Emily Heist Moss’ father wasn’t actively trying to raise a feminist daughter, but by always being on her side, that’s exactly what he did. My dad has always been my number one fan, so vocal in his admiration and praise that I’m often forced to pull the classic teen maneuver, an eye-roll and a “Dad, […]
Emily Heist Moss explores the difference between equal opportunity and equal outcome, saying Romney faked a fair and balanced cabinet without addressing the reasons he needed “binders of women” in the first place. In Tuesday’s Presidential debate, during a question about the state of women in America, Governor Romney described his tenure as Massachusetts governor […]
Emily Heist Moss discusses the “12 Year Old Sluts” Facebook page, becoming a woman in the digital age, and the need to feel desired and respected simultaneously. Last week, I worked myself into a giant, gnarled, spiny tumbleweed of outrage, ranting and raving my way across the Internet and into my social life. The subject […]
Unless you truly find joy in wearing makeup, Emily Heist Moss says: to hell with all the truth-covering face paint. Let me tell you some facts about my face. My eyelashes are not long enough. My cheeks are not pink enough. My lips are not shiny enough. My skin doesn’t subtly shimmer; it is not […]
For someone opposed to tradition for tradition’s sake, an engagement ring (and all its symbolic history) is on the bottom of Emily Heist Moss’ list of must-haves. My Facebook feed has been hijacked by engagement announcements. In a few years, I know the profile pictures of ring fingers will be replaced by ultrasounds followed by […]
Emily Heist Moss says understanding how broad and beautiful and strange and complicated a “family” can be is the true definition of “pro-family.” How to define a family: I have two parents and one brother. I also have two step-parents. I have one grandmother, one godfather, two aunts, three uncles, and cousins—step-cousins, half-cousins, second cousins—numbering in […]
When we begin every sentence with “I’m sorry, but…” we think we’re being polite, but we’re really just undermining ourselves. Emily Heist Moss explains why all the unnecessary apologizing needs to stop. It’s a muggy Sunday morning in Chicago. There’s an 8-years-old girl in neon sneakers playing tennis with her mother on the court next […]
Bodies should be praised for the amazing feats they accomplish every second of the day, not for how they look in a bikini. So rather than shaming thinness to empower “real” women, Emily Heist Moss asks: Can’t we all just get along? A few weeks ago, a Facebook friend I respect—we’ll call her Tina—a woman […]
Emily Heist Moss has gone on lots of Internet dates. She shares some tips she’s learned along the way. I go on a lot of dates, so many, in fact, that I’ve forgotten most of them. Months afterwards, I see these gentlemen around the city and I can’t place them, wondering if we were in […]
The music we listen to, the stores we buy from, the movies we watch, and the food we eat all say something about our values. What do you want your choices to say about you? Do you have Chad Johnson, Michael Vick, or Ben Roethlisberger on your fantasy football roster? Do you root for Jason […]
Why throw away knick-knacks from exes? You can clear away the objects, but you can’t forget their associations, says Emily Heist Moss. On my bookshelf, there’s a sculpture made of sticks and stone, wire and glue. It’s a bird, arching dangerously away from its small base, precariously balanced, swaying when my errant hip grazes the […]
