We demand aesthetic perfection from women while simultaneously crucifying those who elect to alter their appearances. — Ever since Ariana Grande announced her appearance as a judge on The Voice this past March, plastic surgery rumors, particularly a nose job, have been trending all over the internet. Since the premiere of Season 21 in September, she has posted a new selfie almost every week that has drawn…

They have no idea what they’re revealing about themselves when they diss women who wear makeup. — As far back as I can remember, it’s always been trendy for men to make jokes and assumptions about women who purchase or wear makeup. Countless online forums feature men bemoaning before-and-after pictures of celebrities with and without it. They accuse women of trying to trick men, as if makeup…

When are we going to start praising women for their dating histories? — Pete Davidson has recently skyrocketed himself into an unexpected level of relevance. He already was one of the more popular comedians on SNL. But for the past few months or so, his name has been completely unavoidable no matter where you get your news. According to the tabloids, Pete has…

A poem of societal failure. — Talking head but no leg to stand on. It doesn’t matter because the conspiracy fits their agenda. Their paste-face idol proclaims it to be truth and it’s enough evidence for them. Radicalization unregulated in the name of free speech and constitutional rights. Yet they all cock their brows and crinkle their noses as they demand mountains of evidence from the…

Just because it is part of our culture does not mean you can dodge responsibility for your contribution to it. — I recently published a piece detailing how to effectively help a friend who is being abused. The issues of sexual, domestic, and intimate partner violence are highly nuanced and complex, so I recognize that there was a lot that my article was missing. Within the article, I stated that victims…

Until I considered that my view of the world is not the only one that exists. — By now, we’re all aware of the Politico leak about the court’s intent to overturn Roe v. Wade. To most of us, it didn’t come as a surprise, but that doesn’t mean we’re not in complete and utter panic. The people we’ve elected into power are somehow bringing their own…

A poem to open your heart. — I don't care if you think "that's rare" A personal story is not just a statistic it is proof of the possibility. It happened to a human and it can happen to another human. To disregard a story is to disrespect the life of the storyteller. We tell stories to teach and learn and feel. Our society teaches us to control, repress and…

A poem of reconstruction — In my youth I knew nothing of the tenderness the passion and the burning love. I knew only of the awkward, the obligatory and the butterflies in my heart that seemed to justify anything and everything as long as the boy wanted me. These were the butterflies they spoke of in the rom-coms, the young adult novels, the pop music that came with…

Allow yourself to be blessed by the comforts of Taurean energy. — I was born with the right to feel pleasure despite what society has had me believing for years. Now is the time to experience everything intensely and indulge all of my senses- body electrified- to force myself to feel to the fullest extent. Beyond the brim, leaking over the lip, flooding the…