends as is possible after such a short time. If you've ever consumed any media, you would be forgiven for thinking that life after 35 is a burning wasteland of unimaginable horrors: the beginnings of incessant back pain, an interest in dishwasher loading, the discovery that you're ineligible for entire industries billed as "a young person's game, and, apparently, an inability to make…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (253+ words) Christine and Francis Saunders, who lost their beloved daughter Juliet, respond to the news that advice on maternal deaths in England and Wales has been routinely ignored Thank you for your article on how coroners" prevention of future deaths (PFD) reports are being routinely ignored (Coroners" advice on maternal deaths in England and Wales routinely ignored, study finds, 19 November). Experience has shown us that a coroner"s PFD report is issued in response to serious systemic failings and a trust"s inaction to prevent future tragedies. Tolerating poor care and refusing to learn seem to be shared features of health scandals, including the treatment of people with learning disabilities, such as our own beloved daughter, Juliet Saunders, who died aged 25. The trust resisted, claiming that, being non-verbal, Juliet was hard to treat. Would there have been any improvements without the…...