I was cruising the web the other day, for chicks, obviously, and I bumped into an article that used the P-word in the headline. While the word doesn't shock me, it's still a little shocking to see ya'll use it. Is nothing sacred? And are there any words left that can shock anyone?
For anyone who is remotely active on Facebook, you no doubt have been faced at some point with inane updates on one of your friend's kid's colds or how wedding-planning was coming along for one of your engaged friends. Their updates are filled with flowery adjectives and almost always include the words "amazing," "luckiest," and "best! ever!" So, without further ado, I present Facebook's Five Most Annoying Couples, after the jump.
While other people's nicknames may make you sick, it is actually making them closer. Researchers say secret language and cutesy pet names foster closeness in couples. So instead of branding that nauseatingly adorable couple sappy, try taking a lesson from those baby-talking yoyos.
You ladies nickname us according to our jobs, our sexual proclivities, or some flaw in our character, as if the act of nicknaming is some preemptive, passive-aggressive revenge tactic. It should be noted that a nickname is the polar opposite of a pet name; essentially, one is accentuating the negative, the other the positive... Women objectify men when they nickname them. Nicknaming a man reduces him to a character that women use in their narratives where they are eternally victimized by dudes who fail to live up to their superficial, fantasy definition of romantic fulfillment.
What terms should a new couple use to refer to each other? Are they "boyfriend-and-girlfriend"? "Partners"? "Significant others"? Some think of their relationship as so exceptional that it demands an exceptional word. Barbara Wallraff explores what's in a name or a nickname or a pet name and what they say about the couples who throw them around.
