Redefining feminine: The Rugged Grace Project uses powerful pictures of lady rugby players to tackle body hate

 All photos courtesy of the Rugged Grace Tumblr Have you ever played rugby? I haven’t. I had the chance once. The super rad Jen Sinkler (you may know her as the strong-woman who coined the phrase, “How do I get my cardio? I lift weights faster.”) once invited me to play with her team. Actually I think …

4 reasons people try to take away your beauty (and why you shouldn’t let them). [What I wish I knew when I was 18]

Sitting cross-legged on a twin bed, giggling about cute boys while the summer evening breeze swirled around us — it had been a long time — a lifetime — since the last time I’d done this. Yet there I was on the eve of my baby sister’s graduation (am I allowed to still call her …

Every body is a bikini body: Beautiful is not something you get, it’s something you are

Our neighborhood has a pool. I’ve never lived in a place before that has one and I have to admit it’s pretty rad. Not for me necessarily – I still hate swimming – but my kids love it and it’s an easy, fun way to get them outside and moving. It’s also fun for me …

This is how NOT to talk to women about our bodies [new video claims to debunk the thigh gap, is full of stupid]

In an art house, hermetically sealed both from germs and the passage of time, this conversation happened: “Yo, did you see the thigh-gap on that chick last night?” “The what?” “The big space between her legs! It’s the must-have accessory of the year. All the girls want one.” “That’s weird.” “Yeah, I kind of thought …

What We Say to Girls* Matters [New study shows what telling a girl she’s “fat” really does]

Jelly Bean (r) and friends know they are working it.  90210 wasn’t really my jam. (Sure Luke Perry was cute and all but Jordan Catalano stole my flannel-shirt-wrapped heart on My So-Called Life. I’m a monogamous TV dater.) So Tori Spelling has never been one of those actresses I’ve had strong feelings about one way …

Woman Proudly Bares Stretch Marks, Internet Freaks Out [Why We Should Love Our Tummies!]

I was all set to hate Sharny Kieser, I’ll admit it. I first came across her and her bikini pictures in an article declaring that moms should schedule a post-natal bikini shoot to have something to motivate them to not gain a ton of weight during pregnancy and to lose it all lickety-split afterwards. And …

Dear Kirstie Alley: Why Fat Shaming Doesn’t Work, Even on Yourself [“I’m fat but at least I’m not circus fat”]

Dear Kirstie Alley, I got your press release about how you’re going back to your first diet love, Jenny Craig. (I really appreciated the personal touch of including the pictures of all your diet products. Apparently JC will now be carrying your line of diet drinks in their stores so, um, way to play it …

New Makeup Ads Make Me Surprisingly Weepy [Hiding the Outside to Make People See the Real You on the Inside]

 Can you see the person in this pic? Liu Bolin is an artist who specializes in hiding in plain sight. Hair extensions, colored contacts, spray tans, cosmetic surgery, tooth veneers, the finale of How I Met Your Mother – in a world that’s increasingly fake it seems like more and more people are seeking out …

I Don’t Know How I Feel About the #NoMakeupSelfie Trend [Cancer “awareness” scam or beautiful reality check?]

Yep, I tried it! Snapped this selfie fresh out of the shower and still with my post-workout hair. No makeup, no filters. No cancer either… that I know of. On the scale of Things That Irritate Me, “cancer awareness” is pretty close to the top. That phrase ranks right above people who lick their fingers …

How to Combat a Fat-and-Ugly Attack! [Since un-tagging myself in photos isn’t working]

I love love love Natalie Dee. This weekend something awesome happened: My husband’s grandmother, the last living grandparent either one of us has, came to visit. It was the first time my children have ever met their great-grandmother although they know her well from the cards and stickers she sends them on their birthdays. In …