I’m writing this piece anonymously because my mother frequently Googles me – types my name into a search bar to find all I’ve been up to splashed across her screen. I think she does this just so she can send my articles to her coworkers to show them how proud of me she is. I’m writing this anonymously because sometimes, in an article, I’ll reference something she said to me, … [Read more...]
My Struggle To Love With the Lights on After a Lifetime of Fatphobic Abuse
The first time I know that I am fat and that is bad is when I am ten. That is the year I become a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. My mom says I asked to go on a diet. I don’t remember what precipitated this request, but I am sure she’s right. I weigh 135 pounds at the first weigh in. When I find that first weigh in card ten years and 150 pounds later, I cry. I was my adult … [Read more...]
3 Reasons You Wouldn’t Believe My Ex Abused Me – And Why They All Mean You Should
This article was originally published on EverydayFeminism.com and is republished with permission. (Content Note: This article references partner abuse, include rape.) Here’s the truth: My ex-boyfriend abused me. He treated me worse than anyone outside of our relationship will ever know. Some of you might believe me if I told you. But I’ve heard over and over again the common … [Read more...]
Here Are 5 Palestinian Wonder Women You Need To Know About
This article was originally published on EverydayFeminsim.com and is republished with permission. Co-written note from the editor and author: Since there has been a large number of Jewish folk who feel that this article is anti-Semitic, we wanted to clarify our position and intention. This article is critical of Zionism and the Israeli apartheid occupation of … [Read more...]
Confession: I Am Heteroflexible
This piece first appeared on the website, Em & Lo, and is reprinted here by permission. Our contributor is a college student who wishes to remain anonymous. She has this to say about labels… I’m definitely not straight, definitely not gay, nowhere near asexual, and not exactly bisexual. In its simplest form, the meaning of heteroflexible can be found on the … [Read more...]
Why Friends Make the Best Medicine*: Radical Self Love for the Neuroatypical
About a month ago, a friend and I who share many things, including a bipolar diagnosis, were sharing our stories the way folks do in 2016—over text. She asked something about when I first experienced a manic episode. For me, it started at 16 so I started to type: “It’s a life long struggle.” But autocorrect wouldn’t let me. It made me say: “It’s a life long star.” You damn … [Read more...]
10 Lessons I Learned While Getting Free From Relationship Addiction
Relationships are a basic human need, like water. What’s also true, though, is the cliché: “You can’t love another until you love yourself.” (I think I first heard this in a spaghetti sauce commercial in the nineties. Doesn’t make it any less real.) As for me, I was often in a clingy fog that prevented my connection with myself, my purpose in life, a god of my understanding, … [Read more...]
