The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Thanks to Jezebel for steering me toward this gem: Wherein Josephine Cox, the 64-year-old British author of Atonement (among other things), wonders whether she harmed a generation of young women by perpetuating the myth of malehood. To which I respond: Hell, yes, you did! Although, for me, my notion of prince charming was shaped more by the movies than books. In fact, just last night, I asked the boyfriend (hunky, bluecollar, and a filthy mouth to boot) to fulfill one of my fantasies by pretending to be Humphrey Bogart. Anyhoo ...

Unlike Cox, I think the problem lies more in "finishing" than it does in looks. All our lives, women have been fielding messages, subtle or not so much, about social climbing via our mates (to marry a doctor!). Just last week I asked a girlfriend (mid 30s, attractive, climbing the corporate ladder at a global insurance company), about her "type." Her response was that she is looking for a man who is SMARTER than she is. To which I responded: But there aren't very many PEOPLE who are smarter than you. You're pretty fuckin smart. And accomplished. So, here is what I think: As women become more and more fabulous (and compensated, educated, etc.) we've got to make peace with "dating down." Of course, this shatters any hopes we might have about being devoted, stay-at-home mothers one day. With any luck, however, our ineloquent, uneducated, underemployed partners will at least help with the dishes.

As for the teeth that Cox refers to in her piece: I suspect that they, too, were seen as a reflection of socioeconomic status - just another clue that this guy is a plebe.