It’s safe to say that the vast majority of us are definitely nowhere near able to save twice our yearly salary by age 35, despite the newest out-of-touch punchline from the financial sector. As an American in my early 30s who, like most of “our” generation if you’re also American, has a negative net worth thanks to graduating post-financial crash, trying to build a career … [Read more...]
Simple But Not Easy: 25 Steps to Justice
Tired of asking, “What can I do?” or “How can I be helpful?” At times, you are asking how you can uplift marginalized voices. That is the most productive question; lead with that first. However, in most situations, the underlying request is “Tell me how to be a good person” or “Tell me how to not offend.” When people ask these questions, I typically begin a discussion — a … [Read more...]
Going Gray: Learning to Love My Changing Body
Each of my grandmothers has reached an age when the price they must pay for passage into a new year of life has grown almost insurmountable. They are bedridden, spending their days unable to fully enjoy the beautiful island on which they live, the sensation of the hot Caribbean sun, or the temperate ocean waters upon their skin. They do not go for leisurely walks or quickly run … [Read more...]
What Disability Bigotry Looks Like
Ten years ago, if you'd ask me whether disability bigotry existed, I would have given you a blank stare and blurted out, "Disability bigotry? What the hell is that?" Then I was diagnosed with the disabilities I'd had all my life, and so much made sense. I finally understood how my body worked, and that knowledge was life-changing. But more than that, I finally understood the … [Read more...]
What? You Mean I Look Like That? Thoughts on Not So Gracefully Aging
This article is the first in a three-part series on aging. Stay tuned for additional posts on Wednesday and Friday! [Image description: The black-and-white photograph shows the author's dark eyes, glasses, and nose. She is a white woman, and her forehead is crinkled.] About 20 years ago, someone told me that we all carry around a picture of ourselves in our heads, and … [Read more...]
My Mother’s Cancer: Inside the Body of a Warrior
[Image description: This photograph shows the author on the left and his mother on the right. The author is a young mixed-race man, with a medium skin tone and shoulder-length straightened hair, sitting on a ledge. He is wearing sunglasses, a billed beanie, and a white shirt and jeans. His mother is a Black woman with dark skin, curly black hair, a white visor, glasses, and a … [Read more...]
Where is My Son? A Glimpse into Living with Dementia
On Tuesday, I woke up with a start. I checked my phone and saw that it was 11 am. I immediately panicked because I thought I’d slept through my alarm and had not taken my son to school. I called for my son to come into my room, but he did not come in. I called again, with no response. I got annoyed because I figured he must be in his room with his headphones on. I went into his … [Read more...]
The Revolution is Inside: Radical Self-Love By Any Means Necessary
[Image description: The photo on the left is a black-and-white photo of the author, Sonya Renee Taylor, an African-American cis woman. She stands naked near a window with white blinds and curtains. She has a large body and dark skin, and she is cupping her large breasts as she stares out of the window. The photo on the right is an iconic black-and-white photo of slain civil … [Read more...]
Loving My Body’s Changes: Aging and My Belly
I might be different from other women because I’ve never felt the pressure to conform to the standards of beauty. When I go to a doctor’s office, I’m more likely to pick up the National Geographic than the Cosmo. If Cosmo is the only option, I’ll stare at the wall. I’ve never kept up with the seasonal fashion and make-up trends. I hate the feel of makeup on my face. I don’t … [Read more...]
Moving from Healthism to Radical Self-Love: The Man in the Photo
Two days ago, an image popped up in my Facebook feed: a slender young woman on a gym floor taking a selfie. The photograph consisted of her own torso and head, along with the image of a larger, middle-aged man using a cable machine, just visible over her shoulder. The caption read: “Uck: when his boobs are bigger than mine.” That was the original image, but the original … [Read more...]
Why the Words Stick in My Throat: Talking about Aging
[The graphic consists of a lilac background with four rows of cartoon-like pictures, four pictures to a row. A figure of a woman in white pants stands in front of one of the pictures, blocking it from view. Each picture has a word at the top. The pictures read Beauty, Skinny, Sexy, Fit, Hot Mama, Smart, Fine, Charm, Spirit, Dazzle, !, Adorn, Lust, Cute, and Attract. The woman … [Read more...]
Why the Words Stick in My Throat: Talking about Aging
This article is the third in a three-part series on aging. Source: Wear Your Life Well [Image description: The graphic consists of a lilac background with four rows of cartoon-like pictures, four pictures to a row. A figure of a woman in white pants stands in front of one of the pictures, blocking it from view. Each picture has a word at the top. The pictures … [Read more...]
Pretty Tired of Pretty
My eleven year old son suggested I write about the word pretty. I asked him why, and he said “Because my mommy is pretty.” Immediately, I panicked and knew I could not write about that word. That’s how I knew I had to write about it. As an adjective (according to Google search), pretty means “attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or handsome.” As a … [Read more...]
The Right and Wrong Way to Talk About the Generations
If you’ve never seen HBO’s The Newsroom, it’s pretty standard as far as Aaron Sorkin creations go. It features a severely under-diversified cast; generic current-event references that high-five those who get them while not alienating those who don’t; dialogue that must be read at hail-storm tempos just to stay within running time; and, of course, a white, cis-male protagonist … [Read more...]
The Body Is Not an Apology
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