Category Archive

Identity

My short skirt is NOT an invitation to be sexually harassed

Apparently one out of three Australian women are afraid to walk down the street alone, especially after dark. We don’t live in a country where intimidation, degradation, or violence against women is acceptable — so what the hell is going on?

It’s time to educate both men and women about this issue. It’s time to stop bullying each other into acting or wearing what most think of as “socially acceptable.” Here are a few points that you could consider to empower yourself, or share with others that this issue affects…

Intersectionality and privilege: Dispatches from a body positivist on the frontlines

So, how do you keep online spaces (like Instagram or Facebook) healthy while making minorities and other underrepresented people feel heard and welcome? Let’s talk about how you can be a voice in the body positive community, while being sure to check your own privilege within that particular space…

How to stay positive through a scary diagnosis

It’s so easy to slip into a cycle of hating your body when it’s not working properly. It’s easy to feel bitter, alone, resentful and just all-around negative and depressed when your body is unhealthy in ways beyond your control, and all of those feelings are completely valid. I’ve chosen to stay positive and live my life in spite of my diseases, which is totally more easily said than done. Here’s how I do it…

How to find yourself when you’re focused on raising someone else?

Younger mamas, I want you to know that us older mamas are just as befuddled at times as you are. I was in my mid-30s when I had my first child, and I don’t feel as if you ever finish the finding-yourself journey — nor would I want to. It’s part of the joy of being alive.

That said, here’s what’s helped for me to reconnect in areas of my life that need it…

Am I a “lazy femme” or not?: The elusive definition of femme

Did I understand what femme meant? By buying a “Lazy Femme” shirt, was I claiming something that wasn’t mine after all?

With so many different, wide, and varying definitions of femme, this is what settled into the nest of my heart…

I feel out place in modern society: Coping strategies for living in Muggleworld

You wouldn’t know from looking at me across the street, but I feel ill at ease in the world I inhabit.

I do my utmost to escape to other worlds, where no one has EVER ever ever heard of networking, diets, and smartphones… I lose myself to the straightforward and magical life of books, art, and food.

My problem is this: as I grow older, it is quite often not enough. I simply feel outpaced by modern society as a whole. How do you find inner peace in large quantities when muggle life keeps knocking on your front door, and moving to the wilderness is just not a option?

This little girl recreated photos of indomitable black women for Black History Month

My five year old daughter, Lola, is in Kindergarten. Understanding that Black History is not something that would necessarily be given much priority at that age, and knowing my daughter’s love of playing dress up, I set out to make learning black history fun for her…

Starting February 1, we recreated a photo of an inspiring, indomitable black woman, and talk about her legacy!

My gender identity is confused and I’m okay with it

I should probably start by identifying my gender, but that is… complicated. I am a female, physically. What I identify as is where it gets blurry.

As a teenager, in the early nineties, I had no internet to help me figure it out. And, as a broke young adult in the new millenia, I still didn’t have the amazing resources and web connection of, “Hey, my specific gender identity has a name and I’m not alone!”