From a former Pick-Me Girl
I was never a fan of Harry Styles until he feuded with Candace Owens because of his choice to wear traditional women’s clothing in Vogue back in December 2020. He described his wardrobe in the magazine as an extended part of creating something. To him, it was creative freedom attributed to the crumbling barrier between women’s and men’s clothing.
To me as a woman, it was a much-needed homage to femininity.
I don’t know about you but as a Millennial, I cringe at the thought of my middle and high school life as a girl. There’s also a little bit…
The latest degrading beauty standard
When I signed up for Tiktok during the lockdown in March 2020, my intention was to follow the love story of a New Yorker who sent his number to his attractive next-building neighbor with a drone. Yes, stalker-y but given the context of the pandemic and the fact that I was drowned in loneliness, I thought it was kind of cute.
Anyway, the app did not disappoint. Even with the occasional stumble onto Trump supporters’ side, I was pretty happy with the app and its content. …
And blaming the sexist culture instead
I was an emotional wreck 15 minutes into my first ever therapy session at 28. The conversation had turned into a discussion about the primary cause of my anxiety — my mother, and I didn’t expect that at all.
I had planned to talk to my therapist about my strong reaction to one scene from Leaving Neverland, an HBO documentary that centers around Wade Robson’s and James Safechuck’s allegations of sexual abuse against Michael Jackson.
I wanted to know why I unexpectedly cried like a baby at the scene where Wade’s and James’ parents described the moment they finally believed…
A Millennial’s call to Gen Z
If I could pick two words to describe my 20s, it would be a dumpster fire. It was the most fun and depressing decade of my life.
Now, I’m not advocating for a squeaky clean 20s because you need the wild memories for when you’re covered in wrinkles, but there are mistakes that you need to avoid.
Certain mistakes cost a lot of energy, time, and actual money. Because I went through my 20s committing most of them, I can confidently say that avoiding them will save your 20s.
1. Being afraid of career change
You may regret your education and career path in your 20s…
It’s a bloody shame we don’t talk about it more often
In November 2020, during a full pandemic, Scotland became the first country to provide free feminine hygiene products for those in need. My naivety led me to believe that this was good news for everyone regardless of their identity. However, as you can probably guess, this was not the case.
Comments such as “Food and water should be free then!” were everywhere. A man on TikTok even created a now-deleted video encouraging women to cancel their Netflix subscriptions so as to be able to afford tampons or sanitary pads. …
Do you realize how sexist this sounds?
The year was 2005. I was 14, clueless, and like many other awkward middle-schoolers, I was struggling with pretty much everything. One day, I got home from school and my mother asked me to sit down because she wanted to talk.
I thought it was weird because I didn’t have a close mother-daughter relationship with her. A ‘one-on-one time’ was rare. Am I finally getting a Motorola Razr? I thought to myself.
“Your father is cheating on me.”
I was way off.
Do you know that dramatic scene in movies where everything is in slow motion after the delivery of…
Have you heard of the Homework for Life?
Journaling about yourself can provide insights into your personal growth as a person. I started doing it when I was 12 years old and 18 years later, I can easily pinpoint turning points in my life by reading my journals.
The big realizations, the plot twists, the internal glow-ups! It’s amazing to see my younger self, even from a year ago, navigated through life.
You can experience this too when you start journaling. And because I have been doing it for so long, I have discovered a few unique journaling methods that I’m excited to share with you.
Homework for Life: Write snippets of your day, every day
Matthew Dick…
For the average, non-polyglot people like me.
Learning a language is not an easy task. You may have tried it in the past and failed. Haven’t we all? Failed Spanish learners unite! The good news is I’ve found a way to learn a new language fast.
In March 2020, I could only proposition someone politely in French. But by November the same year, I could understand Macron’s speeches, the news, hold conversations about politics, and passed an upper-intermediate French language exam, the DELF B2.
How long does it take to learn a new language?
If it’s any of the romance languages, you can learn it in eight months, even if you live in a country with a…
The benefits of putting your own oxygen mask first
You know the saying, “you can’t love someone else until you love yourself”? I’d like to add four words to make it more accurate. You can’t love someone in a healthy way until you love yourself.
This is because, aside from giving you general satisfaction in life, self-love can help you become a better partner in a romantic relationship.
The journey to self-love is a tough one, but the rewards are lovely. These are 5 ways self-love can help you become a better partner:
You don’t need validation from your partner
When you have a love for yourself, you are aware of your flaws and you are…
‘Me time’ can only get you so far.
Self-love will be one of the hardest things in life to achieve for most people. It’s a long and difficult process with tons of setbacks. The good news is that there are rewards that come with learning how to self-love.
According to a psychologist, Dr. Deborah Khoshaba Psy.D., “self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth.”
A lot of articles confuse self-love with self-care and I think that’s misleading. Self-care is a part of self-love but I find that its impacts are pretty shallow and non-lasting.
In worst-case…
Klara Ani
Millennial 😂 Working in international development. Anxious af.
