Why I Hate Sharon McKenna

I read this article a couple of week’s ago and was so pissed off I couldn’t even speak. Okay, big lie. I could speak. Boy, could I speak. I spoke so damn much my friends were gently telling me to just say no to the Internet.

I tried. But I failed. I simply have to get this off my chest. Why? Because I HATE this woman. No, make that DETEST this woman. I mean, as if women don’t have enough problems, this woman has to go and pit us against one another in a whole brand-new kind of way.

So, who is this Supreme Bitch? Sharon McKenna, author of Sex and the Single Mom. In the article that caused the Great Pissing Off, she goes on spouting a bunch of inanities about how single moms are better partners and – get this – better in bed than childless single women.

I mean, do childless single women need this? Does this single mom have nothing better to do than attack other women to make her dreary life more palatable?

She states that single moms are better partners (because they “have to be patient, affectionate, giving, and open in order to be successful parents”), they are better in bed (because “being pregnant and giving birth, and all that it entails, makes women so much more attuned to their own bodies – what gives them pleasure, etc.”), and they appreciate sex more (“since single moms don't have a live-in partner* ready, willing, and able to have sex whenever they want to”).

Excuse me, but getting knocked up does not make a woman more patient, affectionate, and giving. Either you have those qualities or you don’t. Sure, reasoning with a toddler will employ all your skills in the patience department – but that implies you already have those skills. God knows, there are tons of women out there who are just as impatient, unaffectionate, and selfish after giving birth as they were beforehand. And as for childbirth making you more attuned, all I can say is, yea, those epidurals are really known for adding to that deep sense of connection to your body.

But I think it’s that last point that really gets to me: single moms appreciate sex more than single women without kids. Oh my god, did she really say that? Did she REALLY say that? DID SHE REALLY SAY THAT? I can personally – and sadly – attest to the DEARTH of sex out there for single women without kids. Sex and the City aside, the truth is a lot of single women without kids go through some hideously ugly droughts – and all have to fight to find a decent date, let alone an acceptable lay.

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed from being single for ages and only recently finding a fabulous partner (not live-in, so I guess I might still be able to appreciate the sex, though not as much as if I had a kid. Of course, he’s a single dad, so I guess he appreciates the hell out of it), it’s that a ton of societal approval is given to women paired up – however briefly – with a man, and even moreso to any woman with a child. It sounds to me like this woman is striving to overcome the stereotypes she’s faced as a single mom, by lording it over single women without kids. Perhaps she became less selfish and more appreciative since being a single mom (though her snide attitude towards childless single women makes me doubt it), but she just might want to consider that other women can attain those qualities without the reproduction.

At the end of the interview, she was asked, “How can we as women change the negative stereotype imposed upon single moms?” Here’s a thought: By not ganging up on other women. Or, even better, BY NOT LISTENING TO THIS BITCH.

*If you have a live-in partner, are you single? Methinks not.

Funniest Bridal To-Do List Ever!!

Things are moving along on a bridal theme lately here at A Little Lingerie Company, mainly due to our addition of personalized bridal garters. They are absolutely adorable so, while thinking about all things bridal, I went surfing the net and found this, the mother of all Wedding To-Do Lists!

The Next DaVinci Code: Pretty, Comfortable Bras

It's like trying to find the Holy Grail, I swear. I mean, how hard can it be to find a white bra for everyday that isn't ugly as sin?

Last year, my boutique sold bras, but this year I haven't included them in the collection, so off I went to the store. There I found walls and displays covered with white bras - most of them so ugly I thought I was having hallucinations of my grandma's old 18-hour models.

I don't get it. I don't. Why would anyone choose an ugly bra when they can get one just as practical that is attractive? Today's bras include gorgeous styles for all sizes - and I mean all sizes. A whole specialty of the lingerie industry now is for plus size and big bust, and big bust companies often also do the smallest cups, too. The whole range is available at good prices and in beautiful styles, so why is there still such a market for ugly, dumpy, frumpwear?

Especially in the most common sizes. This makes no sense to me. What is a 34B doing looking like some medieval torture device? It makes no sense - that's the easiest size to find in comfortable and attractive styles. Why would anyone do this to their breasts?

Ladies, there is no need to choose between pretty and comfortable, between attractive and functional. You really can have it all. Insist on it.

Lingerie to the Rescue!

I always knew lingerie could make or break your day. Of course, that usually just meant your dress would look better or you'd be all set if your evening went as well as hoped. But I never thought lingerie could actually save your life.

That's right. It's true. A woman's life has now been saved when her bra strap jumped to the rescue and fended off a bullet.

And it finally lays to rest that age-old mystery of Wonder Woman's clothes. They weren't there just so men could eat their hearts out. They were there because they had a job to do. And they did it. Damn it.

Seamed Stockings

Nothing is sexier than sheer black seamed stockings. They are glamorous, sophisticated, and endlessly elegant. Having loved these accessories since I was a teenager, it didn’t occur to me how many women don’t know how to put them on and keep the seams straight. So, to help those of you out who have been struggling with this, you can now read How to Wear Seamed Stockings. Apply what you learn and enjoy!

First Anniversary

Today I am celebrating the one-year anniversary of my boutique, A Little Lingerie Company. It has been an amazing year! Given my work background had nothing to do with retail (click here to read how I decided to start the company), it’s been quite a learning curve: HTML, merchandising, marketing, search engine optimization, link building, blogs. I knew about none of it. But I dove right in and, a year later, I not only have a good understanding of all of those things, but am enjoying the way my company adapts and the different people it has led me to meet.

The internet is often seen as a very impersonal space, but I’ve found that online business owners and bloggers are extremely helpful and friendly, and always willing to share advice. Thanks to all of you who have helped me through this first year!

Thanks especially to our wonderful customers, who have not only shopped my site, but have told me how much they like our articles and health information. You’re the best!

Fragrances

This week’s fun is selecting fragrances for the boutique! I am working with Boudreau Fragrances, from whom I’ve gotten my amber scents for years. They are the only company I know that ages their amber so it gets the richest, most luscious scent. Which is why I have become a total amber snob and, whenever a shop assistant tells me they have some fabulous amber in from India or Morocco or wherever, I always sniff it and wince. It’s too young, I say. Plus, it hasn’t been allowed to breathe. (Honestly, I’m like an obnoxious wine connoisseur.)

The thing is, I am so particular about my preferred scents – Tunisian amber or Sudanese amber – that it’s hard for me to branch out into scents others would love. I am learning which scents work well for brunettes, blondes, or redheads, and which scents are likely to smell delicious on all women. Generally, it’s lighter, citrusy scents for blondes and redheads, darker scents like musks and ambers for brunettes. (Guess which color hair I have?) I’m also learning which scents mean home (like vanilla) and which are sexy (musks, spices).

Even better will be deciding what to do with the custom scents – perfumes, scents to create a special ambience in a room, bath teas ….

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

It’s been almost a year exactly since I opened my business. From the beginning it was my idea to create a lingerie site that was bilingual in English as well as Spanish, since I’ve loved my experiences with so many Hispanic communities in the U.S., as well as my travels to Latin America.

Although this holiday is Mexican, it is also a chance to celebrate all the Hispanic communities in the United Status and their influences in our culture.

Did you know … ?

• 79% of the 14.4 million Hispanic internet users in the United States* expressed a preference for English or bilingual online materials. Of that group, 52% prefer English and 27% prefer bilingual materials.

• The online Hispanic audience has grown 6% in 2005.

• The online Hispanic audience is expected to grow 6.7% annually through 2008, as compared to 2.8% annually for the overall U.S. online population (source: e-Marketer).


Compiled by A Little Lingerie Company from: (Total Hispanic Audience: all Hispanics at U.S. home/work/college-university locations. Source: Compiled by comScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, Inc.)
Excerpted from: Joel Russell, “Surfing In Two Worlds,” December 2005, Hispanic Business Magazine

Overwhelmed by Your Underwear? Choosing the Proper Bridal Lingerie

You’ve found the love of your life and you’re about to get married. You’re busy looking for the perfect outfit, the perfect location, the perfect cake. But what about the perfect underwear?

Click here for more on choosing the proper bridal lingerie.

(Excerpted from an article originally written by Jennifer Michelle for GayWeddings.com and published May 1, 2006 on Gay Wedding Fodder.)

Choosing the Proper Lingerie for a Booty Call

Not to go into too much detail about why it suddenly occurred to me to write about the proper lingerie to wear for a booty call, but let’s just say the topic has universal appeal.

Clearly there are a couple of key things to keep in mind. One, opportunity. Meaning, will you have time to change, or are you going to have to go with what you’ve got on? Two, easy access. That one’s pretty self-explanatory.

There are only two ways to deal with the issue of opportunity. The first is – and this is my personal choice – to always wear nice lingerie. You never know when you’re going to get that call, and smart women need to be prepared. Beautiful bra sets, flirty camisoles, sexy boyshorts – you can even wear a chemise as a slip under your suit. Of course, if you have time to change, feel free to kick things up a notch with a sultry merrywidow.

As for access, remember that doesn’t just mean how fast you can take it off – it also means how fast you can get back into it. Some booty calls end abruptly. And, no, I’m not going to go into how I know that, either.