When I first became interested in sex, or sex with people other than myself I should say, I was immediately turned on by the world of BDSM, albeit, at an early age. There was something illicit and natural about the kinkiness that it didn't take much for me to warm up to it. Back then, I didn't really have the confidence to approach my partner about wanting different things in bed. I could barely muster...

Reminder: Every Monday, I livetweet a new, exhaustingly long episode of “The Bachelor” on my personal Twitter (@xoamelia), giving a detailed, hilarious, wine-and-weed-influenced critique of “Prince Farming” (oh go fuck yourself with that nickname, Chris Harrison) and his search for a woman willing to move to a post-apocalyptic hell tundra Iowa. And then every Tuesday, I recap the episode with...

Urban Outfitters sold out of this $68 Deena + Ozzy Zip-Front Moto Satchel in BROWN. Can you PLEASE help me find this bag, or one similar to it in a similar (>$100) price range? here’s some things I’m looking for: 1. Roomy, and wider than it is tall. Not huge, since totes are cumbersome, but not tiny, either. 2. Slouchy! Too much structure = death to carry around. 3. Cognac brown or a lighter...

Like most Americans, I learned absolutely nothing about money in school (save for that time we had to buy and trade fake Apple stock in the sixth grade), so I've made my fair share of half-assed attempts at reading personal finance books, most of which I retained nothing from. When I opened Rich Bitch, however, it was clear I was in for something different - something in actual English instead...

I was the kind of kid who went to school unless it was an an absolute emergency. If I wasn't bleeding, vomiting profusely, or missing a limb, my butt was firmly planted in a classroom as soon as the first period bell rang. School was important, and childcare was scarce, so I dutifully attended, despite the sniffles, allergy attacks, or whatever else befalls little kids. I like to think that this is...

I've written before about "distancing myself From white people" to avoid being constantly subjected to racial and cultural insensitivity. After years of dealing with well-meaning, but often ill-informed or inexperienced Whites, the emotional turmoil had taken its toll and I simply wanted to avoid feelings of discomfort, disappointment and even anger. I concluded that the best way to do so would be...

It’s been almost three months since I started looking into the case of Meredith Talusan, a trans* scholar at Cornell University who had a housing scholarship through the Telluride Association, “a nonprofit organization that creates and fosters educational communities that teach leadership and service through democratic participation.” The reaction to the original piece was predictable: A lot...

Black History Month presents the opportunity to explore African-American history: A history marked by the struggle for a fair and equitable America that treats its citizens and residents with respect and dignity, regardless of skin color. However, that struggle is often painted as "the issues of the past" that have been overcome and surpassed thanks to the Civil Right's Movement and great leaders who...

Last night, the Internet lost its collective hive mind because of a kind of trashy bandage dress with lace stripes that is either white and gold or blue and black. Buzzfeed unearthed a post on Tumblr posing a question about whether or not the dress was white and gold or black and blue. Then, the internet, feeling giddy after following the adventures of 2 llamas on the run earlier that day, went HAM. Upon...

Three weeks ago I threw a surprise birthday party for my boyfriend at the apartment we share. I worked on planning it for over a month and invited about 40 people through a secret Facebook invite. I wasn’t friends with some of his co-workers or college friends, so I had to track down their contact information to invite them. Twenty-five people said they’d show up, with five maybes. However, on...

Because we currently live in a digital renaissance of eternal contrarianism, a widespread dislike of "Friends" is something that, I, a diehard "Friends" fan, have come to accept from the general populace with the same resigned disdain that I generally reserve for Republicans and leafy greens. I get that everyone loved "Friends" for so long that it's now officially cool to hate on "Friends." I hold...

I cut my hair in August, going from a tangle of shoulder length, non-committal hair that was usually piled atop my head in an attempt at a topknot, to a short, flippy little crop. For the first time in a long time, I had a Capital H Haircut, a style that needed to be maintained and wrangled into submission. My hair was suddenly an accessory that I had to deal with every morning. Short hair is deceptive....