shh!

I'm 25 and I do get freaked out at how successful people our age can be- lawyers, doctors, famous writers...and a lot of people I was at school with are already married with kids. But comparing yourself to others is just pointless- there will always be someone more 'successful' and always someone worse off. Other people's lives might seem better from the outside but we all have problems- and who knows, the people you envy might actually be jealous of you!

hi essential and welcome to Sheffield! I came here to study too and ended up staying. I was also surprised to find its the greenest city- I think my preconceptions were mostly from The Full Monty (!) sooo wrong. I just love looking out of my window at the green hills and only being a short drive from the Peaks. And Rivelin is cool- I saw a heron there the other day. The students mostly hang around Broomhill/Crookes/Ecclesall Road area, as I'm sure you'll find out! The pubs on West Street/Division street also get really busy once the students are back. If you like 'proper ale' try Kelham Island, its a bit rough around the edges there but good pubs. The Botanical Gardens are worth a look around. I don't know if you like Museums, but Weston Park museum, and Millenium/Graves in the centre are all free. There are lots of places for music- the student union, the leadmill, plug...depends on what you like though.

Aw, I was just teasing. That link is...educational

why not Google it and see...especially if you are at work! Perhaps you do know what it means and are trying to get us all to talk dirty??

'carefully organised submission'!! S&M for those with OCD Is this an idea for the next forum meet?

She had surgery because of teasing (by her sister if I recall correctly). Actually I just found out she was 21, she seemed very young though, and the surgeon admitted he did the procedure on a lot of teenagers. I think you can still watch it online, its worth viewing even if some of it is pretty stupid (for instance the programme title should have been the perfect VULVA, not the perfect vagina...how come even children know the names for penis and balls, yet adults don't know there is a difference between vulva/vagina??) I am not against porn, but there seems to be a whole generation with utterly messed up ideas of what women (and maybe men?) should look like, partly because of the prevalence of internet porn...

Some interesting posts here. To return to the C4 programme, I felt so upset watching that girl get surgery. She was young, attractive, healthy....but insecure as so many teenagers are. When she was crying in pain I could barely watch. I just wanted to rescue her and tell her to wait a few years. If she'd just waited until she was a little older, more secure in herself or in a relationship with someone who really liked the female form in all its variety, she would have reconsidered. I think she will live to regret it, but then why should the plastic surgeon care?? The 'alternatives' to surgery- the plaster cast artwork and the 'yoni' group- seemed pretty dippy-hippy at first, but I was actually won round by the positive reaction of the women. These activities are contrived, but then I think our opinion of vulvas is so negative (in this society) that we need something contrived to try and turn that around. Body image education and encouraging healthy respect between the sexes would also help.

the free paper said this place is coming down (unless there are 2 blocks this fugly in Sheffield...nah, doubt it)

I like it! So shiny!

Aw, such a handsome chap! And very deserving of the accolade compared with most of 'em.

Do you think your life would have been more enjoyable if you'd been a black gay woman?:suspect:

the government. (most politicians are white males) company directors are usually white males

Actually I don't think I understand Do you mean some feminists put pressure on women NOT to be 'just housewives'? Making women feel guilty if that's what they want? Hm, maybe some do, I wouldn't though. I think most women work out of personal choice and/or economic necessity rather than political principles... I've probably misunderstood again haven't I??

Yep, that's why she got fired. Actually, there are a couple of somewhat successful 'tell all' librarian memoirs but they were smart enough to disguise the places/people.

Jessica, thanks for posting that. I'm sure there are a small minority of women who truly need some kind of surgery 'down there', but for the most part its madness. We condemn FGM, is this so different?