The Woman Who is Always Tan and has a Flat Stomach, Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry. Grand Central Publishing, March 2008.
I have to admit that I’ve stopped attending PTA functions, ceased accepting invitations to book clubs and scrapbooking parties, and have firmly decided not to attend the school gala this coming spring. Why, you may ask, have I become a hermit in my own backyard? Truth be told, it’s all the other moms; you know, the Alpha moms who never have a hair out of place, dress impeccably (even at morning drop-off) and can bake fifty cupcakes while developing a plan to end world hunger. Although I consider myself a pretty confident woman, when in the company of these perfect females, I pale and slither back into my shell. It’s easier to just stay away and hang with all the other turtles.
Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry address these annoyances and others in their humorous collection of essays, The Woman Who is Always Tan and has a Flat Stomach (Grand Central Publishing, 2008). There’s the “nutrition mom” who has a heart attack when she discovers you’ve fed your child trans fat; the “scrapbooking mom” who spends her hours documenting every action of her well manicured children; the “knitting mom” who crafts clothing out of yarn; and the woman who never gains an ounce, her stomach perpetually flat, her face always tan. Allison and Perry are not sexist in their diatribes – a good portion of the book focuses on husbands who ask or give inane instructions or the man who chooses to repaint the house right before company arrives. A light-hearted read, the book is one we can all relate to, for surely we’ve met one of these caricatures along the road.
Insightful and funny, these authors write what most of us (I’m speaking for myself here) want to say but don’t…because of course, we’re the woman who is always nice on the outside but is seething on the inside.
I have to admit that I’ve stopped attending PTA functions, ceased accepting invitations to book clubs and scrapbooking parties, and have firmly decided not to attend the school gala this coming spring. Why, you may ask, have I become a hermit in my own backyard? Truth be told, it’s all the other moms; you know, the Alpha moms who never have a hair out of place, dress impeccably (even at morning drop-off) and can bake fifty cupcakes while developing a plan to end world hunger. Although I consider myself a pretty confident woman, when in the company of these perfect females, I pale and slither back into my shell. It’s easier to just stay away and hang with all the other turtles.
Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry address these annoyances and others in their humorous collection of essays, The Woman Who is Always Tan and has a Flat Stomach (Grand Central Publishing, 2008). There’s the “nutrition mom” who has a heart attack when she discovers you’ve fed your child trans fat; the “scrapbooking mom” who spends her hours documenting every action of her well manicured children; the “knitting mom” who crafts clothing out of yarn; and the woman who never gains an ounce, her stomach perpetually flat, her face always tan. Allison and Perry are not sexist in their diatribes – a good portion of the book focuses on husbands who ask or give inane instructions or the man who chooses to repaint the house right before company arrives. A light-hearted read, the book is one we can all relate to, for surely we’ve met one of these caricatures along the road.
Insightful and funny, these authors write what most of us (I’m speaking for myself here) want to say but don’t…because of course, we’re the woman who is always nice on the outside but is seething on the inside.
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