Her. Magazine

Her. magazineHer.Inspirations. passions. Ideals. Beliefs. Voice.

Hello Friends.....My name is Erin Gardner and welcome to Her. Magazine. A little bit about me: I LOVE coffee, cold pizza, and rainy days. My favorite movie is The Breakfast Club and myfavorite books are The Outsiders and On the Road.This is the product of my Senior Project, a feminine-basedmagazine created by women for women. I have always beenextremely interested in female empowerment and positiveinfluences, so I wanted to take this chance to learn more about the different perceptions of controversial feminine topics and how it carries within the individual.My overall hope for this magazine is to create anawareness and cultivate active change in the femaleculture. What you see in the magazine is an array ofopinion pieces by women regarding various feminine issues like feminism, the pay-wage gap, social media influences, and the photoshop culture. Intermixed is also a variety of interviews about style, entertainment recommendations, and study tips.Throughout my high school career, I have been heavilyinvolved in female empowerment and body positivity, mostnotably with StrongHer. I loved being a part of StrongHerand what it stands for. This is my passion-to inspire womenof their own self-worth. This magazine represents that;it represent Her. inspirations, passions, ideals, beliefs. This is HER VOICE. erin/// ///Gardner Inside cover couretsy of Kelsey Cappel Back cover couretsy of Emilee Poehner2

Table of Contents /6/ Around the Table... /22/ From Start to Finish... /28/ Release Your Inhibitions.../36/ Pictures Speak a 1000 Words... /46/ Late Night Ramblings... /54/ Style Icon... /62/ Inner Thoughts... /72/ In Session... /82/ Last Words... 3



Photo courtesy of Emilee Poehner

Around The Table A collection of essays by women and for women on various feminine topics. The essays are raw and stripped bare of any sterotypes or premisconceptions. This is HER.6

I. Am. Me.Faith BreedenThe phrase “I Am Me” is just the beginning to many phrases and terms thatdescribe me. I am not perfect nor am I even close to it. My flaws make me, me. I am not by any means quiet; I love to make others laugh, I am alwaysdoing something silly to make my day better along with everyone else’s day. I am probably the loudest on my dance team, in my family, and in my friend group. Some may see that as a flaw, but it my eyes it defines my identity.The term identity is defined as “the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another” (Dictionary.com), which is a wonderful reference to my ownidentity. I am myself and not anyone else, I love to be me. In the modern world we often get caught up in being perfect, when being the best version of ourselves is as close to perfect as we can get. I hold myself to a highstandard, but throughout my high school career, I realized I cannot beflawless. I can strive to be perfect but it is an unachievable want. We all want to reach this goal but sometimes it is not possible. There is a journey incoming to terms with not being able to be perfect, especially in my mind. My journey began when I was young, I always wanted to make sure I was the bestperson I could be. I made sure I did not get in trouble, I kept my grades up high, and always made my friends happy. I put everyone’s needs in front of my own and one day I became unhappy. I was not fulfilling my own standardsanymore; I was not being the best version of me. I started to hate myself, I did not like who I was. I would find flaws; I did not like how I looked and I felt like my friends did not actually like me. I began to not like myself at all. Eventually I realized that it was not healthy to feel this way, I should love how I am, I should love my personality and how I look.I still struggle with accepting my flaws every day. Being short is not classified as a flaw anymore and my large teeth form a beautiful smile now-a-days. As partof my Senior Project, I strive to help young girls see themselves in a way that I wanted to see myself in grade school. I wanted to be able to accept who I was and what I looked like. It is a common issue in the “girl world” where weobsess over something that’s wrong with us. Maybe we are not the Barbie girl that boys want, or we are too “needy”, if there is something that makes us stand out, we are stressing about it. I want to make that change, I want to be the reason that a little girl thinks she is beautiful, the reason sherealizes that she is perfect in her own way. Someone said “Imagine if weobsessed about the things we loved about ourselves”, this statement could change the world if everyone followed it. Our society is very pessimistic; we should focus on the positives of someone not the negatives. We should not point out the flaws, but embrace the perfections we already have. A word that describes my identity is the word sunshine. I strive to be the sunshine in everyone’s day, whether their day is already full of sunshine and butterflies or it has been thundering all day. I want to be the reason someone sees the sun another day, that is my definition of perfect. I may not be perfect according to society but in my eyes I am the sunshine and this is as perfect as I can get. 7

Inner Thoughts of a Teenage Girl My Brain is a blob of scribbles. I do not know what to say, what to do, or how to express what is going on inside Brain. I go numb; I can’t move. If I eat- I feel sick. If get up- I feel tired. I do not have energy to do anything else but THINK. My energy is wasted on thinking about Him and Them, but never spent on me. I really have no idea why. Conscience tells me to “stop it,”, but Mind continues to think about Him and Them. Thinking is a constant merry-go-round; better yet “Ring around the Rosie”. In the end “we all fall down.” Life was so easy before age 13. Never thinking, just do. Where did that sudden action go? 7-year-old me thought 17 felt so far away; I couldn’t wait to be big and pretty. Where is that girl I aspired to be 10 years ago? I wonder if 7-year old me would have thought “wow I am going to be pretty.” I wonder if 20 years from now I’ll look at old pictures and say, “wow I was pretty. I wish I knew that then.” It’s not that I think I’m ugly. I know I’m pretty but there’s always a voice in the back of my head saying I have a hungry stomach, thunder thighs, ginormous arms, and wide hips with no ass. I constantly focus on my flaws in life. I do not have a boyfriend, I do not have straight A’s, shit I don’t even have at least a 20 on the ACT yet. Will I ever be enough? But who am I trying to be enough for? I have friends, I get decent grades, I have a supportive family- to them I am enough, but not to Mind and Thoughts: they are my inner-personal demons. Life is a constant game of “ring around the Rosie.” Your Brain wakes up, brushes your teeth, throws clothes on, goes to school, comes home, does homework, eats dinner, showers, and we all fall down until we play again. Not so bad, huh? Well I forgot to mention my friend Emotions. The moment emotions come into play everything becomes 100x more difficult. When you don’t have a boyfriend and you feel like you don’t have friends the game of “Ring around the Rosie” ends before it is time for bed.8

WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU BELONG IN THE ZOO Laura L. Smith www.laurasmithauthor.comI got my hair done yesterday—trimmed, highlighted, eyebrows waxed. I had let it go w-a-y too long. My ends were split. My roots were dark. Stray brows were pricking up in random places. To be honest, I’ve barely wh aadshte dimemyt ofaecveeannldoobkrusihnedthemymtirereothr,thslealtahesrtecdouonplemooifstwureiekzesr, let alone tend to my appearance. Sure I’ve morning and night. Dotted foundation under my eyes and brushed a quick coat of mascara on my lashes. But that’s been about the extent of it.This morning I notice a difference. All of my pieces are a little better assembled. It oddly motivates me to put on an outfit, instead of leaving my workout clothes on all day. I might even remember to slide in a pair of silver hoops. The lion’s majestic mane completely upturns the concept of a “bad hair day”. We all have days where we look (and feel) more put together than others, but in all days, we are still exactly how God planned for us to be. I was reminded of this at a recent trip to the zoo with my kiddos. I know some of you are opposed to zoos, and I get it, because the animals are confined, and that’s an issue. But I love the zoo, because I find each animal so incredibly remarkable. Because they remind me of God’s handiwork. They’re all so crazy different, and yet so unfathomably amazing. They help me remember how God made you and me and how when He created us it wasn’t random, but intentional—as an artist pains takingly brushes colors of paint on their canvas.The next time you feel like you’re having a bad hair day, or like you hate your hair in general, think of the lion and his majestic mane sticking out in every direction and yet, signifying royalty and grace, per fect exactly how it is, exactly how God intended it to be.The next time you think your nose is too long or too small or too crooked or too pointy, consider theelephant. Her trunk amazes us. Our noses also have purpose. They’re how we breathe. #Grateful. And the cozy, comforting scent of a PSL or lavender oil or fresh flowers from the farmer’s market all come to us via our snouts, no matter what their shape or size. Not to mention smell enables us to taste. And I’m oh so thankful I have the gift of being able to taste the salty-sweet of a fig prosciutto pizza or the scrumptiousness of a chocolate chip cookie hot out of the oven. You? There is such purpose in an elephant’s trunk. Just like there is purpose in each of our parts. If you ever think your ________ is too long or too short or too small or too big remember the elegant giraffes. I’ve never looked at one and thought, “You know their necks are too long.” No. I say, “Wow, they are so graceful, so tall.” That’s how God sees us, too, phenomenal, just the way He formed us.Who are we to question the shape and structure God has given us? Can you imagine any of these animals any other way? From a step back we can see purpose and beauty in each creature’s unique features. God can see purpose and beauty in each of our unique features too. So no matter if you’re way overdue for anappointment with your barber or if you have a standing date with your stylist, no matter if you’re going for a run or always feel like you’re on the run, remember that the God who created the world, and all of it’s amazing creatures, also created you. And He did so with intentionality and precision, so that He could call you His masterpiece. I’ve never thought a giraffe’s neck looked strange. Instead I’ve always marveled at their grace. You are Christ’s masterpiece Ephesians 2:10 W​hat is your favorite feature and why are you grateful for it? I’d love to hear 9

Beauty Unedited Alice Magato Miss Ohio Alright ladies, I think we can all agree…being a girl is HARD! We go through a lot of things that guys don’t: birth, mother nature, make-up, high-heels, etc. Inarguably, one of the worst things about being a woman is the excessive and constant pressure we are under due to the media. We are taught from such a young age to put all of our value in our looks. Today, the average teenager consumes up to 10 hours and 45 minutes of media daily. From TV to YouTube, advertisements, magazines, and social media, we are exposed to more digital images than ever before and this influences how we view the world. Media also shapes out opinions about society, our peers, and ourselves. During my sophomore year, I became consumed with social media, beauty magazines, and fashion blogs and started comparing every aspect of my appearance to the images I saw in the media. I thought to be considered beautiful, popular, and successful, I had to emulate exactly what I was seeing on my phone and computer feeds. I didn’t know that nearly every photo or video I admired was manipulated to such an extreme that it could not be replicated in real life. No matter what I tried, I could not achieve flawless blemish-free and poreless skin, the tall, ultra-skinny figures, or the perfect life of the models and popular media icons I was following. Various beauty and fashion brands have contributed significantly to creating a singular definition of the “ideal woman” by fabricating the images they use in advertisements, fashion magazines and on social media. However, only 5% of the population can naturally achieve this ideal look. This skewed reality of ideal beauty is a national health issue because many women that try to meet this standard go to extremes, some even harming themselves with disordered eating, excessive plastic surgery or abusing drugs. The media has defined beauty as singular and that portrayal of women has affected all aspects of our culture. Girls are harming and even killing themselves because that can’t achieve this impossible standard. NOW is the time to take a stand, we can all take minor steps to help redefine beauty! First off, you need to become the most confident version of yourself. When I started the journey to regain my self-confidence these are the steps I took: 1) You need to realize the reality is that people are constantly showcasing the best aspects of their lives on social media and are editing their photos. With apps like Facetune and Airbrush, you can easily rid yourself of any imperfection. We lose reality on social media. So it is completely unfair to compare yourself to what you see on Instagram, Facebook, etc. Some things you can do to stop making these comparisons is to reduce your time on social media and redirect your focus on things that really matter. Give yourself a few minutes before school, after school, and the evening to check your social media accounts then be done with it. The focus on meaningful activities like your hobbies, schoolwork, or spending time with loved ones. Focusing on activities will leave you feeling better, rather than Facebook stalking which will most likely make you feel worse. 2) Take control of how you present yourself and your overall health. To be your most confident you, you want to be living a physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy lifestyle. 3) A great way to stay motivated is to set goals for yourself—healthy and realistic ones. By setting short-term and long-term goals, you will boost your confidence as you achieve them and get closer to your main goals. A great way to do this is to jot down your priorities and then write a few long-term and short-term goals based on those priorities. 4) Lastly, and what I believe to be the most important is to encourage, empower, and support yourself and others. You want to celebrate your unique qualities and talents and also those of peers. Us girls have to stick together and not tear each other down so we can all be successful and confident. Now that you have found a healthy confidence it is now the time to truly understand the culture of the media. This was the hardest part for me. Advertisers want you to feel insecure so you buy their product. So they Photoshop their photos to perfection so you think that if you buy the product, you will also look that perfect. But you cannot achieve that perfection without Photoshop—it is not natural. And that is how our society has developed this super unrealistic standard. Photoshop is used in all forms of media—movies, music videos, magazines, and now with all the editing apps, it is being used on social media more and more. If you are comparing yourself to any of these, you are comparing yourself to a lie. Comparing yourself to these photos is so harmful. So obviously what we see in the media and what we are internalizing as normal is anything but normal. We need to become aware of the extent photos we are seeing are edited and until we learn to reject these harmful messages, we all lose. Photoshop is always going to exist, but it is important that as young women we understand and are aware of its large presence in our society today. You need to recognize that you are not just a body, you were not created to be an object that is judged—we were create to live and do and be. What you see in the mirror does not define your worth or your success. You are much more than your outward appearance, you ae someone with passions, talents, personality, love, motivation, intelligence—and it is these traits that make you beautiful. “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself”. Being your authentic self is the most beautiful and don’t let anyone or anything tell you otherwise. They are wrong. Authenticity is truly beautiful. So with all that being said, I NEED YOUR HELP!! Here is something small that you can do to celebrate authenticity—log onto beautyunedited.com and upload a completely unedited photo of yourself r of you and your friends. When you do that, a stamp will be put on the bottom right hand corner that says “100% Unedited”. From there you can share it to your social media—and show your followers that you love yourself as you are, without airbrush or filters. Encourage others to go to beautyunedited.com and also upload and post their photos. By doing this, we are raising awareness and also helping others to understand the presence of photo manipulation. It is a small, but powerful step to make beauty unedited and redefine beauty.10

Social Beauty Standards5’11. Tall. Blonde. Skinny. Beautiful. All requirements to be a model. I’m 5’3, short, and average. In today’s society my status would be seen as “average”, even ugly because of what I look like. This is unfair. Why are the modeling requirements used for defying beauty, when in reality, nothing should define beauty? Many men to day view women as prizes, and ways to improve their social standings. It may seem “cool” among his friends to have a hot girlfriend, but what is considered hot?Helping younger girls feel beautiful is becoming a harder issue to control because of all the beauty standards that are being forced. Every woman should feel beautiful inside and out without anyone’s judgements getting in the way. When young girls look in the mirror they should feel confident, and proud of who they are. They shouldembrace it. Having a strong group of friends is very important. They will help you love yourself the way they love you. Screw social beauty standards. Screw model standards. The only standards that matter are who you are.I hope future generations of girls can grow into loving themselves the way I have. I have started to love myself the way I am, but I wish I did earlier in my life. I listened to the magazines and tried to be like everyone else. Taking care of your body is the most important thing you can do, being healthy. Appearances should anddo not matter, and I only now just realized this. As a senior in high schooland going to college next year, really loving yourself and being authentic isimportant when leaving home and being on your own. I will learn to be healthy and to not listen to others if they judge because true friends love you for the way you are. For all the young girls, do not listen to the mirror, or just use makeup to feel beautiful. Listen to your friends, and believe in yourself.Beautiful Playlist “ The Beauty of a Women is /Brave by Sara Bareilles not in a facial mode, but the /Beautiful by Christina Aguilera true beauty in a woman lies in /Pretty Hurts by Beyoncé ”her soul /Shake it Off by Taylor Swift Audrey Hepburn /Who Says by Selena Gomez /Who You Are by Jessie J This is me: McKenzie Zimmer Seton High School Class of 2017 11

Become an Individual Caroline Klopp I’m sitting on the eighth floor of Ohio State’s main library, Thompson, writing this. This library is just one of twenty libraries on the main campus of The Ohio State University. I am one girl sitting in one seat on one floor of one library out of twenty libraries. If that doesn’t give you an image of just how huge Ohio State is, I can do you one better. I am one girl walking around the same campus with 59,482 other students, students that come from nearly 100 different countries around the world. Get the picture? As a psychology major I spend a lot of time learning about how humans interact socially. There is a theory called, optimal distinctiveness theory. This theory states that humans desire an optimal balance between inclusion and distinctiveness. So how, on a campus of this magnitude, do you even begin to find that balance? I can tell you a little of my story. Two years ago I walked onto this campus lost, confused, nervous, maybe a little excited, but mostly anxious. I didn’t know how to make friends, where to hangout, who to have lunch with, or how to distinguish myself from the rest of the pack. Luckily I was accepted into the Mount Leadership Society scholar’s program and I met two of the best friends you could imagine on my first day on campus. This was the inclusion aspect of the theory coming into play. My soon-to-be housemates and I love and support each other in all aspects of our lives. We even tell each other the ugly truth when necessary. While I am on the topic of friends, through mutual friends I found the perfect friend group. I am talking about one of those friend groups from the movies that you always envy when you watch. One of those friend groups that you think isn’t possible to find. Well I am telling you this giant college helped me stumble upon that. All of these people filled the void in my life of my family and friends back home. Keeping my Catholic school girl roots in mind I also quickly joined two different worship groups. I knew the only way I was going to survive this enormous place was with God’s helped. And He’s most definitely around, walking with me on my impossibly long walks to class, studying with me during my late nights in the library, on my shoulder during each exam, and watching over me throughout every night out. In addition to these groups I found my place in my home health care work and my patients I aid. I found a place through workout classes and my volunteer communities at The James Cancer Hospital and Hilltop Homework Help Center. All of these groups help me fit in in different ways and keep me busy and happy. In my two years at Ohio State I have found my way. I have found inclusion. So here’s my theory about the optimal distinctiveness theory…once you find your inclusion you also find your distinctiveness. I am a unique child of God. My path took me to a massive campus in the heart of Ohio, away from home and away from my family and friends. I found various groups that slowly and surely molded me into the individual I am today. These groups make me different and make me stand out from the other people on this campus. When you find your place and you find things that make you feel passionate, make you feel happy, and make you feel included, you become an individual. You become an individual surrounded by 59,482 other individuals all striving to conquer the optimal distinctiveness theory. You become distinct. You become you. And you are a beautiful, amazing, unique child of an all-powerful God.12

Overrated: Why Beauty Is Unimportant For Women By: Kayla Hess You see this type of propaganda everywhere. On TV commercials, magazines, and even in clothing stores. The race to find something that will make girls look gorgeous has been going on since the beginning of time. Bold makeup, revitalizing creams, and revealing dresses seem like the only things that get attention for us in society. But, if we only looked past these lies and saw God’s point of view nothing would ever be the same. We were already beautiful the whole time. Why is beauty valued so high in women? What makes it so important? The answer is that women who look pretty usually get more power and recognition. This is terrible to say but it is definitely true! Just look at your school. Have you ever noticed how the popular girls are the ones who supposedly appear more attractive looking? Exactly my point. The girls who study hard and do well on tests aren’t as noticed as the ones who are pretty. Also, there comes dating guys. Girls feel like they have to make themselves look like super models just to get a boy to like them. The more beautiful they are the more guys they can attract. It is true that some boys are douche bags who only care about looks, but there are boys who are searching for a girl with a good heart. Don’t change yourself for a boy. If they only want beauty, you are wasting your time. There is only one person who died for you to let you know how much He loves you. That person is Jesus. He doesn’t care what you look like He loves you anyway despite your flaws. God knows you are beautiful even if you can’t see it. The problem is that women lose sight of this and they beat themselves up because they want to fit in. Let me tell you something, if you really follow God’s will you aren’t going to fit in. You will be seen as an outsider. But, you will be confident in yourself and you will know you are beautiful just the way you are. I would rather follow God’s will then try to fit into society’s outrageous standards. I found a song I really like to go with this writing piece. It’s called More Beautiful You by Johnny Diaz. It’s about being proud of the way you look and not trying to change that. I will analyze some of the lyrics for all of you to see: • Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine, says she wants to look that way. But her hair isn’t straight, her body isn’t fake and she’s always felt overweight. This says so much about teenage girls in society today. How often do they leaf through designer fashion magazines and wish they looked like the super skinny models in there? They starve themselves to become a “perfect and beautiful girl” because they think they are so fat. You don’t have to have a fake body to be beautiful. Just be yourself and God’s light will always shine through. •Well, little girl fourteen I wish that you could see that beauty is within your heart. And you were made to fill a purpose that only you could do. So there could never be a more beautiful you. I love this verse so much! God made you unique and special in your own way. No one else can do what you were made to do. Being different is what it really means to be beautiful. Always follow your heart. •Don’t buy the lies, diguises, and hoops they make you jump through. This should be centered at every woman who has changed their image because people tell them to. You shouldn’t wear uncomfortable things because society wants you to. Own your life and live it the way you want to. This is our call, to be ourselves. I’m not saying people won’t tease you or criticize you but if you trust in God anything is possible. To any women who doubts themselves out there I want you are never alone. People love you for the way you are out there. You just have to find them. Beauty isn’t everything. There is compassion, bravery, kindness, and respect. Be the person God has destined you to be, because maybe one day you could help someone else who thinks they are ugly too. 13

Love. Live. Adventure. Kayla Strunk At 10 years old I realized what a beautiful woman looked like. She was tall, elegant, sun kissed skin, golden hair. It was perfection. That is when I first started to paint my nails. At 13, I started to see my puffy hair and bulky glasses weren't cutting it. This is when I first started to straighten and cut my hair. At 15, I saw my first Victoria Secret fashion show on television. I then started to dye my hair and harm myself. It sent something through my head thinking I had to be like that. They are praised for their bodies, hair, and of course the lack of clothing walking down the catwalk. It's amazing to think that at 15 I started to feel not pretty. Fast forward to 17, I was just coming out of a bad relationship that made my body feel even worse. At this point I wouldn't walk out of the house without makeup or having perfectly straightened hair. But the world took a small turn. I saw many commercials and ads with women who no longer were the status quote if I may say. They were confident in themselves and smiled. For some reason their smiles made me feel alright again. They didn't need Photoshop and touch-ups to smile. It's the personality that makes you beautiful. The way you treat people, the way you hold yourself that makes you beautiful. Not makeup or skinny bodies. I started to watch movies and listen to songs that made me feel worth it again. I started to look at the world not as something to hate or feel negative about. But something that needs some love and something to pull the kindness out of. Positivity is a hard situation to put someone in. But it has a great journey that comes with it. Now at 19, I know I don't know what the world is really doing with itself. I don't even know what I'm doing with myself. I honestly don't know what I'm having for dinner tonight. And that's okay. Being a female is hard, harder than some care to admit. And no one tells you that when you come into this unforgiving place. But it has its good times. Those are the times we as women need to hold onto. Find people in your life that push you to the stars not into the ground. Find things that make you excited to be here. Find yourself; this takes time. Time is something we don't have a lot of. So start your journey now. Do not allow television, magazines, or even photo shop stir you to the wrong direction. Don't ever let people tell you. You're not worth it. Believe me. Everyone has something special about them. You are doing great. Just keep loving yourself. And don't forget to throw a little love in the world.141515

The Internal Illness Ms. Eileen HeaneyThis is a disease…this is nothing to glamorize. This is not ‘being’ named ANA or MIA that should be worshipped. This is not a religion, a cult, or a choice. This is hardly a fashion trend or a new diet fad. This is not a way to lose five pounds before Homecoming. This is not the cool or hip or popular thing to do. This is not something that only affects those of a certain gender, weight religion, race, or economic status. This is not a Lifetime movie to watch on a day off and think; Thank God I don’t know anyone with an eating disorder. This is not a trend among teens to be blamed on the mass media and thin celebrities. This is not HOLLYWOOD.This is a disease and it hurts. This has complete control over every fiber of your being. You cannot control it, no matter how much you believe you can. You cannot hide it away when you are satisfied because you never will be. This is not something you ‘choose to end’ on your own. It’s nothing you would want to end on your own. This isdebilitating, this destroys bodies souls, hearts, relationships and there is no cure you can administer yourself. Choosing to end this means admitting you have lost control, lost your strength, and it means you accept that there is no getting out without help. Getting help us admitting a weakness, and you refuse to do that, so you will not stop.This is a disease and it will never end with a choice you have made. It will end when someone takes away yoursecret, takes away a part of your life, the only art you thought you could hold onto. They’ll take everything away from you and tuck it in a locked drawer so you will never get it back. You’re naked and exposed to everyone. Next you’ll agree to a medicine, a pill to make you think the way they want you to. You’ll go to weekly meetings with a headshrinker, but by now your mind will be so muddled and confused you will ask why they haven’t sent you to awaistshrinker instead. He’ll make you dig through your closet to pull out every skeleton that caused this problem in the first place…when the only thing you want to do is become more skeletal yourself.This is a disease and so many of its sufferers walk around every day with the guise of contentment and satisfaction. They live a normal productive life and do not carry around a megaphone announcing their disorder. They are your best friend, your husband, your girlfriend, your teacher, your mother, and they will lie through their teeth likelooking you in the eyes as they tell you again and again that they ‘really are fine’ and it’s ‘just a touch of the flu’ or that they ate ‘a huge meal’ before. They will deny, deny, deny any accusation or statement you make. They will make you think the idea of them having an eating disorder is ‘absolutely ludicrous’ and you will almost believe them. They are convincing with their arguments… so convincing that they too believe that they are fine, that nothing is wrong with them.They will ignore the symptoms of this illness; their weakness, the trouble with exercising, their headaches, their thinning hair, the dulling of their complexion. They ignore their cold blue fingertips, the loss of a menstrualperiod, the loss of family and friends; they ignore their own calorie counting and lack of bowel movements. Theyignore the manic behaviors that the disorder induces. They check their weight three times a day and wait for the pounds to fall off; they wait for the number of the scale to be small enough, for their goal weight to rest beneath their feet. They wait to reach their ideal of perfection so they will finally, truly be happy with themselves. Fresh without every changing bodies or livesBut they never will be.This is a disease and the cure is the worst part of the illness. Those who can end it and choose health over despair are the fortunate ones, although the process of changing your entire outlook on life and your opinion on thingsnecessary to survive it is like losing a loved one. It’s like killing yourself, the person you used to be, and starting over. It’s as if you died, and you will mourn the loss of yourself as you try to rebuild your life. You may fight to return to the fragment of a human you used to be, because it’s hard to bury your past life withoutactually burying your body. Suddenly, mothing is what it seemed to be, and you’ve only been fooled for so long it’s hard to trusting anything anymore. You will do it though, because finally you are becoming who you truly are. You can, in essence, taste the way life used to be and you decide you would rather be a part of life than a bystander. You are reaching to yourself at the core and you must kill your other roles to get there, to get back into living your life instead of merely surviving it.This is a disease, remember, it is never, ever a problem with weight. It never begins as an eating problem. The unlucky ones, those who don’t have to face up to everything that jumpstarted their disorder, will have it even worse. They face illness, hospitalization, IP, ECT, Ensure, internal organ damage and failure, and eventually death. They think they have gotten themselves into the problem and it’s hard for them to realize they need help to get out. They must make the decision to either let go of their life once and for all or to hold on tighter than ever. They must choose to live or die. It is easy to fall in the routine of illness, and choosing to de is the easy way out because death is so close already.Choosing to live is the true test of strength 15

“Working Women” Emily Gay Hurley Seton Class of 2005. Mrs. President?... If Hillary Clinton would have been elected president in 2016 she would have been the first female elected Commander in Chief in the United States. Since 1789, men have “run” the country and Hillary Clinton is the only female that has served as a party nominee for either of the two major political parties. Political views aside, we as a society are well aware that males and females are both intellectually capable of maintaining leadership roles. Yet this is not yet reflected in the majority of workplaces throughout the country. However, things are changing… Secretary Clinton is a prime example of females who are leading the current strides for gender equality in the workplace. Frankly, today’s workplace is in a state where women are sometimes not offered the opportunities, promotions, or compensations that their male counterparts receive for the same work. A recent study conducted by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey entitled “Women in the Workplace 2016” highlighted the gender inequality that still exists today. The study found that men are 30% more likely to receive a promotion early on in their career compared to women. Also, men hold more than 75% of senior leadership roles. So what can be done? In addition to analyzing the current state, the “Women in the Workplace 2016 Report” offers a few recommendations for how companies can improve. This includes investing more in employee training and ensuring that each new hire, promotion and review is done in a fair and equal manner. These are helpful steps as more and more companies are focusing on gender equality. Gender equality in the workplace is both a women’s issue and a men’s issue and in order to overcome it, everyone needs to support it. Companies themselves will in many cases need to undergo varying levels of systemic change. Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, serves as another pioneer for women in the workplace. She is the well-known author of the book “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.” She has also created leanin.org which serves as an avenue to help women “achieve their ambitions.” The Lean In organization encourages women to organize into chapters to support each other in setting high goals and pursuing their career ambitions. Sandberg’s efforts provide a take away for us all, women supporting women in the workplace is critical. Let’s help one another. Most people know Emma Watson from her leading role in the Harry Potter movies, but may not know that she is a United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador. She is dedicated to the efforts of the UN to achieve social, economic, and educational equality between the genders in countries all over the globe. In an address that she delivered to the UN Assembly, she pointed out the wage gap in America as an instance of gender inequality that needs attention. She stated that if nothing is done to push for equal workplace compensation it will take 75 years before this gap is closed. If more women and men follow the example of Emma Watson, this gap will be closed more quickly. Women, both currently in the workforce and aspiring students, all play a role in the effort to achieve gender equality in every office building, boardroom, classroom, hospital, store, restaurant – every workplace in the country. May we as females be both bothered by the injustice of the present, yet optimistic about a future where our daughters may enjoy a career in which they feel being a female is nothing but an advantage. As Hillary Clinton said, “The rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.”16

Double Standards for Women and its Impact Margaret Lange Many women have many expectations from several different people to live up to. When one expectation is not met, she will be judged or called out for it. Even if she does live up to one expectation, she does not live up to the other ones. Women have a difficult time pleasing everyone they need to without not living up to someone’s expectation of her. Today, every woman has a double standard that they have to live each day and it can have a major impact on their confidence and life. The biggest thing that all women worry about is how they appear. Almost all women wear makeup, whether it is just mascara or a full face of makeup. If women wear makeup, people see them as fake or wearing too much to impress someone. Women do not wear makeup to impress others, but to “feel like themselves” and presentable -- according to makeup research (Korichi et. al. 130). When women decide they are pretty enough not to wear makeup or feel comfortable with themselves not to, they also get judged. People will say they are “a pity” and are not taking care of themselves, even though they are being natural and are proud of who they are (Korichi et. al. 130). The impact that makeup has on women is significant. For women who are told that they are wearing too much makeup, they will try to not wear as much but will not be happy with how they look. Women who begin to wear makeup after being told that they should will feel like they are not beautiful or pretty enough to be seen with their natural features. This double standard for women has the biggest impact and they will never be able to please everyone’s views. From a personal experience, I find it very difficult for women to hang out around men or being a teenager and have guy friends. In grade school, I used to hang out more with guys than girls because there seemed to be less drama, and I was not the one to get into pointless drama with girls. In my mind there was nothing wrong with this, but there seemed to be a major problem according to other girls. Many people who think you have too many guy friends—or have had many boyfriends in the past— begin “slut-shaming” you or talk badly about you to other people (Coenen 1). The other side to this is if you do not have any guy friends or have never had a boyfriend. If a woman does not associate with a guy or does not want a relationship, she is called a prude. This often happens when “a man was hoping to get us to do something sexually that we didn’t want to do” (Coenen 1). This double standard is another hard one to live up to because either way women are called names and cannot make people happy. Being called these names can lower a woman’s self-esteem and “[the] accusation of prude or slut often had the effect of silencing us” (Coenen 1). This double standard from men, and even some women, is the hardest one to live up to and can also have an emotional impact on women. Another major double standard for women is their body image. Women are already very self-conscience of their bodies and many struggle with accepting themselves for who they are. When others degrade women for how they look, it can tear them down even more than they already are. “We live in a culture where thinness and beauty are highly valued for women and wealth and success are often considered to go hand in hand with a slim figure” (Farrar 1). People will say a woman is too skinny, but when she begins to gain weight, she becomes “bigger” or “thicker”. Women will begin to change the way their body looks in many different ways. This is first seen when girls go through puberty or even before then: Over fifty percent of 9 and 10 year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that only 18 percent of adolescents are really overweight. About 80 percent of girls in this age group say that they have dieted in an attempt to lose weight. (Farrar 1) These girls are only 9 and 10! They should be worrying about their 4th and 5th grade homework or what boys to chase on the playground, not worrying about how they look and think that they need to change themselves for others. People will also judge women’s looks before they know what she is going through. A skinnier woman may be fighting anorexia, but others would just think she is too skinny or needs to gain weight to become “normal” looking. Women have many body image issues with themselves and the way people point them out does not necessarily help a woman. Pointing out the flaws in a woman can make her even more aware of the issues she feels that she has, which can cause emotional damage and even health issues. The expectations that women have can be difficult to handle at times. They cannot please everyone at the same time; whether it is how they present themselves, how they act, and/or how they look, all women struggle. This struggle of double- standards can lead to many different emotional problems, and sometimes become a health issue as well. We all need to realize that not everyone is going to please everyone. Also, no one should judge someone based on how they look or act because no one knows what they have experienced or are experiencing in their lives. Today, especially women, have many double- standards that they experience, which can have a key impact on their life. Work Cited Coenen, Amy. Sluts & Prudes – What’s Behind It? National Women’s Liberation, 2013. Web. 22 November 2016. http://www.womens liberation.org/priorities/feminist-consciousness-raising/127-sluts-prudes-what-s-behind-it Farrar, Tabitha. Body Image Of Women. Mirror Mirror, 2014. Web. 22 November 2016. http://www.mirror-mirror.org/body-image- of-women.htm Korichi, Rodolphe, Delphine Pelle-De-Queral, Germaine Gazano, and Arnaud Aubert. “Why women use makeup: Implication of psychological traits in makeup functions.” March/April 2008. PDF file. http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia. edu.documents/43465957/Why_Women_Wear_Makeup-pscyhological_science_2008.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA& Expires=1479828517&Signature=jygc4SCUSnfEbs%2ByDxsiygkZ3Us%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D Why_wom en_use_makeup_Implication_of_psyc.pdf 17

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From Start to Finish A rapid fire dose of Q&A. Freshmen and seniors were polled and were asked to give honest answers. The responses are meant tofully and completely reflect the individual. This is HER.22

//// Question 1 //// “ ”Never give up, it will always get better Faith Breeden What would you want to tell yourself at beginning of the year? “To not stress over the “ Be yourself little things. There are going to be because you’ll find people who are just homework assignments that you forget to like Myouo.lly Schr”amm do and you will most “ Don’t wory likely fail a test at some point. It isn’t about making the end of the world. Realize that you made friends, you’ll make a mistake and learn lots easily. V”ale HafnrnomahiSt.m. it”h Lindsey “ To not stress out about little things, Annie Haley ” That “everything “is going to be okay. You that eventually everything will work out. At the beginning of the year I told myself that will find some this is going to be my best friends that year with grades and friends. I'm not going to give up on will accept you. You will my school work just because it's senior year. I also told ”earn more myself I'm going to have a drama free year and sisters. forget about all the Ayana Lee peMtteyladnriaemMa.cGre”gor 23

//// Question 2 //// “I regret not What do you most regret not doing? getting involved “Not giving my with the school opinion and doing earlier. S”mith what IFawiatnhtBedreeden” Hannah “ I regret not “ Joining more auditioning for clubs and going to ‘Writing a Will Can sporting events. ”be Murder’. Ayana Lee Molly Schram”m I kind of “wish I got “involved more, yes I am When I started at Seton I started conditioning for the involved with soccer team and then some things, I just quit. If I could go but I am not back to freshman year, I would’ve stuck with soccer in any clubs, I because it is my favorite sport. I regret not playing wish I got more soccer for Seton. involved with Annie H”aley Melanie McGrego”rthat.24

“ I see myself having a family, graduated from college, and I would like to be an Athletic “ Annie”HaleyIn ten years I “hope to have finished//// Question 3 //// Trainer. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I see myself being a surgeon or in the college and hope to process with my have earned a degree sisters still from in nursing (or Seton.Ayana Lee ” something in the medical field). I would hope to be “ In 10 years I would either married or hope to have a job that I love to do and ”engaged. Hannah Smith Lindsey Vale”to have graduated college “ Hopefully a doctor working in Children’s Hospital with a family ” Faith Breeden “ “ Hopefully After I graduate, I am going into cosmetology and living in New York or London that will take about a year. I writing about will then start a job in a music and salon. In about 10 years I interviewing the will be 27. I see myself artists/bands I owning my own business for love cosmetology or having my own booth. I also see myself being married and having a kid or 2. ” I will be living in CincinnatiMolly Schramm Melanie McGrego”rwith a beautiful home 25

“ That there is a place for everyone somewhere Ayana”Leeand to try new things, you might like it.//// Question 4 //// “ Seton has taught me “ Seton has taught What has Seton taiught you? how to be prepared for me many things, one the future. Whether of the things I take that be learning how to adapt to a pride in is being different learning myself, and that community, or simply people will like teaching me how to manage my time and teach me for who I am. me different learning Seton has helped me ”strategies. see that by being Hannah Smith someone else is not okay, and that I will still be loved, if not more if I am my ” true self. Annie Haley “ To never give up on my dreams, that Faith Breeden ”anything I want is within my grasp “ “ That classiness is Seton has taught me how spirited and welcoming our important. The school is. They also taught me way you act a lot in academics, Seton has represents so much more than Melanie McGregor”a wonderful education. just yourself, and the way you “present yourself Seton has taught me to be today, matters now and even in confident with myself and that Molly Schra”mm Lindsey”Valethe future. I have lots of people that care about me.26

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Release Your I n i h i b i ti o n sAn intimate poll of ladies about what theylike and why that makes them who they are. The responses are meant to fully and completely reflect the individual. This is HER.28

“ I listen more “ I like country music and Christmas country music. I don’t really have a `music ” Lindsey Vale favorite artist, but//// Question 1 //// I really like Cole “My favorite music Swindel and Luke What is some music you like and what artist? to listen to is county. ABrnynaine.H”aley My favorite artist is Brett Eldredge & Luke Bryan Indie, Indie-Rock, “ ”Alternative, Rock Melanie McGregor(anything but country). Artists like: Bastille, “ All, mostly Twenty The Wrecks, Nothing One Pilots and Melanie ”But Thieves, Martinez. ”Alyana Lee Jack Garratt Molly Schramm “Twenty I’m usually up for any genre of music, except country and sometimes rap “Bastille, The Killers, an exception. I’ve loved One Pilots, is Fallout Boy, Panic! Pink’s music for years. I’ve been into kpop (korean music) At the Disco, The for a very long time and a kpop group I like is ‘EXO’. PeHntaaytloeyniDx ress”ler, Kpop isn’t common for people in America to listen to. Hopefully one day, music from many other countries will be “ encouraged, accepted, and Tim McGraw, Luke listened to here. Many times I feel afraid to tell people Bryan, Brad, Paisley, I like kpop because they Kieth Urban, Blink might give me a strange look, 182, Phillip Phillips, but won’t know until you B”ri Brumfield Vicky Nguyen”,The Fray actually listen to them! 29

“ Just Friends by Billy Taylor, and the New Girl sFeariithesBr”eeden//// Question 2 //// “ I like the series “ The New York What are current favorite reads? Bad Blood. L”ee Trilogy by Paul Ayana Auster, 1984 by “ My favorite book GeorgMe oOlrlwyelSl.chr”amm is either Of Mice and Men or The Boy in the “ I enjoy reading HmaagnaznianhesSm”ith StriLpeidndPsaejyamVaasle” “ ”The Outsiders Amanda Kramer “ I for sure still love the Percy Jackson series. If you’re into greek mythology then this series is for you. Plus it really pulls your imagination in. As I’ve become older I slowly stopped reading books because I’m either too busy or just lazy, but these series really made me enjoy the Vicky N”guyengift of reading/books.30

“ India ” I want to go//// Question 3 //// Bri Brumfield “ Hannah S”mithanywhere in Europe. What are a few place you want to visit before you’re 25? “ I want to travel “ Chicago M& ScpGarieng”or the world and see a ton of different Melanie places, but the place “ London, New York, at the top of my Molly Schramm”Paris, Los Angeles bucket list is definitely Hawaii, it just seems so pretty. Annie Haley ” “ Hawaii, Carbine Island, Paris and Canada and Disney Land. “ ”I would love to Ayana Leevisit Montana and PerLuin”dsey Vale “ Europe,Hungary, “ I want to visit Russia, Australia, and IHndaiyaley”Dressler Korea, but one can only dream. And I also want to visit a few of “ ” Anywhere new my close friends Faith Breeden I met online who lives on the west side (AVriiczkoynaN)gu”yen 31

//// Question 4 //// “ Price hill chili, McDonald’s fries, LaRosa’s bread sticks, Dave and Busters and What are some of your hole-in-the wall places in Cincinnati? ”Tri-County Mall. Ayana Lee “ Honestly, I am “ Insomnia cookies not sure, I will try is an all-night place anyFtahiithngB!re”eden that sells delicious “ Over the Rhine, Lindsey Val”ecookies over by UC. Smale Park “ Izzy’s or Melanie McGrego”r Zip’s cafe. Hannah Sm”ith “ Shake It Records, Madison “Theater (technically Boba Cha, Price Newport), Any coffee HayleyHill ChiliDr”essler shop that’s not some ”chain company Molly Schramm “ ” I don’t know many “ Bri BrumfieldThe only one I can All of OTR, Price Hill Chili “think of is Tea n Bowl in Clifton. They Aroma’s, Bloc Coffee, make asian food, but Incline House ” I just go there for the bubble Ntegau.y”en Alexis Lambers Vicky32

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Photo courtesy of Kelsey Cappel

PIctures speak 1000 words A collection of art that was sent in and could not be included as dividers/ theme pieces due to lack of space. Iwanted to include the art because it means something to someone. This is HER.36

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Boeing

1. 2. 3.4. 5. 6.7. 8. 9..

10. 11. 12.13. 14 15.16. 17. 18.

19. 20. 21.22. 23. 24.25. 26. 27.

28. 29. 30.31. 32. 33.34. 35. 36.

Credit Given Below is a handy guide of photo credits. Although I could not include them in divider pages or images to compliment the theme of the section, I wanted to include them so you could enjoy.Kelsey Boeing..............7,8,10,15,19,24,25,26,30,32,35,36Kelsey Cappel.................... ............2,6,9,21,23,33Ellie Garnder...............................3,11,17,18,20,28Erin Gardner....................................14,16,31,34Maria Heisel..............................................1Emilee Poehner.......................................4,12,29Rachel Schultz...................................5,13,22,2742

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Photo courtesy of Kelsey Boeing

Late Night RamblingsA personal peek into the editor’s thoughts on feminine issues and why they should matter. This is HER.46

This magazine means a lot to me. This magazine, to me, means that young women care enough about the injustices within society to see an email, stop, think, and reply from the heart. Piecing and knitting this magazine together over the past few months has shown me that people CARE, people want to care, and do care. I think in order for a change tohappen, there needs to be purpose, there needs to be a care because if not the movement, the idea, the passion has no fuel, no backing. What Isee here is people, women, giving a shit.When I sent the initial emails asking for responses, I was blown awaywith the amount of enthusiasm. I think of myself as an introvert, butwhen I am passionate, my voice will be heard. All of the sudden, I had these responses from women I 1) didn’t know cared, 2) never met before,or 3) never thought to ask. Now, these women wanted to send in theirop-eds, their style preferences, their tips of Cincy hotspots, or theirgeneral advice on high school. And I think that is rad.I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to share my opinions on severalissues discussed in the magazine. I wanted to include this so you, as the reader, understand where I’m coming from and can kind-of (some-what)trust me as a fellow woman trying to survive.Right, okay, me. The basics to me are that I LOVE coffee, cold pizza,and sitting on roofs (although I’ve never tried it). My favorite books are The Outsiders and On the Road, my favorite poem is “The Raven”, and myfavorite movies are The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, and TheOutsiders. I would consider my style as hipster. If anyone asks, I am non-identifying hipster. I do like quite large sweaters and slip-onsneakers. In the winter, I love me a scarf and a trench coat. I like my makeup to be simple, but noticeable. I like to fill in my eyebrows, and add a copper or gold eyeshadow. As far as accessories go, I stick withrings, maybe a watch, and my Kairos cross. They make me feel happyand whole. For the longest time, I thought I needed to rely on materialitems like makeup, to feel what I thought as naturally beautiful. 8 or soyears later and I’ve had my fair share of curveballs thrown at me. Iknow now that me is enough. Simply.From the beginning of my high school career, I have been heavily involved in StrongHer. StrongHer, for me, was a positive influence in a verynegative place. This is where I first came in contact with femalepositivity. Ever since then, it caught on like wildfire. I now ampromoting self-confidence and self-love. StrongHer was the place where I started to discover my position on hotly debated discussions. 47

I consider myself a feminist and it makes me feel educated that Iunderstand the core issue of feminism-the equality of the sexes. I find it funny that this issue has become so controversial for so many years. In the 70s, women began burning their bras in protest of men being ableto expose their chests in the public eye. Today, women have expressed their opinions by going braless and #freethenipple has been trendingfor months. It makes me not sad, but feel funky when women misconstrue feminism as ‘man hating’ and thus refuse to shave or wear makeup. (Notthat there is anything wrong that.) That’s not what feminism is about.It’s about women being on equal playing ground to men. That isn’t to say that women can do everything men can do, because that’s not alwaysnecessarily the case. However, women should be treated respectfully the same as men. I do consider myself a feminist because I believe that women are on equal playing ground to men. Although, the ‘gifts’ are quitedifferent, there is a balance. Although I consider myself a feminist, I am a little nervous to admit that I LOVE chivalry. I understand that women can fully open a door without any assistance, but to me, the action is quite romantic.Similarly, with feminism, comes the issue to the Photoshop culture. I never understood digital editing creating a biased need forperfectionism. In my opinion, nothing worthwhile sprouts from those roots. From what I’ve seen, there have been eating disorders, self-harm, self-loathing, severe anxiety, ADD, ADHD, clinical depression, etc. I have tried to surround myself with positive influences that do not heavily practice digital and photo manipulation. Although this is extremelyhard, there are some outlets that stand against the crowd.I would like to talk about mental illnesses within females and the media. I do hope it’s not too dark and depressing, bear with me. I have seenand heard of the media completely obliterating any sense of self-respect and self-worth. To me, that is disheartening. I find it disappointingthat a search engine and drive someone to suicide. The evidence is all there to point to a clear problem that has taken lives, but society will not admit it. For years, and to this day, it is taboo to admit that you are depressed or have panic attacks. I find this unreasonable andoutlandish. In my experience, and I can include myself in in this, almost every high schooler has or has had anxiety, if not social anxiety ortesting anxiety. Spurts are depression are extremely common (although Iam not qualified to diagnose) and yet you get shushed if you come clean or seek help.48

Something I’ve come to terms with in the past few years is the no-makeup movement. In grade school, I would avoid looking at myself in the mirror during showers. When I did have to look at myself in the mirror, Icovered myself in makeup to at least try to hide some of the filth anddisgust. One of the worst feelings to me was at the end of the nightwhen I would wash the makeup up and my face was blotchy and red and when I had to change, my body was white and wide. I would squeeze my eyesshut to get changed and in bed. In grade school, I covered myself in makeup because it was news and exciting; it gave me a way out to not see my face every day. I do like makeup today; it makes me feel confident on days where I am not having it. However, I am coming to terms to likingmy face bare. I’m not sure if it’s the reality of high school or that coffee sounds so much better than foundation for a productive morning. Ithink as I am nearing college, the prospect that no one really cares ifI have a pimple is becoming comforting. I can honestly see myselfwaking up for class, putting on my glasses, wearing a decent outfit, and making coffee as a realistic daytime routine. I am secretly starting to like me as me. Plus, I don’t need no man, I am an independent woman. I do not understand kids being bullied for the pure aspect of acne. Idon’t get it. And that fact that these kids are bullied to the point of destruction. I mean, what’s the point? Je ne sais pas.What I do know is that somewhere, sometime there will come a glimmer of hope where everything slides into focus and there will be thisself-realization. This magazine is meant to point towards that. This magazine is everything that represents what she should believe as beautiful, what she should realize herself becoming, and how much people love her and how she should reciprocate that love. This is Her.P.S. These photos were done by me; I did not draw them, I traced them.God knows I am not that good. I’m good at coffee if you were wondering. 49

I’d like to recommend some sources/inspiration/songs that have helped me out. Enjoy, friends: 1. Darling Magazine. This magazine was introduced to me about a wyear ago. The magazine strives to focus on real women that are naturally confident and unrefinied. Their tagline is ‘The art of being a woman’. One of the things I really like about their magazine is that every issue, on one spread, is said ‘NONE OF THE WOMEN IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN RETOUCHED #RealNotRetouched’. That speaks volumes for me. http://darlingmagazine.org/ 2. Rookie Yearbook. This yearbook/magazine was brought to my attention around a year ago also. The website/annual print release features real essays from men and women and also celebrity interviews. The essays are completely vunerable and independent, which is really rad. http://www.rookiemag.com/ 3. Feminist Frequency. The website was recommended to me by my mentor. The website solely features feminism and what it represents at its heart. The non- for-profit seeks to educate about the very real and prominent issues in society. https://feministfrequency.com/ 4. NOW’s Love Your Body Campaign. The movement was again brought to me by my mentor. The website, National Organization for Women Foundation, features a specific self-love measure to encourage body positivity. http://now.org/now-foundation/love-your-body/ 5. Miss. Representation. The documentary was actually introduced to me from StrongHer. As far as I know, it is on Netflix and is quite good. It is about the stereotypes as women, painted by the media, and how to overcome it. http://therepresentationproject.org/film/miss-representation/ 6. “Float On” by Modest Mouse. The song is a bit bizarre, but I Art courtesy to Faith Breeden promise its meaning is really rad. I’m not sure when I first heard it, but I do know it was the theme song for The Michael J. Fox Show and that sold it. The meaning is realy quite impressive and carries depth. It has helped me trudge through some dark times. 50