I don't think you have to turn in your chick badge, no. Silly! You're right, it's a silly genre, but I confess to often preferring silly to Deep and Depressing, as more serious "Women's Fiction" often is. And yes, Bridget's whining over being 128 lbs is awfully silly. I haven't tried the second one - and watched the movie so long ago that I can't really remember how it compared - but I think I found Bridget's little notes about weight and addictions less tedious than Becky's just not being able to resist any trendy, expensive thing in the Shopaholic series. Maybe because I'm just not a shopping addict.