I'm a college graduate in a comfortable, full-time career, living on my own in a relatively affordable city. Like the majority of people my age, my rent is too damn high, my dog's immune system is too damn low (imagine the vet bills), the student loans are kicking in, and I refuse to stop buying… Continue reading Who Pays Does Not Define My Feminism
Trigger warning: Rape, forensic exams, assault. Law and Order SVU was a staple in my parent's household. Growing up, I can't remember a single week where at some point that show wasn't on in the Balcom livingroom. While I don't remember being scared by any of the violence the show portrays, I do remember a… Continue reading Rape Kits and What You Should Know About Them
The words will never leave my ears: “Because I said so.” If I didn’t want to do something and asked why I had to do it, that was my mom’s answer. I thought that as a person who doesn’t want kids that I would be exempt from ever uttering this phrase. However, my recent exploits… Continue reading Because I Said So
Chloe Dykstra’s essay was a shock to me, and then it wasn’t. I didn’t want the manipulative and abusive behavior to come from the person about whom we all knew she was writing. On the heels of one of Arouse’s very own pieces regarding abuse in Hollywood, I didn’t want Chris Hardwick to be one… Continue reading When Women Aren’t People
Recently I attended a training that involved practicing introducing ourselves as professionals, I dare say, even experts. Picture some of the most influential or up-and-coming nonprofit leaders in the community, all wearing dress shirts and pantyhose, sitting in a circle, taking turn after turn, listing their title and why they are "the expert in the… Continue reading Ladies, You Are The Experts in the Room: Fighting Impostor Syndrome
Recently, Emma Watson addressed her shortcomings as a white feminist, leaving many white feminists wondering: what is white feminism? Including myself. I don’t pretend to be an activist. Most of the time I find Issues to be far more complex than saying, yes, that’s good or no, that’s bad [insert Only a Sith deals in… Continue reading Intersectional Body Positivity
I miss Carrie Fisher was the first thought I had after seeing "The Last Jedi." Fisher, for good reason, has become a feminist icon, a voice of reason in a world gone mad. Now she's gone. And I so desperately wish to believe in the Force; that no one is ever truly gone. However, the… Continue reading Star Wars Made Me A Better Woman
