The subway is hot and crowded and I mop my forehead with a cloth. A woman in her 80s is having a friendly chat with the stranger next to her. When she sees me, standing squarely on my two feet to keep my balance and dressed in a sundress with an empire waist, she assumes… Continue Reading →
Why women athletes deserve your support
If you’re a female athlete like me, you know the drill when it comes to wanting people to take you seriously (For everyone else: people tend to not take us seriously). That’s why, when the U.S. women’s national soccer team won the World Cup this summer, I was over the moon about the amount of… Continue Reading →
Does #ThighReading help or hurt body-positivity?
Thanks to the advent of social media, we live in a culture where it’s easier than ever to share parts of our lives with others. That’s great news for the body-positive movement, which has started using the Twitter hashtag #ThighReading as a way to celebrate realistic, unaltered depictions of women’s bodies. This trend began after a Twitter user… Continue Reading →
Positive Exposure shines light on a different kind of supermodel
Meet Rick Guidotti. He’s a fashion photographer who takes pictures of some of the most beautiful people in the world—but they’re probably not who you’re thinking of. In fact, it’s not even who Guidotti would have thought about even a few years ago. At that time, beauty was epitomized by the supermodels he photographed every… Continue Reading →
Fitbits and weight-loss apps: Healthy or obsessive?
In my day-to-day life, I’ve noticed a peculiar bracelet cropping up (the latest in a never-ending steam of weight-loss gadgets). This bracelet has the strange effect of making the wearer walk around a room in circles for minutes on end. “What is this sorcery?” You ask? It is known as a “fitness tracker”, sold by leading… Continue Reading →
You’re allowed to get married if you’re fat
Being in my late 20s, I’ve spent a lot of time in the last few years going to weddings, including the weddings of a lot of my closest friends. I’ve watched as they stressed out about their extended families and worried about what music to play; I’ve talked with them as they picked dresses and… Continue Reading →
The Honest Body Project honestly portrays women’s experiences
From a young age, women are taught to associate important life milestones with how their bodies look. We’re told to suck in our stomachs at our first dance recitals, diet to fit into our high school prom dresses, and search our bodies for evidence of the “Freshman 15” after our first year of college. Not… Continue Reading →
Anti-aging, anti-who?
Why, in this day and age, are we bombarded on a daily basis with advertisements for anti-aging products aimed almost exclusively at women? We are constantly pressured to: Look young. “Wow! It’s great that you’re 47, but only because you look 25 and you’re a stunning, hot model.” Be obsessed with anti-aging. Oh, apparently having young-looking skin and a… Continue Reading →
5 ways you can take a vacation from getting “vacation-ready”
What have you done to get ready for your summer plans? Getting excited for my recent vacation to Lake Tahoe, I was using all of my spare time on Pinterest — of course. As usual, my “quick browsing” evolved into an hourlong surf session of anything having to do with summer. What started as innocent excitement turned into… Continue Reading →