I’m A Rape Survivor. This Is How My Husband And I Handle Intimacy.
It’s an exercise in trust and consent. My phone buzzed with a text. Before I opened it, I knew it would be my husband, ramping up into a flurry of sexts to reassure me about my recent inability to...
View ArticlePlease Understand I’m Not A Flake, I Just Have Anxiety
I’m doing the best I can. Really. For a while I was thinking of getting a tattoo on the palm of my hand that said, “I’m doing the best I can.” Not only could I look at it when I was feeling shitty, I...
View ArticleDitching The Scales Was The Best Thing I Ever Did For My Body
It’s been nearly five years since I last weighed myself. I wish I could pinpoint an exact moment that rainy Thursday morning when something in my life changed forever. But like most experiences in the...
View ArticleI Had To Quit My Job Because Of Chronic Illness
Being chronically ill means adjusting your life to accommodate your sickness. The sick body is at odds with many things – itself, for one, the people who exist around it, and society’s endless...
View Article13 People Share The Challenges They’ve Faced Being Transgender
“Maybe I should have said something, but at that moment, just getting out of there unnoticed and safely seemed most important…” Being openly transgender in this current political climate is not only...
View ArticleWhat It’s Like To Be Depressed – And Pregnant
When you’re depressed and pregnant, the weight of that guilt is even heavier. Of all the times I’ve been depressed since I was first diagnosed with the illness in my late teens, the most intense,...
View ArticleMy Abortions Were Not A Mistake
I am where I am today — a happily married mother — because of all the decisions I’ve made in my life. And those decisions included two abortions. I have made no mistakes. Well, in retrospect — because...
View Article13 People Admit The Most Shameful Lie They’ve Ever Told
“My daughter was accidentally conceived in a threesome when our friend’s birth control failed.” As kids, we’re told it’s bad to lie. But as adults, we typically discover that sometimes, lying pays off....
View ArticleBreaking Up With My Narcissistic Father
My attachment to him was so insecure, and I was so desperate for his attention, that I’d always give in to his demands. It has taken a long time to discover my father isn’t just selfish — he’s a...
View ArticleWhy I Self-Harm
Content Notice: Self-Harm, Suicide I have a callus on my left foot. It beckons me — especially when I have already cut it, and the scabs are white and soft from the shower. It would be so easy to slice...
View ArticleI Feel Overcome With Guilt For Taking Time Off Work For My Anxiety
I am doing this at the risk of people who may criticize or question me, because at least some part of me knows: If I don’t, something worse will happen to me, and soon. I’m not supposed to be here....
View ArticleWhy I’ve Decided To Buy No New Clothes In 2019
I’m going to buy NO new clothes in 2019. That means no new dresses, no new activewear, not even new socks! This is a big statement from someone who is an impulsive (not compulsive, thankfully) shopper...
View ArticleThis Near-Death Experience Started My Strange Phobia
I am terrified of doing something millions of people do every day. I have my share of fears and phobias. For example, I am truly afraid of walking down stairs. Look, I’ll admit that I’m a pretty quirky...
View ArticleI Was A Jenny Craig Dietician Who Secretly Ate Donuts In The Bathroom
I look back on those years and feel compassion for the young woman I was. I am sitting in the bathroom on the toilet seat at Jenny Craig eating a Dunkin’ Donuts maple glazed bear claw. There is a knock...
View ArticleWhy I Broke Up With My Best Friend Of 12 Years
Sometimes loving yourself means ending a relationship. I recently broke up with my best friend of 12 years. While I’d like to say she was a mean-spirited person who slept with my boyfriend and spread...
View ArticleThe Moment I Discovered My Sexuality Didn’t Fit In
Sexuality doesn’t have to fit neatly into a checkbox. I came about my queerness a little backwards. I’ve heard a lot of coming out stories, and a common version goes something like, “I knew I wasn’t...
View ArticleThis Is What It’s Like To Be An Intersex Woman
I don’t typically tell people I’m intersex. It’s not that I’m ashamed, but I’d rather not be treated differently. While it could be easy to lie to myself and pretend I’m just a ‘normal’ cis-gender...
View ArticleI’m In My 20s And I Live With A Feeding Tube
I haven’t eaten food in three years. Sweet and savory aromas wafted through the air as the waitress delivered my favorite vegan pizza. The dim restaurant lighting and catchy music created the perfect...
View ArticleI Spent A Week Naked In Public Without Sucking In My Stomach
The patriarchal roots of my stomach-sucking habit weren’t lost on me. I was six the first time I remember sucking in my stomach. I don’t recall where I learned I was supposed to do it. It could’ve been...
View ArticleI’m Addicted To Being Busy 24/7
Doing nothing is just something that I am, unfortunately, not good at. I don’t really know what it is about “rest and relaxation” that I find so difficult. I am even like this on vacation, if you can...
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