The Secret Language of Girlfriends
By Karen Neuburger with Nadine Schiff

About the book
Celebrating the rare and unique bonds between women, The Secret Language of Girlfriends shows us how restorative friendship can be, and how setting aside time to be around girlfriends can have a transforming effect on your life.

 
  photo: KN Ltd. 
  About the Author
Karen Neuburger's take on female bonding is as comfy and cozy as her signature line of cloud-covered pajamas. Neuburger has spent the past ten years collecting stories of love, laughter and inspiration from thousands of women, and shares her valuable insight into their lives and the relationships that sustain them.

 
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The Secret Language of Girlfriends
Karen Neuburger

 
 

 
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From The Secret Language of Girlfriends By Karen Neuburger with Nadine Schiff

SECRET LANGUAGE GLOSSARY

The great part about sharing a secret language is that it takes only a few words to convey a huge idea. Here are some of the phrases we use in our girlfriend lexicon:

I'm Upset
CODE FOR: The world is now all about me. Do not talk about you. In fact, don't even mention you. At this minute I have no patience for rational thought. Simply agree with me and tell me you'd feel the same, even though your gut tells you I'm probably suffering from temporary insanity.

I Need to Talk
CODE FOR: Drop everything and come over immediately. Pretend that you have all day to listen to me, even though you know I'll blow it out in under an hour. If you cannot see me in person and must speak over the telephone (a totally second best choice), make sure I cannot hear you opening your email or washing dishes while I'm catharting.

I Don't Have Anything to Wear
CODE FOR: I'm stressed, fat, old, and ugly and cannot abide standing under fluorescent lights to try anything on. What I want is for you to lend me a perfect outfit with matching shoes. Girlfriend code dictates an open-closet policy.

Do I Have Food in My Teeth?
CODE FOR: You are so close to me, you can actually tell me the truth about that little piece of spinach caught in the gap between my front teeth. This code also applies to your honest opinion about bad hair days, bad boyfriends, and wearing anything luminescent like hot pink. The colors may be in style, but you have permission to tell me I look like a psychedelic ice cream cone gone wrong.

Don't Tell a Soul
CODE FOR: Includes your husband or boyfriend. No exceptions!