When I heard Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s opening statement, what struck me, as it struck so many people, was her recollection of the laughter of two teenage boys—their uproarious laughter at her expense. It made a memory, one that I’ve often pushed down over the course of my life, resurface. The school bus in middle school was no man’s land. No adults except for the bus driver who, with his back turned to us and […]
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Flash back to about seven months ago. It’s the middle of summer, and my boyfriend and I were knee-deep in a Say Yes to the Dress marathon. Bellies full of pizza, eyes humming, we stared at the TV and made occasional sounds of disdain or grunts of disbelief as the episode’s featured victims tried on […]
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High school is hard enough without throwing all the social aspects on top of it. They can be harmful if you get too obsessive or stressed out. I, for one, have only just gotten the gist of how to survive more simply. If I had one wish, it would be to go back and teach […]
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The first boy I kiss doesn’t write. He doesn’t understand why my bedroom walls tell stories that are sixteen years too long. He does not write novels on my spine with his fingertips. The next boy I kiss calls himself a fan of mine, and I find him flipping through the notebooks in my childhood […]
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Growing up as someone who belongs to the female gender — specifically one who is part of a tight-knit and old-fashioned culture — I was simply raised to believe that having a boyfriend/husband/someone to hold my bags while I shop was and is something that I should not only thrive for but should specifically focus on. I’m fully […]
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This email has been posted with the reader’s permission and with the names changed for the sake of anonymity. Every so often our Germ staff is lucky enough to receive an email from a reader asking for advice. Since Ask Lara originally started out as an advice column, I was more than happy to help when we received a […]
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I’ve been single for a few years now, and — I have to say — I love it. After having been unhappy for so many years in a relationship, there’s nothing quite like the exhilarating and light feeling of freedom when you’re finally on your own and can do whatever you want to do. Sure, […]
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noun: fem·i·nism the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. MYTH: Feminism supports the notion that women are greater than men. TRUTH: Feminism advocates the EQUALITY of women and men. As a woman, I walk in constant fear of sexual harassment. I am only 15 years old; […]
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This video went viral in Hungary a few days ago accompanied by the phrase “real men.” After watching it, I felt happy and disappointed at the same time. I was happy because these children were so unbelievably honest. They are at that age where everything seems possible; they can and will change the world. It was so […]
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