by Montgomery Jones, Madeleine Nesbitt, Mehar Gujral, Lilinaz Evans, Georgia Luckhurst, and Ben Ubiñas You’ve probably seen that American Eagle’s Aerie brand has released a new ad campaign featuring models who have not been retouched. The taglines for the campaign include “love me, don’t retouch me,” “Love the Real you,” and “The Real you is…
by Montgomery Jones At 12:01 a.m. on Friday the 13th of December 2013, history was made. Beyoncé released a surprise album. When I first heard, I thought I’d misread the Facebook post my SPARK sister had left on my wall. I checked Beyoncé’s Instagram: it was true. With a single post and a simple word–“Surprise!”–Bey…
by Anya Josephs When I was younger, I owned an American Girl doll, like many girls my age. I wasn’t as big a fan as some girls, but I really loved the books that went with each doll. I read all the stories that were in my elementary school’s library, and I still remember the…
by Cori Fulcher When I was younger, my favorite fairy tale was The Snow Queen. Like all the best fairytales, it had everything: wise crow couples, doppelgangers, and a “robber princess.” The story has stuck with me for a long time, not in the least because of its creepy beginning: a long tangent about a…
by Angela Batuure I love Kerry Washington. She is probably one of my all time favorite actresses. Her character on Scandal is smart, intelligent and well written, a rarity for black actresses today. When I found out Washington was going to be on Saturday Night Live, I was beyond stoked and couldn’t wait to see…
By Alice Wilder This summer, there was a movie in theaters all over the country that featured a young woman telling a guy that she wants to be on top during sex because “it increases her chances of orgasm by 40%.” It was called The To-Do List, and that scene alone made it feel miraculous…
by Georgia Luckhurst I like going into drugstores. The smells of cloying perfume mingling with talcum power strewn floors and aggressive seeming offers shouting at me from posters on the walls (“EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!” and “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!!!”, usually) are never enough to deter me from heading towards the make-up aisle. I’ve written…
by Ty Slobe Last week, LeanIn.Org’s editor Jessica Bennett posted on her Facebook page a message about looking for an unpaid intern to fill a position with the organization. It read as follows: “Wanted: Lean In editorial intern, to work with our editor (me) in New York. Part-time, unpaid, must be HIGHLY organized with editorial and…