Hadley Freeman - Be Awesome - Modern Life for Modern Ladies

5An interchangeable leading actor, doing his best Woody Allen impression, is stammering and tugging his hair as he tries to work the photocopier; an inappropriately young actress sorts it out for him, but notwithstanding her technological wizardry, her personal life is a mess and she is prone to inexplicable displays of over-emotion; even though he fails to hold any obvious attractions – physically, emotionally, intellectually, personally – all the women in the office are just crazy for this self-obsessed stammerer, and he valiantly battles them away, except for the implausibly predatory teenage office intern who he is pretty much forced to sleep with; the women who are his age who want to sleep with him, on the other hand, are uniformly depicted as crazy, embarrassing and damaged (but not in a sexy way); at the office Christmas party the over-emotional woman turns up with her husband but after a conversation with the stammering man during which he repeatedly puts her down and mocks her ignorance of boring subjects like jazz and films about the Holocaust, she realises that he is the one for her; there is a showdown between the husband and the stammering man in the office, in which they run around the banks of desks and throw pencils at one another; everybody ends up exactly as they began and the stammerer continues to sleep with the teenage intern, raising the question what the point of this whole movie was anyway; the end.

6Rhetorical.

7Rhetorical.

8It is, in fact, a little like being a kept man or woman. If you want to make office life really exciting, pretend you’re Vivian in Pretty Woman and someone is paying you to spend time with them all day, albeit without the sex, the ‘big mistake’ shopping excursions or the rich partner who looks exactly like Richard Gere, which is the only kind of man who picks up hookers in LA. That’s a useful career tip, girls!

9Rhetorical.

‘Not so glam now! Hadley dares to leave the house at 9 a.m. without any make-up.’ ‘Hadley enjoys the sun in a denim miniskirt – but how old is TOO OLD to flaunt one’s legs? Our top writers discuss.’ ‘Shadow or cellulite? Hadley flashes some unfortunate mottling as she gets on the bus.’ ‘Hadley wolfs down a croissant on the bus. Doesn’t she know all that sugar and fat cause cancer?’ ‘Tea for two? No, just one, actually: sad Hadley cuts a lonely figure as she buys just one cup of tea in the office canteen.’ ‘Hadley flaunts her bombshell curves as she walks to her desk.’ ‘As Hadley’s clothes struggle to contain her expanding figure we ask, why ARE rates of obesity for women rising?’ ‘Fashion faux pas! Hadley wears her favourite blue shoes for the THIRD day in a row. Doesn’t she know she should be supporting young British designers?’ ‘Lady in red! As Hadley dons a new red top studies show that women are TWICE as likely to go into debt from compulsive shopping than men.’ ‘As Hadley spends another morning in the office, a top vicar writes: “Feminism has forced women to deny their natural maternal desires and pushed them into the workplace with disastrous consequences for our society.”’

‘Hadley and mysterious friend eat their sandwiches outside – but is there more to this friendship than meets the eye?’ ‘Maybe choose a salad next time! This unflattering photo shows that Hadley would do better cutting down on the carbohydrates for a while.’ ‘Lunch or baby bump? That is quite a tummy bulge – will there be a little Hadley soon?’ ‘Hadley and male colleague talk about “work” at Hadley’s desk. Our resident body language expert analyses what their looks REALLY say.’ ‘Brain drain: Hadley has spent a total of seven hours in front of her laptop which, one doctor says, will “definitely” give her a brain tumour.’

‘Eating the pain away: Hadley turns to her favourite chocolate bar to help her get through another lonely afternoon.’ ‘What a difference two decades make! The summer sun shows how much Hadley’s skin has changed since this photo was taken twenty years ago.’ ‘Oh dear! Hadley changes into a pair of unflattering flat shoes for the commute home. Our style expert says a pair of four-inch nude heels would suit her heavy legs better.’ ‘Wash your hands! As Hadley gets the bus home, our tests prove that she will encounter over 10,000 germs on public transport, all of which can cause cancer.’ ‘House price horror: a top estate agent claims, “Single women like Hadley hogging flats that families need has had a crippling effect on the value of properties in neighbourhoods across Britain.”’ ‘As Hadley tries to drink her cares away with friends after work we ask, why ARE women reaching for the bottle so much these days?’ ‘Worse for wear, Hadley stumbles home after ANOTHER night out. But, warns a former self-described feminist, these not-so-young women will regret their selfish, irresponsible behaviour.’ ‘As unlucky in love Hadley goes to bed alone again, a top scientist estimates how many fertile years she has left – and you’ll be SHOCKED by the answer.’ ‘Lullabye baby? Hadley sleeps soundly which, one nurse says, is a common sign of the early stages of pregnancy.’

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