Just because someone doesn’t have the vocabulary to articulate their boundaries doesn’t mean those boundaries don’t exist or matter. Why, in the name of all that is good in this world, do people feel so entitled to touch children? When I worked as a nanny in college I was always shocked by how frequently people […]
All of us are works in progress. If we can work at being there for ourselves as well as our friends, we can create supportive, nurturing spaces where we women can feel valued for being exactly who we are. At the end of my thirties, as far as friendships go, I’ve certainly made my rounds. […]
Chuck a packet of candy on the table when it’s my turn to host the mother’s group. Reddit recently asked men what they would do if they weren’t afraid of appearing “feminine.” “I’d knit so hard, bro,” was one response. “Drape myself in velvet” was another. “Wax my butt crack” was unexpected, but it did get […]
If bossy is for little girls beginning to experience their power, bitter is for women who have realized theirs. Bossy. It’s a word preferred and often reserved for women and little girls—especially little girls. While all kids can be bratty, selfish, and get angry, bossy has an insidious gendered quality to it. So much so, […]
When men performatively conquer female woes by stomping around in stilettos to “I Will Survive,” is this a kind of gender appropriation? I’ve never known how to feel about drag shows. My best friend started getting into them a few years ago, and naturally, wad of singles in hand, I accompanied him to our friendly […]
I know the internet is teeming with trite blogs about your 20s: words neatly condensed into bullet points and numbered lists to relate to the masses. I can’t relate. “‘Your desultory 20s,’ my mother calls my lost time, trying to make it sound reasonable and fun, but it started before I was 20 and lasted much […]
Beauty and body fat percentage are not mutually exclusive. I have a love/hate relationship with my body. Some days I celebrate it for the goddess vessel it is and others I feel betrayed by it, want to light it on fire, and run it over in the middle of the street. Living with a series […]
I’m waiting for the public conversation about women and work to shift away from leadership and toward leading a good life. Every time I get a letter from my MBA program, I feel guilty. Unlike my other classmates, I don’t have a high-powered career—a vocation with thousands of people and millions of dollars in my […]
