Mean Girls Grown Up: Adult Women Who Are Still Queen Bees, Middle Bees, and Afraid–to–Bees

In Mean Girls Grown Up, Cheryl Dellasega explores why women are often their own worst enemies, offering practical advice for a variety of situations. She introduces you to the “bees” of grade school who, as adults, are still involved in the same harmful dynamic: the Queen Bee, a bully who buzzes from place to place undermining and manipulating others; the Middle Bee, a go–between who spreads gossip or stands by as others do so; and the Afraid–to–Bee who retreats into passivity and is a target for aggression.

Drawing upon extensive research and interviews, Dellasega shares stories from women who have encountered these bees as well as the knowledge of experts who have helped women overcome the negative effects of aggression. You′ll hear how adult women can be just as competitive and callous as their younger counterparts, using backstabbing, betrayal, harassment, misrepresentation, and exclusion to wound others.

You′ll also discover:

• Why women often deal with conflicts differently from the way men do
• Strategies for dealing with women who use relationships to inflict hurt or prevent you from achieving your goals
• How to protect yourself from being involved in deception, bullying, and other harmful behaviors

Dellasega outlines how women can change their behavior successfully by shifting away from aggression and embracing a spirit of cooperation in interactions with others. Even if bee–type behaviors have plagued you since adolescence, Mean Girls Grown Up will help you let go of aggression or passivity, move on, and create relationships that are healthier and happier for you and the women around you.

“The mean girls of our youth don′t fade away. They become poisonous women. The stories in Cheryl Dellasega′s powerful new book about grown–up mean girls will chill you. Luckily, Dellasega offers strategies for us to protect ourselves from the sting of adult queen bees and their minions. She shows how misunderstandings feed conflicts and aggression. She even suggests ways for bullies to transform their hurtful behavior and find happier relations with other women. Practice the advice in this helpful book and all women win.”
Marla Paul, author of The Friendship Crisis: Finding, Making, and Keeping Friends When You′re Not a Kid Anymore

“There is no longer an excuse for tolerating the sting of Queen Bees and their enablers. Dellasega has provided a guide for sizing up and changing our own behaviors that get in the way of constructive communication in our personal and professional lives. This is an insightful, practical guide to recognizing and responding to the Queen Bee syndrome.”
Diana J. Mason, R.N., Ph.D., editor–in–chief of the American Journal of Nursing