I stopped shaving to take back autonomy of my body as a woman. — Shaving came second nature to me for more than a decade of my life. Every girl I knew shaved their body hair so I never questioned if I should too. I just thought of it as a thing girls did that boys didn’t. I shaved anytime I was wearing clothes…

We’ve lost sight of what really matters. — I grew up believing money was scarce. I also grew up believing a college education and a good GPA would land you a high-paying job. That job would lead to money, money bought you nice things, and nice things would bring you automatic happiness. …

I found myself in a sea of people who were all the same. — I had this preconceived image of what a perfect life would look like. I thought I knew what I wanted and was intent on reaching all of my goals. Then my mom passed away and all of it ceased to matter. My dreams started to feel materialistic and meaningless. …

Even though she’s gone, I still feel my mom’s presence in everything I do. — I watched my mom take her last breath. Even in her last moments, I still had hope she would pull through. As I whispered into her ear everything I wanted to say, it was the furthest away I’ve ever felt from her. …

We tell women they aren’t good enough. — A woman’s outside appearance dictates the way society will treat her. Even in those who meet the standard of beauty, there are still insecurities residing within them. Why? Because women have been made to feel we are only valued by our looks and not by who we are. …

It’s my decision, but why does everyone think they have a say in it? — For most of my life, I wanted what society expected of me. A marriage, house, and kids seemed like the right path to take. I thought I was 100% sure this was what I wanted. That was until age 24 when my lifestyle began to change drastically. My eczema was…

You are more than what you do for money. — There’s always one question people never fail to ask. “So what do you do?” Most of the time they are not asking about your hobbies or what you like to do during your free time. They are explicitly asking what you do to earn money. Don’t get me wrong; I…

Your relationship status is just a label, not a determination of your value. — At some point in our lives, we’ve all wanted a fairytale ending. We romanticize the day we will finally meet the person of our dreams and start building a life together. Even those of us who are skeptical of happily ever after hold this glimmer of hope that someday it…

Would it change the way you live your life? — *Spoiler alerts for the movie Timer (2009) ahead. What if you lived in a world where you could know the exact second your soulmate comes into your life? This is the reality for the characters in the movie Timer, an unexpectedly thought-provoking rom-com. Once a person reaches a certain age…