Our current systems are unjust, cruel, and harmful. As individuals, we can support our friends in crisis. But there are so many other factors that must be part of the conversation. TW: suicide, mental illness, police interaction, threat of sexual violence By Nylah Burton In November 2019, after months of struggling with intense suicidal ideation...
Category: Sex and Health
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Why We Cannot Trust DNA Companies Like Ancestry and 23andMe
Biometric identification — of which DNA testing is a form of along with fingerprinting, facial recognition, etc. — was not created in a race-neutral vacuum. By Vanessa Taylor With the popularity of at-home DNA tests rising, the idea of companies using their databases to conduct medical research is noble on its surface. Earlier this month,...
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It’s Time for PCOS Advocacy To Embrace Fat Activism
What if fatness was allowed to be part of the experience of PCOS without multiple calls to eradicate it? This essay contains mentions of eating disorders, PCOS, diets, and fatphobia By Nadia Mohd Rasidi I received my diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) when I was 15-years-old. I remember telling the doctor about my menstrual...
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Health and Wellness Is About Mental Health, Not Food Intake
These standards place a burden on fat scholars to shrink themselves and their bodies to fit the mold of health and wellness constructed by white supremacy. CW: this article discusses food, diets, and other content around fatphobia. By Bry Reed It’s Sunday and my mother stands over her black cast iron skillet. The grease pops...
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What A Sex Resort Taught Me About Shame
It took a few days at the resort to remember that sex doesn’t devalue me and is, in fact, something that adds value to my life. By Gabrielle Noel Last summer, while my friends were on baecations, I traveled with a group of sex writers to “the world’s most iconic adult playground.” Hedonism II, or...
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How I’m Reforming My Relationship With Food and Exercise
I deserve to be nourished and fulfilled. I deserve to be abundant. I needed to stop thinking of exercise as a punishment for the way I look. CW/TW: This essay contains discussions of fatphobia, forced exercise, weight loss, and disordered eating. I joined the basketball team in the 8th grade so my mom wouldn’t force...
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I Cycle To Save Myself: My Bike Is My Therapy
My bike is my therapy. When I’m stuck in my thoughts, it helps to cycle and see that I can move through literal and metaphorical mountains. By Ambar Johnson I do not cycle to save the environment, though it’s a great side effect. I don’t even ride a bicycle to save money for buying a...
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The Hidden Costs of Academia: 4 Things Professors Should Recognize
The school environment often cultivates stress and can actively silence and disempower students, professors should be looking for ways to offer us support. By Gloria Oladipo Finals week is not conducive to the periodical chaos that is my life. Universities, specifically Cornell University which I attend, floods students with different erroneous (ableist, classist, etc.) expectations....
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Committing To Wellness Practices When You’re The Only Black Person In The Room
Do we risk sacrificing our mental health by entering wellness spaces that have the potential to do violence to us as we attempt to do right by our bodies and minds? CW: This article contains mentions of depression, anxiety, and Bipolar II By Ravynn Stringfield I have spent nearly eight years in battle with my...
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The Weight of a Backpack: Mental Health in South Asian Immigrant Communities
While mental health in South Asian communities, especially among first-generation women, is pervasive, the core of these challenges is far more complex. TW/CW: discussions of mental health, depression, and mentions of suicide By Sara Surani When I was in high school, I carried a very heavy backpack, a bright blue and pink JanSport filled with...