Tomato
by Emma! Her songs get better and better…
“My standards may be high for the perfect guy. I’m sure you’ll be him someday”
Leave a Comment March 28, 2011
When Good (and Bad) Things Never End
Photo by Paavo Leinonen
What if your story had to live forever? Stephanie Faris explores the never-ending story:
As long as the public is longing to see a couple together, you have an audience. But the second that couple reaches “happily ever after,” we get bored. Remember Sam and Diane? Mattie and David? Mulder and Scully? We as an audience aren’t sure what to do once Snow White finds her Prince. The movie is supposed to end then…but a soap opera…
Never ends.
Never. Ever.
Read the full entry on Steph in the City by Stephanie Faris
Leave a Comment February 8, 2011
Look At It from a Different Perspective
Illustration by Rachel Schafer
Leave a Comment February 7, 2011
You’re a Feminist?!
From the always-impressive Jamie Keiles:
One of the things that I am enjoying most about college is the opportunity to be involved in a physical community of activists. Most of my exposure to activism (slacktivism?) in high school stemmed from internet communities, as well as my own autonomous attempts to correct injustice on a small scale when encountered. I think the internet is an amazing and powerful tool for activism, but having real-life friends to bounce ideas off of has been really enlightening…
Read the full entry at Teenagerie
Read the Jamie Keiles bloomgirl interview
Jamie, If you’re taking requests, we want to hear your thoughts about slacktivism (and by “we,” I mean “me”).
Leave a Comment February 6, 2011
A Taste of Vulnerable
Free Hearted by Marlene Kelly
This is what my heart says when I chose to listen.
I don’t want to see the places where I am stuck.
Encouraged to be deaf, dumb and blind,
In order to be a version of a woman
I think a man will want to love.
So I tune out and my life slides by
To a paycheck of fear and unresolvable stress.
Where I do not hesitate to cross the street
If I see someone I don’t like for no reason at all
Heading in my direction.
—————————————————————
Read the full poem on Marlene’s blog
Leave a Comment February 5, 2011
In 2011, I Resolve To Be More Vulnerable
In college, I turned in a video for an art class. The video explored one of my biggest flaws, in detail. I didn’t fully realize how uncomfortable I would be until after the viewing, the entire classroom discussed my video, and my biggest flaw. In detail. I never forgot what Professor Magden said about it (primarily because I wrote it down in my sketchbook). He said “vulnerability has a lot of power.”
15 years later, I stumbled upon an interesting video on the topic.
The very charming Brene Brown tells us that “the original definition of courage comes from the Latin word cur (heart)—to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.”
According to her research, people who believe they are worthy of love and belonging fully embrace vulnerability. They are willing to let go of who they think they should be in order to be who they are.
What makes you vulnerable makes you beautiful.
It has inspired me to try to experience all of my authentic emotion without censor. What a great way to roll into 2011!
~Jennifer
1 Comment December 31, 2010
Too Cool For Coats
by Stephanie
…Yet every year I’ll walk through the mall shaking my head at the teens in tanks and miniskirts. Just throw on a scarf and winter boots and you have your “look.” It can’t possibly keep you warm, but who cares. The guys are looking…
…and thinking, “She’s hot.”
While all us old folks are saying, “Where’s her coat? She’s going to catch a cold. How could her mom let her out of the house without a coat?”
(By the way, any of us who were once teens know that as much as moms can fight to keep their kids in coats, all they have to do is find somewhere to stow it once they get where they’re going. Teens are clever that way.)
…Read the full entry on Steph in the City
1 Comment December 18, 2010
Am I a Bad Mother?
In response to Women Don’t Want To Run Startups Because They’d Rather Have Children
I am not defined by my job, my children, my husband, my upbringing, my mother, my friends, my education, where I live, what I wear. I am not defined by where I live, what I drive, my mistakes, my achievements, my vices…I also would not define myself without all of these things.
I am 36 years old. I have 2 small children (3- and 5-year-old). My very supportive husband stays home with the kids. My children are very loved and are very loving. My work has always been very demanding. I lead a fulfilling life. I am very grateful. I love it.
My higher purpose is very simple—to make the world a better place. In order to improve, we must do something better than what we were doing before, certainly not be confined by the same standards. We’ve moved beyond the ignorant notion that nobody can care for children like a woman, or that nobody can start a business like a man. A man can love and care for a child as intensely as a woman, and a woman can run a company and come home to a happy family life.
Since having children, I have to remind myself to be patient with some people who try to convince me that I am unbalanced and miserable. I don’t have any secret desires to be staying home with our children. I am confident in my husband’s abilities to care for them. Yes, I am capable of going on a business trip away from my family. No, I don’t need to ask my husband’s permission. And I am certain that I am the one who determines whether my life is adequately balanced.
Don’t tell the upcoming generation of powerful young women that they will have to stop their pursuit of making the world a better place in order to find a husband and have babies. It is possible to do more than one important thing in your life. Tell them to be strong and confident and happy—to go after what they want for themselves.
Men are not keeping women down. This is not a battle. We all have different backgrounds, dreams and agendas. We approach problems from different perspectives. We are very much alike in meaningful ways. There is enough success to go around. Let’s just dig in and enjoy every minute of it.
~Jennifer
2 Comments October 12, 2010
Girlfriends – Profound and Happy
One of my favorite posts from one of my favorite people, Rachel Bertsche
“Higher well-being was associated with less small talk and having more substantive conversations. Compared with the unhappiest participants [in this study], the happiest participants … had roughly one third as much small talk and twice as many substantive conversations.” (Psychological Science, “Eavesdropping on Happiness,” Feb. 18, 2010)
When I started this girl-dating journey, I believed in the whole “don’t talk about religion or politics around the dinner table” thing. I didn’t want to stop a potential friendship in its tracks just because I went to Obama’s Grant Park election night rally while she might have spent that glorious evening mourning the fall of Sarah Palin.
I’ll keep it light and friendly, I thought. All Chicagoans can bond over the weather—seriously, Sun, it’s May—and I can talk about tabloid headlines all night if necessary.
But I’ve found the girl-dates that inspire me to skip home are the ones where we do, in fact, get serious. During one particularly promising dinner, my maybe-friend and I traded stories about our vastly different upbringings and debated the Man Upstairs and the existence of soul mates. (Her: “Do you believe in soul mates?” Me: “You mean, like us?” No, I didn’t really say that. But almost.)
Science backs up my anecdotal research, and to be honest, I’m a bit surprised. If you’d asked me a few months ago who I thought was happier, those who ponder life’s big questions or those who don’t sweat the (big or) small stuff, I’d have said the latter…read the full entry.
Rachel’s blog, MWF Seeking BFF, chronicles her search for a best friend.
Leave a Comment October 11, 2010
