Tag Archives: self-esteem

8 Things Every Woman Should Do To Her Hair At Some Point

Kate FridkisMay 4, 2012 //
My Buzz Cut
Why this woman got a buzz cut. Read More »
Brave Style
10 things this writer will wear when she's braver. Read More »
My Curly Hair
Ami decided to embrace her curly hair and stop straightening forever. Read More »

You only live once, as far as I know, so you should do something different with your hair. When I cut all of my hair off, women were like, “You’re so brave! I could never do that!” I really didn’t feel particularly brave. Actually, I’m kinda a wimp. But I looked around and noticed that a lot of women keep exactly the same hair style FOREVER. Sometimes it’s because it’s just the one that works. They’ve tried stuff and figured it out. But often, it’s just because they’re scared. Well, don’t be. The wondrous thing about hair is that it’s the only part of your body that you have a lot of that will just grow back, no matter what. I’m thinking about that …I guess skin falls under that category too. But you know what I’m saying. Do not experiment with skin removal. Instead, here are some things you should try with your hair at some point … Keep reading »

Girl Talk: Why I Ditched The Scale

Sally McGrawApril 2, 2012 //
Scale Return
Why Leonora brought a scale back into her home. Read More »
Suddenly Curvy
One woman on loving her weight gain. Read More »
Weight Talk
One writer is sick of talking to women about weight. Read More »

I started watching what I ate around third grade. A boy in my class had made a crack about my weight — an aspect of my physical self I’d never even pondered before — and, suddenly, I was self-conscious about and uneasy in my body. I didn’t dive into actual, formal diets until much later, but third grade marked the beginning of my weight obsession. An obsession that lasted beyond my college years. I won’t bore you with the details because honestly? They’re textbook self-loathing and body dysmorphia. My story could be anyone’s. Keep reading »

Dealbreaker: He Had Low Self-Esteem

Kristol RobertsMarch 15, 2012 //
Dating Dealbreaker
I wasn't Jewish enough. Read More »
Grooming Dealbreaker
He said she needed grooming. She thought it was a dealbreaker. Read More »
Dealbreaker!
He ordered the cheese plate ... for dessert. Read More »

“You must think he’s better looking than me,” Brian said, motioning to our waiter.

Brian started most conversations this way. I shifted my gaze and looked intently at my menu, pretending to study it, just to avoid continuing this conversation — a conversation I was no longer interested in having.

Brian was a guy I’d met leaving a party on a cold January night. He was cute and we exchanged numbers. We hung out a few days later, and thankfully he was just as appealing. Our conversations were entertaining. He got my offbeat sense of humor, and I admired his fierce loyalty to his family.

At the beginning of our fourth date, the first 20 minutes of which were spent sitting in his car, he began inundating me with questions. Keep reading »

10 Reasons I’m Glad I’m Not A Perfect 10

Kate FridkisMarch 6, 2012 //
Small Boobs Rule!
10 reasons to love small boobies. Read More »
The Ugly Friend
How one writer stopped thinking of herself as the ugly friend in the group. Read More »
Things Women Can Do
18 things that most women are good at. But not this woman! Read More »
Brave Style
10 things this writer will wear when she's braver. Read More »

Being gorgeous sounds pretty great. It sounds like exactly what a woman might want to be. When you’re gorgeous, the world is supposedly your oyster. Whatever that means. More like, the world is your lobster, because people want to buy you expensive stuff. But is being incredibly hot really all that it’s cracked up to be? I think not! You look shocked. But read on. I will give you 10 solid reasons why I’m glad I’m not a perfect 10. Keep reading »

4 Life Lessons From An Ugly Duckling

Winona Dimeo-EdigerFebruary 29, 2012 //
Celeb Ugly Ducklings
Celebrity Ugly Ducklings
These celebrity swans were once ugly ducklings. 11 Photos »
Life Lessons Since HS
The things we've learned about life since high school. Read More »
You Are Beautiful
Here are 50 reasons why. Read More »

I was not a super cute kid, and my awkward phase lasted from second grade to sometime around my sophomore year of college. In elementary school I was chubby with scraggly blond hair. In high school I had low self-esteem and a pretty intense case of dandruff. When I was younger getting called fat and ugly was a daily occurrence, and it was very rare for anyone who wasn’t my grandmother to comment on my appearance in a positive way (and even she got her jabs in every once in awhile).

Looking back, I’m not sure if I was actually so hideous, but I certainly felt like an ugly duckling, and one thing’s for sure: the word “beautiful” never figured into my identity. It took a long time for me to finally feel like a swan. Here are a few life lessons I learned along the way… Keep reading »

Girl Talk: Why I’ve Never Been Waxed

Kate FridkisFebruary 16, 2012 //
Keep Pubic Hair!
A soapbox about why we should keep our pubic hair. Read More »
First Wax
One writer shares about going completely bare. Read More »
A Man On Pubic Hair
naked woman photo
A dude gives his POV on the hair down there. Read More »

I am the only woman in NYC who has never gotten waxed. This is a fact. If someone collected statistics, the numbers would definitely confirm it.

You could say I’m a bit of a wild woman. My hair is unpredictable, my nail polish is usually mostly chipped off, I can’t do a pantsuit to save my life and I have all sorts of body hair.

I know, I should be ashamed. I once wondered if anyone would ever love me. You’d think not, but actually, I’ve been married for a year! It doesn’t count, though, because he’s the hairiest man in the world. He’s basically half wildebeest. So he doesn’t notice these things. That’s the only possible explanation. Keep reading »

10 Reasons To Love Small Boobs

Kate FridkisFebruary 13, 2012 //
Brave Style
10 things this writer will wear when she's braver. Read More »
Boob Tricks
boobs photo
10 things women do with their boobs that drive men wild. 11 Photos »
Guess The Boobs!
Guess which boobs belong to which celeb. 23 Photos »

I like boobs. I’m a straight woman, but really, who doesn’t appreciate them? Robots. Reptiles. Sauron. That’s about it. And I’m not even positive about Sauron. He might have, at some point, before he was all disembodied. Breasts are awesome. As feminist writer Gail Collins said in her New York Times piece, “Everybody likes breasts — infants, adults, women, men. Really, it’s America’s most popular body part.” But sometimes it seems like we only get to talk about how awesome certain kinds of boobs are. The ones that are bold, perfectly round, Sports Illustrated-style, belonging to Christina Hendricks, full, plush, generous, prominent, and just generally big.

Those words do not describe my breasts, but I like mine anyway. For some reason, I never learned to be ashamed. I listened to my brothers (and the world) make enthusiastic comments about well-endowed women, and, although I had a few moments of “Seriously, God? Where’s the rest of my chest? YOU FORGOT SOMETHING,” I grew up generally liking the way I looked. It could be that there’s something wrong with my brain. But I think it’s more likely that small boobs are pretty great. Here’s why. Keep reading »

Eva Mendes Talks Body Image With Marie Claire

Amelia McDonell-ParryFebruary 7, 2012 //
Eva's 10 Best
Eva Mendes ALWAYS rocks the red carpet. 11 Photos »
I Resolved To...
The 5 style resolutions I've already achieved. Read More »
Celeb Body Image
Mary Kate Olsen photo
These celebs could use a boost of better body image! 11 Photos »

“It doesn’t matter what you have or what you look like. It’s something everyone has to work at. I realize I have contributed to a certain happy, healthy, empowered image, but that’s not all of me. I feel it’s important to let women know that I have similar struggles. What I tell girls is what they don’t like about themselves now, they will probably end up loving as an adult, because that’s what happened to me. When I am complimented on things that I didn’t like when I was 13, like my overbite and my mole, that’s when you realize that your imperfections are why people love you.”

– Eva Mendes is on the cover of the March issue of Marie Claire and, inside the mag, talks about her own body image evolution. I quite agree with her — in my list of “Style Resolutions I’ve Already Achieved,” I said that I had come to love and/or appreciate certain “flaws,” like my thin upper lip, thick brown hair, and butt and my overall self-esteem had reaped the rewards. (FYI, Eva also supposedly discussed a certain co-star/boyfriend with the magazine, but upon seeing his name at the link I shut my eyes really quick so as to not break my Goservention rules. Aren’t you proud of me? Please be proud of me. Without your pride, this torture is just not worth it.) [Just Jared]

Girl Talk: I Love My Weight Gain

Kate FridkisFebruary 1, 2012 //
Weight Talk
One writer is sick of talking to women about weight. Read More »
The Ugly Friend
How one writer stopped thinking of herself as the ugly friend in the group. Read More »
My Nose Job
One writer talks about getting a nose job. Read More »

I used to be really skinny. So skinny my ribs stuck out.

Everywhere I went, women said, “You’re so skinny! Oh my god. I’m jealous.”

I had friends that were more gorgeous than me, but it was OK, because I was really skinny.

“I wish I was as skinny as you,” they said.

I smiled. I said, “Nah, whatever.” Keep reading »

5 Style Resolutions I’ve Already Achieved In My Journey Towards Positive Self-Esteem

Amelia McDonell-ParryJanuary 20, 2012 //
Style Me!
How To Find New Outfits In Your Existing Wardrobe
A stylist helps Ami find new outfits in her existing wardrobe. 5 Photos »
New Year, New You
Everything you need to kick 2012 off right. Read More »
Style Resolution
Rachel vows to dress more adventurously in 2012! Read More »

Tasked with writing about my style resolution for 2012, I puzzled for awhile, trying to come up with some trend I wanted to try or a bad style habit I wanted to break. Everything I thought up I realized I had done already, mostly in the recent past. So instead of writing about the new style resolution I was making for 2012, I decided to pat myself on the back for the ones I’ve already made and stuck to.

See, I’m someone who did not have much self-esteem growing up. Actually, I thought I was ugly. My parents told me I was beautiful, but their kind words were no match for the trifecta of hideousness that hit me at age 14: glasses, braces, and an onslaught of acne bombarded me all at once. While I had always been somewhat shy, I became a complete wallflower, shrinking away from any additional attention my looks were attracting. It was likely all in my head — what 14-year-old doesn’t get a bit of acne or go through an awkward phase? — but I felt like the most hideous girl in the world. Keep reading »

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