i will not be afraid of women
there's something about the relationships that women have with each other. i'm not talking about lesbian, romantic relationships, here - i'm talking about friendships. acquaintenceships. families. there's a level of competition, rivalry, and one-up-manship that puts men's sports to shame.

countless rifts and seemingly invisible rivalries have made deep scars in relationships i've had with other women. i have to fight the instinct of having to be better. prettier. skinnier. smarter. sexier. funnier. of having to be the center of attention. of having to be the best woman ever.
that's a huge burden to shoulder. it's bigger than feminism; it's outside of women's liberation. we've liberated ourselves so much now that we don't even need men to compete against. we're doing just fine with that on our own.

moreso than the strain on relationships and the weight of the burden of competition lies the instrinsic fear of emotional proximity. the fear of becoming close to other women. the fear of opening up and allowing myself to have amazingly close, sisterly girlfriends. because of fear, i block out the possibility, the chance of that bond. i've prevented and shunned more relationships than i've ruined.

so from now on, i (like dar) vow to not be afraid of women. as cool as i am, i thought you'd know that already.