by Jasmine White Sometimes I look at the pieces of my chemically-straightened hair that are scattered around my bathroom floor, and I wonder what it would be like if things were different. What if relaxers were never invented? What if having afro-kinky hair was okay? I’ve been getting my hair chemically straightened since I was…
Ed. Note: This piece was originally published at HuffPo Teen for the Proud2BMe campaign. We are reposting it this week in honor of NEDA’s National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. by Georgia Luckhurst I may be proud to be myself now, but for roughly two years, I hated myself. When I was 11, I decided I was…
by Georgia Luckhurst Last weekend, at a sleepover with some of my friends, someone asked me: “If you’re a feminist, aren’t you really against make-up?” It was a shock to be asked – firstly because we were eating pizza and watching Modern Family, not exactly the usual setting for a serious debate. Secondly because I’d…
by Anya Josephs Seventeen Magazine’s “Body Peace Treaty” asks girls to promise to love and accept their bodies, by taking vows like “appreciate what makes my body different from anyone else’s,” “not let my size define me” and “remind myself that what you see isn’t always what you get on TV and in ads.” We…
by Julia Bluhm You know how when something awesome happens, it takes a long time for it to sink in, and for you to realize what’s actually happening? That was how I was feeling the morning of October 13th. I woke up to a beeping alarm, curled up deep inside the covers of a floral-print…
by Dee Putri Many times in the past, I’ve found myself wondering what everybody thinks about me. Am I pretty? Do I look cool? Or maybe, do I look pathetic? But I’m not brave enough to ask people about it. Also, when they say that I’m pretty, I’m afraid that it is just about having…
This is a guest blog from http://proud2bme.org. Rachael Haskell is 22 years old and lives in Los Angeles with a basset hound named Rosie Honeybun (AKA Rosie, Bun Bun, Bunny, The Bun, Hellbeast, and Beezlebub.) When she is not blogging, doing work for school or procrastinating Rachael enjoys dancing, reading, writing, hiking, trying (and usually…
By Bailey Shoemaker Richards The start of a new year brings around the time for resolutions, and for some reason, the collective cultural resolution seems to be weight loss – for women. Every ad for Atkins or the latest diet fad that promises women to help them shed pounds at an unhealthy rate reminds women…