Once we start comparing, we lose power as a community. The other day, I clicked on an article that I knew would be an unpleasant read. What else is new, right? It was an article about the legal distinction between rape and sexual coercion. Being an advocate for victims of sexual violence, I have to stay in… Continue reading To The Victims That Treat Trauma Like A Contest
Tag: Trauma
Seasonal
I was breathing deeply. I was gazing at golden leaf piles. I was spooning warm stew. I was creating a masterpiece of September muses and then, as quick as the chill in the air after equinox annexation, I was drowning. I felt the burden of breathing grow heavier than my will to exist. My shoulders… Continue reading Seasonal
Why You Don’t Need To Love Yourself First In Order To Be Worthy Of Love
General relationship cliches harm us more than they’ve ever helped us. These days, it seems anybody with over 10k followers could be considered a relationship guru. Virality has become equivalent to truth and anyone’s advice can be spread around to the masses, whether it is credible or not. One phrase that I’ve witnessed the internet cling to… Continue reading Why You Don’t Need To Love Yourself First In Order To Be Worthy Of Love
Imaginary Conversations I Have In The Shower
I admire your effortless ability to not concern yourself with things that don’t personally affect you and to things that are anything less than validating to your stone solid beliefs. How does one have such high and mighty steel barriers and a lackadaisical disposition? The pure perplexity of this question draws out my envy and… Continue reading Imaginary Conversations I Have In The Shower
Are Women Overlooking This Important Aspect of Feminism?
Here it is. The essay I’ve been avoiding. The ‘what feminism means to me’ chicken scratch I’ve kept in my drafts for two years. Because who wants to tackle something so broad, controversial, and — dare I say — introspective? Well, usually, I do! So, what is it about defining feminism that drives me up a wall? For… Continue reading Are Women Overlooking This Important Aspect of Feminism?
High Functioning
To those who envy the people who are allowed to go off the deep end and then recover. To those who are aware that they just can’t. Life doesn’t stop. The clock is ticking. Some have a ticket and some don’t. To those that know they’re holding everything together and it’s not even for themselves.… Continue reading High Functioning
Effortless Beauty
A long night of beauty rest. Open your eyes and roll over into the mirror- your prison without shackles. They tell you, "you choose to be there." "You choose to wake up hours early." "You choose to" begin your day thinking about what on you needs to be covered or enhanced. They tell you, "you… Continue reading Effortless Beauty
Fundraiser By Kae Hardin
Kae Hardin is a black, nonbinary trans survivor of domestic violence from Portland, Oregon. After escaping an abusive relationship, it has been a difficult adjustment for her to live independently, as it usually is for survivors. To make matters worse, she was recently let go from her job. Since becoming unemployed she's had to face… Continue reading Fundraiser By Kae Hardin
I’m So Vain, I Bet You Think My Selfie Is For Attention
When are we going to stop shaming people for liking themselves? Since middle school, I’ve struggled with my self-image to a debilitating degree. That was when I remember noticing that school felt less like education and more like a cut-throat beauty pageant — the aspired prize being a slinky, doped-up teenage boy. Once I started comparing… Continue reading I’m So Vain, I Bet You Think My Selfie Is For Attention
Was I Abused Because I Chose The Wrong Men?
Women are doing the best they can with what society has to offer them. My first encounter with abuse was in my junior year of high school — around 2013. I was sixteen. This boy and I had been together for a year. We had met right after I’d been cheated on by someone I considered to be… Continue reading Was I Abused Because I Chose The Wrong Men?