Love it or hate it, ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars is an inescapable staple of current pop culture. The soupy and sartorial mystery/horror show debuted in 2010 and is nearing the end of its fifth season, with its success due to the the mix of guilty pleasure TV and a savvy intelligence of the culture in… Continue Reading →
A day in the life of a swimsuit
Call me strange, but as I was moseying around the women’s swimwear section at JCPenney the other day, I found myself feeling pretty sorry for the swimsuits. They just looked so dejected and confused, like they didn’t know what their purpose was in life. I realized two things as I found myself empathizing with the… Continue Reading →
Are breasts scandalous?
Did you know that bikinis used to be completely scandalous? When they debuted in 1946, their inventor Louis Réard couldn’t find models willing to wear them. Réard named them well — after an island atoll where the US had recently been testing atomic weapons, in the expectation that the tiny bathing suits to create a… Continue Reading →
Should you take it (almost) all off for a telfie?
Ok, so you guys. Did you know that “Telfies” are a real thing? Yeah, uh huh. Telfies, meaning a selfie where you bare your tummy. Because apparently if you have a flat stomach, you need to make sure the whole world can see it on their phones. I’m all about “Live and let live,” and… Continue Reading →
It’s Okay to ask for help
It’s often easy to put your mental health on the back burner. We’re all busy with school, work, friends, and family; how do you find the time to fit in an appointment with a therapist as well? For that matter, how do you decide if you need to visit a therapist or if you’re just… Continue Reading →
The renaissance of female empowerment comes from an unlikely source: advertisers
Feminine hygiene products have a history of questionable advertising. Lately, however, we’re starting to see some truly groundbreaking, entertaining, and original ads. The newest maxi pad video doing the viral rounds is this one from Always: Now, I’m not sure I would really consider this an ad for tampons or pads. In fact, they’re not… Continue Reading →
Names that shame: from muffin tops to thunder thighs
Recently, I bought a pair of edgy, tight-fitting jeans. I was feeling pretty confident in them until my hand happened to brush against the fattier part of my hip on the edge of my jeans. Immediately, my media-brain set off its sirens: “Muffin top alert! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a muffin top! Please evacuate… Continue Reading →
The revolution is now (and the warriors are naked)
Finally it seems like we’re at a tipping point regarding the unrelenting (and totally bogus) pressure placed upon new moms (make that all women, actually) by the incessant chronicling of just how fast celebrities manage to drop their baby weight and somehow look even better than they did before having kids. First, Ashlee Wells Jackson,… Continue Reading →
Why humor surrounding mental illness is either the best or the worst thing in existence
“I’m really OCD about my notes being organized.” “Gosh I’m so dyslexic; I can’t believe I made that typo!” “My daughter is being really anorexic lately; she won’t eat anything.”. “Sometimes I can’t stand how bipolar that woman is.” Welcome to the modern world, where we’re exposed to messages telling us that it’s okay to… Continue Reading →