Female friendships

This week's SE Live edition seems a little estrogen-heavy when I look at the pages.

I hope the gender-neutral dart league story and the family-friendly Tunes at Twilight artist preview will abate the "girls, girls, girls" theme we've got going on here.

I didn't schedule "Sex and the City 2" to be released this week, and the Cape Girardeau Roller Girls were just too good to pass up. The stories, though extremely different, do share some similarities. The underlying message is one of female strength, friendship and fun.

The movie touches multiple generations of women, showing them that any wall can be climbed, any problem can be dealt with, as long as you've got other women to help you through it.

The story on Page 13A takes on an ever-present female issue: What to wear? But it adds the challenge of age. The women in the series were always trendsetters, and as they and their characters age, the clothing adapts, too -- but not too much.

The four friends have always stood confidently in their stilettos, even if they're secretly a little uncomfortable in their own skin. That circle of self-esteem flows to other areas of life.

In reporting the Roller Girls story, we talked about the outfits. Their costumes -- and most clothes -- have to be functional, but they also want to look good in them.

The outfits herald the 1970s and '80s when roller derby was really popular. Day-Glo and fishnet tights pop from under knee pads and booty shorts. Methodically ripped T-shirts and stickered helmets top off the uniform. Some of the women just wear cloth shorts and a tank top or whatever they feel most comfortable falling in.

They look good, have confidence and are doing something that makes them feel good. The encouragement from their teammates helps them feel good, too. In practices, the same woman who knocks you down helps you up and cheers you on.

That's what female friends are good for -- picking you up when you fall down.

That's why you'll see packs of them clicking around town this weekend for the opening of "Sex and the City 2" and limping around the office for the next few months after falling wrong in roller derby practice.