I Feel Like a Woman

Me, As an Adult
In my 20s I compiled a list of things adult “women” did that I wasn’t doing, according mostly to Sex and the City (which was big at the time) and all the heroes from my favorite romantic comedies. This is about when I coined my personal mantra: What Would Meg Ryan Do?

I thought if I mastered these skills or habits, I’d feel more grown up. Because even with a full-time job and a steady boyfriend, I still felt like a teenager. Maybe it was my Hello Kitty purse.

Here’s my list of the habits of Adult Women:
  • Drink coffee
  • Wear makeup (not just chapstick)
  • Wear matching PJ sets or nightgowns or lingerie
  • Own several pairs of high-heeled shoes
  • Own bras and panties in matching sets (and wear them together)
  • Hang pantyhose to dry in shower (this is now obsolete, but made the list a decade ago)
  • Gab on phone with best friend/sister/mother.
  • Usually own small pet (mini dog or haughty cat)
  • Have raging handbag fetish and will spend small fortunes on them
  • Drink wine or pastel-colored drinks called cosmos/martinis/juleps
  • Have dinner parties on well-set tables (the miracle of set designers)
Looking back on this list now, I'm not surprised how few of these items I've acquired or mastered. The makeup and caffeine are two points that are in progress. Some I just find harrowing – high heels? No thank you! Matching underwear? Too much effort and money. Small pet? I have kids, does that count?

But now, I look at the list and wonder why it even matters. I'm 37 and what I'm doing IS what adult women do. At least, what this adult women does and comparing myself to the ladies in pop culture is really not doing me any favors.

So, take that Meg, Carrie and all those other rom com heroines. I'm totally adulting just right.


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