Carolyn Hall

Very few people had the privilege — yes, the privilege — of being educated on complex and systemic gender-based issues in society, and can enter in conversations without as much information as you.

He may buy you nice things, or look good on your arm (when he has time to come out), but putting in the time to be with someone in the everyday moments is a basic requirement of a relationship — not something that only happens on vacation time.

Your brain never really accepts the idea that you are half of a whole, and everything you do has a direct and important effect on the other person.

There are the girls who watch Girls — or, for my generation, Sex and the City — and dream about the life spent finding yourself by dating, partying, and being irresponsible.

This one is really tricky for two reasons. One, women don’t like admitting that the guy footing the bill, or at least offering to, is an important thing.

Making someone feel beautiful does not help them in the long run, if it’s at the expense of their health. The same is true of extremely thin models.

Just as much as we would hold an intervention on someone who is suffering from a heroin addiction, or drinking themselves to death, should we not give the same attention to someone who is clearly eating themselves into ill health?

The last thing you want to be is bitter. And trust me, you can be bitter at any age.