2013—Year of the Feminist? Or Year of the Feminist Marketing Ploy?

2013 was the “year of the feminist”—the word seemed to be in the mouth of every celebrity and new start-up last year. Lorde, Beyonce, Lily Allen, and of course, Miley Cyrus, have all been (willing or otherwise) recipients of the “feminist” label in the past year, and companies have also adopted the term—just take a … Continue reading →

Am I A Real Writer Now?

Although I went to school for writing, ran a literary magazine at my college, and graduated with a BFA and a collection of short stories under my belt, I have always been hesitant to call myself a “writer.” If I ever did mention that I write, it was along with many qualifications… “I’m an executive … Continue reading →

[INTERVIEW] Stormy Leather: The Naked Girl of Burlesque

I’m a girl. I’m a woman. I’m proud of that, regardless of how difficult our society makes it. I like gender bending because I have a masculine side that I like to get out and express. I don’t want to be a man but I enjoy acting like one sometimes. Continue reading →

[LIT] Nostalgia And Validation: A Review of Sari Botton’s Goodbye To All That

A very smart friend gifted me this book for Christmas. It was the perfect gift, because I am a writer and I loved and left New York, and also, unbeknownst to my friend, I had read about the book in an upstate magazine months earlier and put it on my mental “to-read” list. The basics: … Continue reading →

My Resolution: Stop Smoking Cigarettes (And Here’s How I’m Doing It)

Instead of thinking about why you cannot quit smoking, think about what can help you quit instead. E-cigarettes aren’t as ridiculous as you may think. Continue reading →

[REVIEW] The G-Vibe Noir: Or, My New Obsession

I rarely meet a vibrator that does the job all by itself. But the G-Vibe? This thing is wild. Continue reading →

I Am Not My Job: Why I Left New York City

It was Patti Smith who said, in a talk at Cooper Union in 2010, that “New York has closed itself off to the young and the struggling.” Smith wrote in her memoir, Just Kids, about coming to New York as a “down and out” young woman, scraping by in a cheap apartment, creating a community … Continue reading →

Luna Luna Love & Lust: Fuck Buddy 101, Getting a Beau to Back Off, and Pregnancy and Periods!

Blowjobs and pregnancy. And lurve. Continue reading →

An Alternative Gift Guide For The Nail Art Addict

Here are some awesome, alternative gift ideas for the nail artist or nail art lover in your life. Who doesn’t love little dainty hands as collar clips or jewelry as nail care? Exactly. Continue reading →

A Philosophical Questioning Of Personal Responsibility: On Ethan Couch And George Saunders

Ethan Couch, age 16, gets behind the wheel with a blood alcohol level of .24, kills 4 people, and subsequently receives a sentence of exactly zero years in jail. Why? Continue reading →

[HOLIDAY] A Gift Guide For The Conscientious Pervert

This might sound a little weird, but think about it: this holiday season you should really spend some money on the sex industry. Continue reading →

[BEAUTY/LIT] How to Do a Poetic Smokey Eye

With a glance of your eyes you could plunder all the wealth of songs struck from poets’ harps, fair woman! -Rabindrath Tagore, (“With a glance of your eyes…”) Continue reading →

Holiday Poetry Picks for Those Special Times You Need to be Alone With a Book

Happy holidays! Everyone’s doing lists and talking of shopping and getting together with family, they brave the crowds and wait in sweaty lines. I myself avoid it like the plague (and flu shots). For the past few years since the divorce, I’ve spent Christmas alone. My daughter goes to her dad’s since he’s Catholic and … Continue reading →

Why We Cut: Women & Self-Harm

One school day, when I was a young teenager, my guidance counselor called my mother to tell her she needed to pick me up. I was being sent home for the day because they found out I was “cutting”—using cuticle scissors to carve stripes into my thighs and lower belly. My mother brought me to … Continue reading →

DIY Nail Art Tools That Are In Your House Right Now

New to nail art but don’t want to break the bank buying nail art specific tools? Here are simple alternatives to popular and basic nail art tools/tricks that can be found in your home. Now go get MacGyvering and create some nail art! Continue reading →