Jezebel: The Rules

What The Modern Dating Scene Has In Common With Jane Austen

Lane Moore — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:33:00 EDT

In a recent Guardian UK article, Hadley Freeman compared the modern New York City dating scene (with its rules, regulations, and awkward social customs) to "the ways of ye olde England" and predicts our nation's swift demise if we keep insisting on meeting potential suitors for a beer at a "bowling alley", just as Austen's character Emma so often did. More »

Twelve Anti-Rules For Love

Mari Ruti — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:45:00 EST

Love will always outwit our fixes. It will always overflow the boundaries that we raise to enclose it. It's in the basic nature of love to be temperamental. Our era is trying to deny this. More »

5 Things You Probably Shouldn't Wear To The Office This Summer

Hortense Smith — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:50:00 EDT

Every summer, it seems that the question of whether or not shorts are appropriate for the office comes up in the style pages, like today, in The Telegraph, for example. Shouldn't we maybe concentrate on other summer fashion issues? More »

When You Write To Jezebel, You Are Writing For Jezebel

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:25:00 EDT

In our line of work, we pride ourselves on breaking rules that need to be broken. But there's one rule we abide by, and that's in regards to your emails: They're on-record, unless explicitly stated otherwise from the get-go. Exciting! More »

Do You Have A Mental Checklist When Making Friends?

Hortense Smith — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:05:00 EDT

Shane Watson of the Times of London argues that if women perhaps considered "a list of rigid rules" when it came to selecting a husband, we'd be able to avoid the drama that has befallen the likes of Elin Nordegren. More »

For The Last Time: Can We Stop Talking About Relationship Timelines?

Sadie Stein — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST

The New York Times ran an irritating piece today about the OMG milestone of exchanging keys with your boyfriend. Can we forget about these arbitrary, Rules-style timelines, already? More »

Ellen To Mariah: Admit It, You're Knocked Up

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST

Did Ellen DeGeneres try to trick Mariah Carey into admitting she's pregnant? Mariah was a guest on Ellen's show, and after Ellen asked and got a vague response, she busted out the champagne, saying, "You don't have to answer that. Let's just toast with champagne." Mariah got flustered and said, "I can't believe you did this to me, Ellen," and pretended to sip the bubbly. Knocked up? [Yahoo News via E!]
Someone's not pregnant: Sarah Jessica Parker in the Sex And The City sequel. Carrie won't be having a kid. "It doesn't seem as if that's going to be a choice she'll make… Michael (Patrick King, director) and I never talk about it. That doesn't mean that won't be part of the story. We just haven't figured it out. It feels a little bit manipulative to toss that into the mix, because she seems so pointed in a different direction." [Daily Express]
Kanye West and hot hot model Sessilee Lopez: Is it on? [The Sun]
Madonna has hired a specialist to help her "exorcise the memories" of her ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, from her home. The technique seems to involve throwing shit away. [Mirror]
Madonna and A-Rod are in Miami together right now, having just landed in a private jet. [TMZ]

Study Shows Smiling, Flirting Open The Door To Love

Jessica G. — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Apparently social scientists at Scotland's Aberdeen University took a theory from the pages of Woman Alive and decided to prove it: if you smile and flirt with someone, there's more of a chance that he or she will like you. The Independent reports that "'social cues' — someone's efforts to show how much they like a person, be it making eye contact, smiling, or a verbal 'come-on' — play a vital role in the blossoming of romance." I'm not making this shit up, people. Also helpful in getting someone interested in you? Telling them you like them! The BBC notes that Aberdeen psychologist and study leader Dr. Ben Jones says, "Combining information about others' physical beauty with information about how attracted they appear to be to you allows you to allocate your social effort efficiently." More »

The Author Of The Rules Tricks Another Dude Into Marrying Her

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:30:00 EDT

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We know, we know: Ellen Fein, 50, she of nauseating self-help book The Rules, got married. Again. There's a big story in Sunday's New York Times. This is the woman who wrote all about snagging a guy — "Trust in the natural order of things," her book advises. "Namely, that man pursues woman." — and then had her husband leave her after 16 years of marriage. Was her divorce court claim of "abandonment" also the "natural order of things"? Anyway, after her divorce, this woman went to a singles weekend at sleep-away camp for adults in Connecticut. All together now: Ew. But wait! That's where she met Lance Houpt, her future husband. More »

Sex With Someone Else's Ex: Ever Eat Off Your Friend's Plate?

mcarpentier — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:30:00 EST

Women always say that there is one line they won't ever cross — sexing up a friend's ex-whatever. But, many of us here are honest enough (possibly because it's anonymous) to admit that it isn't always true. There are extenuating circumstances and grey areas galore (and sometimes you don't necessarily know who your friend has sexed up) and, in the end, sometimes hormones and even actual emotions for a guy might trump the "girl code" (as my friends and I call it). I explore the grey (and you can take a poll!) after the jump. More »

The Ten Commandments Of Dating Hypocrisy

Jennifer — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:30:00 EDT

Apparently the English just caught wind of a super-radical idea that involves women making the first move. A female-centric website, So Feminine, has published a fascinating "10 Commandments" for women who are disinterested in playing hard to get when dating. Progressive, right? Not really! Take Commandment #2: "Don't Show You're Confident". Which is sorta at odds with Commandment #6: "Be Yourself". The entire list, after the jump. More »