This is over two years old at this point, but there are so many howlers in the piece I thought it would be worth posting.

Perfectly functional, socially evolved, emotionally mature men aren’t really my type, at least when it comes to my personal life. You might call me a bad feminist for saying that, but I don’t think, as a 39-year-old self-sufficient professional woman, that I need to justify my tastes.

Look at this opening. Just look at this opening.

Having degrees from two of the country’s best journalism schools, I am well aware that reporters aren’t supposed to get romantically involved with subjects or sources — and indeed, I did not do so while I was covering Martin. I’m also not inclined to cheat on a spouse, given that I’m a deeply honest person.

LLLLLLOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLL

Yet, today as I write this, I’m now (happily) divorced, (happily) no longer working in legacy media, and (happily) still friends with, although no longer the girlfriend of, Martin Shkreli.

Happy happy happy happy!!

While researching my book, I spoke to a number of his former girlfriends and learned how he plied them with things like jewels and expensive shoes, trips and other goodies to win their favor. I’m not really interested in free Jimmy Choos and handbags, though. Nor am I interested in transparently manipulative behavior.

If there was anything at all that Martin did to win my favor, it was offering a gift of a very different sort, one that is infinitely more valuable to me: He showed respect for my intellect and my abilities. From the beginning of our interactions, I felt as though we genuinely connected. He asked for my opinion on significant matters, and seemed to take to heart many things I said. He read my writing, for real, and talked to me about it. In fact, he was impressed enough with my work that he first encouraged me to write a book.

You know that Shkreli is incredibly intelligent but you didn't imagine he might be capable of a more sophisticated manipulation than buying you Jimmy Choos????

We started to seep into each other. He began talking about taking a “woke” turn away from his previous trolling, about contributing more significantly to rare disease treatments and no longer hiking drug prices, and about trying to do good things for society.

YES HE TOTALLY DIDN'T MANIPULATE YOU HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

By the time I left both my job and my husband, I had decided that neither relationship satisfied me. Both, in some ways, limited me, put controls on me and caused me unnecessary anxiety.

Lol

I wanted agency, and wouldn’t settle for anything less. When I went public in Elle, I knew Martin wouldn’t be pleased. The idea of splattering a personal relationship across the pages of a magazine horrified him.

But even his feelings, in that moment, took a back seat for me when it came to deciding what I wanted. Coronavirus was raging through the US prison system at the time (and still is to a significant extent). I was sick with worry for him and also tired of hiding, so I did what I felt was best.

LOL

That's a really strange way to phrase an account of looking out for someone's welfare

In the end, if it was all a manipulation — getting me to take charge of my life and write the narrative for myself — I’m glad it worked.

Perfect. Every stereotype about NYC journalists has been confirmed from this woman's own mouth.