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The origins of the card game Old Maid trace back to the 17th century, with players trying to form pairs out of all of their cards until someone—the loser—is left with the lonely, unmatched, single old maid. In the past 130 years, retail card decks have been produced specifically for Old Maid, always featuring illustrations of the dreaded losing card. In reviewing these decks that span three centuries, it's interesting to see how the Old Maid has evolved over the years and how the more things change, the more they stay the same. More »
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In a new study, titled "I'm a Loser, I'm Not Married, Let's Just All Look at Me," researchers found that female subjects felt that "the stigma associated with being single at that age has not diminished." [Eurekalert] More »
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Lately, cat ladies have been in the news, prompting legislation, a documentary, and a new inquiry from Slate's "Explainer": "What's the deal with cat ladies?" And why are they always, well, ladies? More »
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1928: "In this happy future, no old maid need look under the bed for a man, in vain." Instead she'll buy a custom robot to warm her bed - which is obviously better than no man at all. [PaleoFuture] More »
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In 1981, a hiker came across her corpse in a cave, surrounded by cutlery, a toothbrush, jewellery, and a vinyl record of "The Last Waltz." Police deduced that she'd been dead 12 years. Now, the case has been reopened. More »
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In a time when we all need comfort, publishers roll out The Complete Miss Marple — and the stealth sage of St. Mary Mead gets her due. More »
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If you've ever wanted to ditch city life and flee into the wilderness (or if you sometimes fear you might have to), check out this story of two women who did just that in 1916. More »
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Despite what romantic comedies would have us believe, some men care about things besides blowjobs and fast cars. They're looking for love! More »
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Kit Naylor says she's "55 years old, a spinster long past my sell-by date, no kids — and I haven't had sex in a decade and a half." In her article on Salon, she writes that she could probably score some casual sex, but she wants to be in love — and historically, she's fallen in love with unavailable men. So for the past 15 years, she's enjoyed the single, sexless life: "the toilet seat is always down, and I control the TV remote" and "the cats don't criticize." But even as she lists the virtues of celibacy, she makes it disturbingly clear that it's not really her choice. More »
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• Happy New Year, little Jewzebels. It's starting off pretty rocky, but we guided you through the rough shoals of the VP debates with a steady hand and a drunken heart.
• This Palin supporter sounded like she was drunk with her garbled endorsement of the moosetest with the mostest.
• Times are tough for this country, and for weepy Prodge Run contestants.
• You know who always has a stiff upper lip and a lot of fun? "Spinsters."
• Thankfully we can reminisce fondly about the days before we knew what a mortgage was. Check out the Jezebel school pictures and remember this: the older they are, the cuter they ain't.
• You know what else ain't cute? Elisabeth Hasselbeck when she gets all yelly.

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As a teenager, I was obsessed with spinsters. I modeled myself after Stevie Smith, Marianne Moore and Barbara Pym, was known to sport gloves and vintage hats and, if you're wondering who's the proud owner of the handle "Spinster@aol.com," look no further. I remember relishing the choice of a wholly asexual persona, and loving the notion that these were women who had actually opted for a certain independence that was so much more than just settling for singlehood. Naturally I was intrigued then by Blogher's "Search for Cinematic Spinsters." The author, a self-described spinster, identifies the spinster archetype and its essentially negative stereotype — the bitter, dried up old maid so often seen in movies — but goes on to find that it is more nuanced than that. And as a 16-year-old me could have told her, there are far worse role models. More »
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On last night's Mad Men, we finally saw some of the cracks Joan Holloway's ice-y demeanor when Paul Kinsey — an exec at Sterling Cooper and one of Joan's exes — retaliated against her (on point) bitchiness by photocopying her license and hanging it in the break room so everyone could see her real age. Joan, who normally is very supportive of her employers and their boys-will-be-boys ways, made her disdain for their assholery clear (if just a little). Also, how insane is it that not so long ago, it was an embarrassment for it to become public knowledge that a single woman was 30 years old? Clip above. More »
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• Eating chocolate is more of a turn-on than kissing, says a new study. Bullshit! Everyone remembers their first kiss! Who remembers their first Hersheys? [DailyTelegraph]

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