Mean Girls Grown Up
Chapter One
All Grown Up and
Ready to Sting
Adult Female Aggression
Mean girls grow up to be mean women,
make no mistake about that.
-a woman caller to a radio talk show on bullying
It happens when you least expect it: the sudden, painful sting
that hurts deeply, because you thought you were in a safe place,
with other women and immune from harm. A word, a gesture, or
some other seemingly innocuous behavior can be all it takes to
wound in a way that hurts more than any physical blow. This is
female relational aggression (RA): the subtle art of emotional
devastation that takes place every day at home, at work, or in
community settings. Unlike openly aggressive men, women learn
early on to go undercover with these assaults, often catching their
victims unaware. Many carry this behavior into adulthood.
What Is Relational Aggression?
RA is the use of relationships to hurt another, a way of verbal violence
in which words rather than fists inflict damage. RA seems to
peak in the early teen years when girls use a variety of behaviors ... read full excerpt from Mean Girls Grown Up: Adult Women Who Are Still Queen Bees, Middle Bees, and Afraid-to-Bees ebook
