I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman . . . .

I hate that song. You know what else I hate? The fact that there's no proper word to refer to women in their late teens and 20s. Males are "boys" until they're about 15, and then they become "guys." They can remain "guys" forever, or they can be called men after age 18. Girls are "girls" from the time they're born until they're, what, 50? Maybe not even 50. Maybe not until we're 60 and become "old ladies." But even Bob Barker called a woman celebrating her 60th birthday the "birthday girl" the other day on The Price is Right. What I have learned from watching National Political Reporter for the Washington Post Ann Kornblut on Countdown with Keith Olbermann two nights ago is that 25-year-old women aren't even close to being women yet.

OLBERMANN: There‘s a number inside the number, Anne, as the sportscasters say, when you look at just the online fundraising. John Edwards was a lot more competitive. He had $3.3 million online, Senator Clinton has $4.2. What does that say about who in the party is supporting each of these candidates?

KORNBLUT: Well, it‘s interesting, all these advisers are saying that the Internet is the great democratizer. We thought in 2004, we‘re certainly seeing it again here. Today, when we were traveling with John Edwards, we went to the Stonyfield Farm yogurt plant here in New Hampshire. And a young girl, a 25-year-old woman who worked there came up and handed the Edwardses a $100 check. (emphasis mine)

A young girl gave the Edwards campaign a $100 check! Can you believe it? She could have spent it on clothes from Limited Too! If Edwards' base is young girls who have checking accounts and disposable income, I don't think he has a chance.