Tripping the Prom Queen: The Truth About Women and Rivalry by Susan Shapiro Barash
Susan Shapiro Barash has exploded the myth that women help one another, are supportive of one another, and want each other to succeed. Based on interviews with women across a broad social spectrum, she has discovered that the competition between women is more vicious precisely because it is covert. She tells us: why women can't and won't admit to rivalry; how women are trained from an early age to compete with one another; in which areas women most heatedly compete; how rivalry is different among women than among men; the differences between competition, envy, and jealousy; when competition is healthy and when it isn't; why women find it irresistible to "trip the prom queen"; and, useful strategies to stop the competition and forge a new kind of relationship with other women. Whether you've tripped the prom queen or been tripped yourself, you will discover an engrossing exploration of this female phenomenon, as well as a beacon of hope for better, more fulfilling relationships.