I saw things in my past relationships that I’d never seen before. I realized men had claimed a subtle ownership over me. It was an unspoken transaction, a power dynamic that discreetly entitled them to my compliance and affection, an undercurrent that I don’t think any of us perceived at the time. In defying social norms, I’d actually just been reinforcing them.
Why I’m Done Dating Older Men
Jessica Screeton |
BODY
My Third Miscarriage
While Other Babies Were On Instagram, Ours Was In The Fridge
Hunched over the toilet, I rock back and forth in excruciating pain. I use the contraction timer I have at births. My contractions are two minutes apart, hard and fast, and they last around one minute each. I am sweaty and naked in the pitch black, silently crying between breaths.
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Alison Baenen |
RELATIONSHIPS
My First Kiss
It Was On Valentine's Day, And It Was Awful
We had to kiss. I saw it heading toward me like a comet, an inevitable atmospheric rupture. Something big was coming. All I could do was wait. Tarek started out as a friend. He was
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Maggie Trela |
RELATIONSHIPS
Let’s Talk About Consent, Baby
Lessons from Grace + Aziz
Is sex consensual if one person participates but doesn’t feel safe and secure?
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Alexandra D'amour |
SEXUALITY
“Your Soul Was Damaged And Your Body Remembers”
I Thought I Knew My #MeToo Story
I may have forgiven him, but I’d never forgiven myself. I’d never dealt with the shame and the guilt that was, quite literally, buried in the deepest depths of me.
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Alison Baenen |
PURPOSE
What Took Her So Long?
Misogyny, Sexism, Silent Condonation, Fear, and Cultural Conditioning, To Name a Few
“What took her so long? Why didn’t she just leave? She had it coming for being so stupid.”
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Alexandra D'amour |
BODY
The Blurry Lines Of Rape
Are Mostly Black and White
It was the first time that I had realized that what happened wasn’t okay. It was the first time I said the word, rape.