Quantcast
Channel:
Viewing all 25628 articles
Browse latest View live

Is It Actually Sexist to Ask a Woman What She's Wearing on the Red Carpet?

0
0

Anyone who's ever watched a red carpet ceremony during awards season knows the shtick. The stars emerge from tinted vehicles and begin the journey down the carpet and eventually to the venue. Along the way, they're interviewed by everyone from faceless newspaper reporters to seasoned E! personalities like Giuliana Rancic and Kelly Osbourne. If they're nominated for an award, you can bet they'll be asked some questions about the film they acted in, but let's be real, viewers really tune in to ogle the fashion.

In recent times, red carpet ceremonies have been causing a stir when it comes to the questions the female stars are asked and the overall way they're treated. Ever since Cate Blanchett called out E! for slowly panning the camera up and down her body as if she were being judged in a beauty pagaent, women in Hollywood have taken up the platform of changing how they are respected and viewed at these events. Stars like Reese Witherspoon have been vocal about their support for the #AskHerMore campaign, which calls on red carpet reporters to focus on more than just appearances.

While there's definitely something bordering on objectification when it comes to asking a celeb if she's been on a diet for awards season or by asking her to show off her nails to a "mani cam," there's a very solid argument to be had about the fashion itself. To the designers behind the iconic gowns, the hairstylists behind the beautiful updos, their work is art and the stars are simply showcasing it. Completely ignoring that art would be disrespectful in a completely different sense.

But to just focus on looks alone is belittling to these women who evidently have much greater accomplishments beyond just looking pretty in a floor-sweeping gown. On Sunday, the day of the Oscars, Lena Dunham voiced her support of the campaign in a clever Tweet: "Ask her about the causes she supports, not her support garments." Of course, one might argue that these pre-shows are a complete frenzy, and therefore not the best time for reporters to ask meaningful questions, but take ABC's Robin Roberts for example—she and Julianne Moore got to talking about something way more meaningful than her appearance: Alzheimer's research.

What do you think about sexism on the red carpet? Is anyone necessarily at fault?


The Truth About the Dangerous Thigh Gap Obsession

0
0

February 22 to 28 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. We'll be sharing information about this important issue throughout the week, from what to do if you or a friend is suffering from an eating disorder to how to love your body just the way it is! Be sure to check out all of our content here.

The “thigh gap” has taken the nation’s female population by storm. It’s an unhealthy obsession with thinness that’s causing women to seek often unrealistic standards, fueled by the never-ending stream of social media that puts the coveted thigh gap on a high pedestal. Her Campus is taking a closer look at the gap between perception and reality behind this disturbing trend.

What is a thigh gap?

You’ve probably seen it all over the web—there are Tumblr accounts devoted to photos of thigh gaps, Twitter accounts dedicated to Cara Delevingne’s thigh gap and even articles with step-by-step instructions on how to get thigh gaps. The thigh gap is a diamond-shaped gap between the thighs that is visible when a woman is standing upright with her feet together. The thigh gap obsession is an alarming new trend focused on achieving and maintaining this space between the thighs, and it’s particularly prevalent among females who are in their teens through their early 20s.

Why is it so popular?

The thigh gap is not a new concept—models have used the thigh gap as a standard barometer of thinness for a while— but social media like Instagram have allowed the concept of a thigh gap to reach girls everywhere.

Katie Szymanski, a junior at the University of Michigan, first came across the thigh gap trend on a Tumblr blog she follows. “What I thought was a satirical video has turned into an entire movement of young girls dieting and starving themselves to achieve this gap,” she says. “It sickens me that girls my age, and even younger, are going to drastic measures to feel beautiful.”

Women on Twitter and Instagram use hashtags like “thinspiration” to post selfies of their thighs as inspiration for weight loss and dieting. Images of slim, attractive models and celebrities in shorts and skinny jeans flood mainstream media, promoting the idea that thinness and fun go hand-in-hand. Fashion trends such as high-waisted, high-legged shorts are causing the thigh gap obsession to become even more prevalent.

“[The thigh gap] becomes something easy to focus on and compare amongst others and becomes a visual goal for which to strive,” says Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology.

Some women are convinced that having a thigh gap is attractive to the opposite sex. When there are pictures of good-looking guys with women who have thigh gaps all over social media, “the implication is you’ll get him if you have the thigh gap,” says Dr. Barbara Greenberg, a clinical psychologist.

In addition to the promise of male attention, some women want to have thigh gaps because having one is like becoming a member of an exclusive club.

“It is something [girls] feel they can control when so much else in their lives feels out of control (relationships, home, school, emotions, puberty, etc.),” says Dr. Kimberly Dennis, CEO and medical director of Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. “For many girls, it gives them something concrete in which to root their identity—‘I am special because I have a thigh gap’… ‘I am loveable if I am thin’ and ‘the thinner I am the better I am.’ And society and media perpetuate this.”

Why is the thigh gap unrealistic?

Given the normal fat distribution on the bodies of women of a healthy weight, achieving a thigh gap can be absolutely unrealistic. Women tend to carry additional fat around their hips, upper arms, buttocks and thighs. Fat on a woman’s body has always been distributed this way.

“Sadly, our standards of beauty involve being unrealistically thin in all of these areas,” Durvasula says. “There is a small, small proportion of girls and women who are naturally thin, and this kind of appearance is effortless for them; for the vast majority, maintaining this appearance can require dangerous caloric restriction and unhealthy habits. Women who live like this can actually miss out on life, so focused on food and appearance that they lag in their academic performance, job performance and ability to engage with other people and build relationships and friendships.”

Genetics and body structure play the biggest role in determining whether you’re able to gain a thigh gap in the first place. Many models are tall and skinny, and they have wide enough hips to have thigh gaps. Most women, however, have hips that are set too closely together to achieve a thigh gap even if they don’t have much fat on their legs. Many women can only get a thigh gap when they’re too thin to be healthy and there is muscle wasting in their legs due to restrictive eating behaviors. For someone with wider-set hips, however, a thigh gap is possible even with a healthy body weight.

Why is the thigh gap dangerous?

Greenberg says that because very few women are actually genetically built to have thigh gaps, women relentlessly diet, starve themselves and set themselves up for eating disorders, yet they still can’t achieve the desired gap. Greenberg equates striving for a thigh gap with trying to naturally turn your hair blonde if you’re a redhead.

“The behaviors needed to create a thigh gap change the brain and the rest of the body, not just the thighs,” Dennis says. “In states of starvation, the heart shrinks, the brain shrinks, the liver can get inflamed, the immune system is diminished. Once someone crosses the line into full-blown anorexia nervosa, it can be impossible to stop without help; the obsession takes over and begins to have a life of its own, like a cancer.”

Many women’s attempts to belong and feel in control spiral into unhealthy behaviors that can set dangerous precedents for adulthood. “Being over-focused on any physical characteristic is unhealthy, and in this case it is focused on something that is not a realistic standard (so often when this image is portrayed photographically in the media, on fashion models, etc., it may have even been digitally enhanced or created) and can push girls to dangerous dieting, starvation, compensatory behaviors such as excessive exercise, laxative use or vomiting,” Durvasula says. 

Self-deprivation is as unhealthy as chronic overindulgence, and such behaviors can develop into life-threatening eating disorders that can negatively affect a person’s mood, brain function, electrolyte balance, heart function, reproductive health, bone health, skin and other major body systems. Sometimes, the effects are irreversible, like developing osteoporosis. “There is nothing inherently desirable about trying to change the shape of your body, and in fact, it’s more likely to make you sick and unable to achieve,” Greenberg says. “You can do irreversible damage by developing an eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of all the psychiatric disorders.”

These behaviors are not only physically damaging, but also emotionally and spiritually damaging, as well. Purging, dieting and over-exercising may turn into an addiction or dependence; some girls find that they are addicted to the way starving makes them feel—high, powerful, good.

“Inherently it says your body (and you) are not good enough just as you are or just as you were created,” Dennis says. “If a girl is focused on changing her body to the point that it becomes an obsession, I always wonder what is underneath it; what is really going on there? Because it is never just about being thin.”

What can you do to avoid the pressure of having a thigh gap?

Social pressure to belong can push many girls to take extreme measures to get thigh gaps, but there’s nothing virtuous about being a member of this club. If you find yourself surrounded by friends focused on the thigh gap trend, you may want to consider finding a new group of friends.

“All of these things are very contagious,” Greenberg says. “We start developing the habits and the moods of the people we hang around.”

Girls transitioning from middle school to high school and collegiettes transitioning from high school to college are especially prone to this unhealthy trend. “Be especially cautious and get extra support when making transitions; they are stressful times when people are more prone to latching onto an obsession for grounding,” Dennis says. “Focus on what you love, find your passion and do it.”

Greenberg believes that girls should find comfort, passion, interest and self-esteem in hobbies, activities and friends—not unhealthy body obsessions. “Any time [females] put some kind of extreme standard on themselves, they should think, are the males partaking too? Are the males wasting their time thinking about a thigh gap, or are they using their energy to do better things?” Greenberg says. “It’s the pursuit that girls like, but once they get the thigh gap, they don’t feel happier. They should always ask themselves, ‘is this realistic?,’ ‘Would the males be doing this?’ and ‘is this going to make me happy?’”

Rather than striving for unrealistic standards, Durvasula stresses maintaining a healthy weight by eating healthy, staying active and embracing your own body type. “Don't get sucked into the obsessive discussions of your classmates, dorm mates, etc. who turn this way and that and say ‘am I fat?,’ and don't congratulate people for being thin—it's not an accomplishment,” Durvasula says.

Instead, Durvasula encourages collegiettes to look around at all different body types. “We are so focused on ONE KIND—tall, thin, disproportionately large breasts, very slender arms, slender hips, flat stomach—that we miss the fact that there is more than one kind of body out there and all are healthy and beautiful,” she says.  

Will this trend ever go away?

While there are ways you can avoid being sucked into the dangerous thigh gap obsession, the future of the trend as a whole looks grim. The obsession is being seen in younger and younger girls, and it’s likely to continue for a long time unless drastic measures are taken.

Unlike countries like Israel and India, the United States does not have a ban against extremely underweight models. “It’s more likely to stop when the United States puts restrictions on its models,” Greenberg says. “In the U.S. we don’t do that yet. And until we stop photoshopping our models and have the criteria that the models need to be healthy, I don’t think it’ll stop.”

The obsession with thinness has had a strong hold on our culture for a while, and Dennis believes that the trend will take time to eventually fade away. “I do think that someday, it will be en vogue for women to have some flesh on their bones,” Dennis says. “The obsession with thinness will yield to the next obsession.”

What can be done to stop this trend?

There have been many efforts to raise awareness and battle this obsession with unhealthy standards already. Campaigns like The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty promote healthy body image, and ads that use plus-size models encourage body acceptance. Model Robyn Lawley is known for speaking out against the thigh gap trend. Video blogger Taylor Adele Smith made a YouTube video called “5 Ways to Fake a Thigh Gap” that highlights the absurdity of the trend.

There have even been memes that use celebrities to promote healthy body image. “I later came across a meme that said, ‘Beyonce doesn't have a thigh gap, so why should you?’” Katie says. “I think this is a great place to start teaching collegiettes to embrace their bodies for what they are. Thigh gap or not, you’re beautiful.”

Dennis says we should love our womanly bodies as they are and value “our personhood over our looks, our talents over our looks, our contributions to society over our looks.” Durvasula believes that women should stop complimenting each other for being thin and stop the “fat talk.”

 

The thigh gap trend has long-lasting and far-reaching consequences for girls and women everywhere. To reverse the damage this unhealthy obsession has caused, Dennis encourages women to “dream big [and] focus on taking up space in this world—not trying to get rid of your powerful, wonderful self. Be strong, not emaciated.”

Think you might be suffering from an eating disorder? The National Eating Disorders Association has a free and confidential screening to help you determine next steps. If you're looking for more information, be sure to call the NEDA helpline. Looking for ways to help spread the word? Find out how you can get involved on your campus.

Here's What it Would Look Like if Boys Wore Lipstick, Too

0
0

Who decides who gets to wear makeup? We talk so much about double standards between genders, and how they disproportionately affect women. And while women still (unfortunately) have a ways to go, recognizing when guys get the short end of the stick is important when it comes to reaching gender equality all around. So that makes us wonder—why does the beauty industry only seem to target women, from their product packaging to their advertisements? Women wear makeup for a variety of reasons, whether it's to help enhance their natural beauty or to help them feel more confident. Shouldn't men have the option to do the same? 

Phillip Picardi of Refinery29 had the same questions. So when he wanted to showcase the season's best new lip colors, he photographed the looks on series of men, complete with scruffy beards, scraggly hair and lumberjack flannels. And they look FAB. Each picture is accompanied by a Q&A with the model talking about themselves and why they chose the color they chose. 

When asked how wearing lipstick felt, how they first reacted to their photos and about a time they felt beautiful, the men responded with pretty memorable answers, many of which made us feel all the feels: Kevin, a professional model, said that he was "surprised how beautiful [he] thought the lipstick looked." Adam, a hairstylist, said that seeing his photo felt "exhilarating." Visual merchandiser Ryan mentioned that the last time he felt particularly beautiful was when he was "in love."

The truth is, the article does much more than give 15 men the perfect pout. It makes a statement about embracing who you really are and living life the way you want to. Regardless of gender, if wearing makeup brings you joy, then head to the makeup counter, grab your favorite shade and apply all you want. Makeup should no longer be exclusively for any single gender. In today's world, men and women are both encouraged to be their true selves. And if your true self wants glossy red lips, then apply without shame!

This App Lets You Borrow a Dog for a Day

0
0

Nothing can pick up your mood like hanging out with a new fuzzy friend and this new app will partner you up with shelter dogs who could use the companionship just as much as you could!

Charlie and Cristina Saunders, based in San Francisco, plan to release the new app Walkzee this June. Walkzee is being heralded as an Uber for dogs and is the ideal way to play with a pup while helping out your community.

The Saunders were originally inspired by a program they observed at a shelter in Hawaii while on their honeymoon. The Kauai Humane Society actively encourages visitors to take their dogs on day trips. They even wear vests that say “adopt me,” which advertises to prospective adopters that the dogs are available and would love a forever home!

A lot of dogs end up not being walked at shelters and then act out when they’re around prospective adopters, simply because they don’t have an outlet for their energy. If there was a way for these dogs to get some of their energy out, learn how to hang out with new people, and for you to get some much-needed stress relief, why wouldn’t you go for it?

Here’s how it works: shelters will list information about their dogs and users will search by geographic area to find a dog they can spend some time with! The app users will be able to walk the dogs, the shelters will gain sorely needed dog walkers, and the dogs will become better socialized and therefore more adoptable.

The app has already received $26,000 in funding via Kickstarter, a crowdfunding website, which is 30 percent more than its original goal of $20,000. It will be completely free for both the shelters and for the app users, with the Kickstarter funding going towards developing the app itself.

Are you looking forward to getting your puppy fix?

15 Struggles Girls Experience When Going Out During Winter

0
0

Anything that combines high heels and slippery ice is bound to make any girl's head spin. As if prepping for a night out isn’t already the ultimate struggle (trying on five different outfits simply won't cut it), winter swoops in and mixes things up in the worst kind of way. Here are a few dreadful, inescapable struggles all us girls experience when going out during the winter.

1. Trying to get motivated to go out and brave these artic temperatures in the first place.

Netflix and a bottle of wine is the same as clubbing, right?

2. Resenting every outfit you own because you have yet to make that blisteringly cold trek to the gym.

There, there Regina. We finally feel your pain.

3. Finally having to shave after days of not exposing your body.

This is probably going to take a while

4. Trying to combat unruly hair static. There seems to be only one true solution:

5. Desperately trying not to wear all black from head to toe.

Seriously, do they even make winter clothes in non-funeral colors?

6. Trying to make a ton of layers work without looking too bulky.

Maybe no one will notice...

7. Attempting to recreate that summer glow on your pale winter skin.

There's no getting back those countless hours spent over winter break perfecting that now non-existent tan.

8. Trying to shake the curse that is chapped lips.

Three tubes of ChapStick later and still no progress...

9. Contemplating wearing tights.

Bring on the inevitable struggle of trying not to rip them when getting dressed. May the force be with you.

10. Deciding between a trendy moto jacket or that puffy down coat.

Maintain your trendsetter rep and get frostbite in the process, or ruin a killer outfit by looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. You choose.

11. Battling frostbite when you wear that oh-so-thin LBD.

...A battle in which you’re never victorious.

12. Spending hours curling your hair just to have it ruined by whipping winds and snowfall.

Why must life be so cruel?

13. Keeping your eye makeup from running when violent winds make your eyes water.

I’ll just try to save the eye with the better cat wing?

14. Wearing heels out in the snow...

Okay, so you have a death wish?

15. ...Or not wearing heels.

Doomed if we do, doomed if we don't. Traction is real, people, and it's necessary.

And just when you think you’ve got your balance….

Her Story: I Discovered That Eating Disorder Recovery is Possible

0
0

February 22 to 28 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. We'll be sharing information about this important issue throughout the week, from what to do if you or a friend is suffering from an eating disorder to how to love your body just the way it is! Be sure to check out all of our content here.

So many college women are consumed and tortured by the effects of eating disorders, trapped within the bounds of the hell inside of their own minds, spending every minute of their waking hours with a never-ending reminder that they are inadequate and worthless. I was once one of those women. Desperate to fit in. Desperate to find peace. Desperate to find myself.

My unhealthy relationship with food began many years prior to entering college. My family has always been very supportive of my academic and extracurricular successes, and in knowing that everyone around me expected the utmost best from me, I’ve always put overwhelming, unneeded pressure on myself to excel in all areas, even as a child. I can remember how devastated I felt when I received my first “B” in fourth grade.

Growing up, I was always dieting. In seventh grade, I started Weight Watchers and began tracking calories and exercise. A few years later, I entered a different weight-loss program mainly for adults who were morbidly obese and had other health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. I was their youngest client by a good 10 years, and I definitely didn’t meet the criteria to be in the program. The basis of the whole diet was that you could eat as much food as you wanted without limitation, but it had to be their pre-packaged, vacuum-sealed pasta dishes or fruits and vegetables.

With these “rules,” I felt that there wasn’t any need for hunger cues or thinking about what I was in the mood to eat and how much of it I should eat. I would bring these meals wherever I had to. After all, I was a very all-or-nothing thinker. If I was going to stick to this diet and succeed, there was no room for error.

The social element of eating changed for me. I lost the connectedness of social celebration and pleasure of food. I mechanically took out my little box of food and I ate it. If I was bored, sad or anxious, I was able to manage those feelings with unlimited amounts of food. I never once “cheated” on this diet. Not even once. It was not until 11 months later, after a significant weight loss, that I made my own decision to start eating “real” food again—being that the mere thought of eating the pre-packaged food made me nauseous. At this point, eating was more of a chore since I despised the prepared food so much. In fact, to this day I can’t stomach ravioli without cringing at the vivid recollection of how the boxed ravioli tasted. 

My transition back into normal eating was rather overwhelming, but actually not as terrible as I envisioned. I managed to keep the weight off with the motivation of the compliments I received from friends, family and even acquaintances. Being praised for my slimmer body was the source of my happiness. During this period of time, I also turned to a strict exercise regimen that I set up for myself to ensure that I would keep the weight off. I didn’t fully have a grasp on what proper eating was, so I used exercise as a way to ensure that I stayed at that weight. During my senior year of high school, I would work out before school, go to softball practice and then go back to the gym later that night.

The summer leading up to my freshman year of college was a disaster. My parents filed for divorce, which devastated me. My world was shattered, and both of my parents were just as stressed and depressed as I was.

When I entered college, I was in my own depressed world. Nothing made me happy, and I couldn’t even crack a fake smile while I was in the company of my peers. The friends I did make didn’t make me happy, so I decided to isolate myself further. I stopped making the effort to hang out with others. I would go to my classes, study, go to the gym, pick up dinner and eat alone in my dorm room. In fact, I ate all of my meals in isolation.

In this isolation, I ate significantly less than I ever had. I was so engrossed in the same routine: same exact breakfast, lunch and dinner, without any variation. I continued to lose more weight during the year. I excelled in my studies and maintained a nearly perfect grade point average. I was a walking zombie with a monotonous routine.

I couldn’t bear to stay at that school for another year. I thought I hated school because my 1,600-student liberal arts college was too small and too close to home. I thought I needed to escape to a school that was further away from my parents’ divorce.

With excellent grades, I was able to get into a great college in Miami, Florida. I didn’t know much about the school, but I decided the warm weather and change of scenery would get me out of the funk I was in. The summer leading up to my sophomore year of college, I dedicated myself further to losing weight and getting fit. I needed to transform myself into the person whom I envisioned would be successful at making friends and being happy. I changed the way I dressed and I started wearing more makeup.

I also started seeing a therapist, who told me to go to my primary care doctor and ask for a prescription for Prozac. With no questions asked during a less-than-five-minute consultation, I left the doctor’s office with the prescription. After taking Prozac for a few months, I felt better. I was able to keep my former feelings of impending doom at bay as I began my sophomore year of college. In fact, I was a strangely different and “happier” person.

The start of school was a success. I had a group of great friends whom I would socialize with and party with, I had a new and welcoming demeanor and a bubbly personality and I even had a boyfriend. I had all of the things that I thought would make me happy.

Despite all the good I thought I had in my life, I resorted back to serious bingeing. It got to the point where I would eat all of my suitemates’ food and completely deny it. Just like I avoided and denied my depression, I started denying the existence of my bingeing. Whenever I had a chance to stop and think about my life, my negative feelings would flood my head, and to counteract those feelings, I would either head to the gym or I would binge on anything in sight—anything I could do to try to suppress my true emotions.

Soon enough, my depression was rearing its ugly head more and more. I compensated these feelings with any way I could find to numb them. I began blacking out from alcohol a few nights a week and I continued to binge, and the combination of binge drinking and binge eating made me so incredibly sick that I began vomiting. It was at this point that I took on purging. My new routine was bingeing on food and alcohol, knowing that I would be sick enough to vomit it up later that day.

This hidden cycle did not last forever. One of my three suitemates, who already knew I was eating all her food, caught me one afternoon leaning over a toilet. She looked at me and didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. She and I both knew what was happening.

My secrets were exposed. I had finally hit the tipping point. One night, while studying alone in my room, I decided that the only resolution to this mess was to end my life. Without hesitation and with less than five minutes of serious thought, I got up from my desk and proceeded to take a mixture of my antidepressant along with a migraine prescription. After quickly regretting what I had done, I decided to tell a friend and went to her place. I thought I would be fine if nothing happened after a few hours. However, shortly after I arrived back to my dorm for the night, my body became stiff and I started gasping for air. My roommate called the police and I was rushed to the hospital.

I was saved, but there were severe consequences for my actions. A few days later, I was issued a letter from the university stating that I had to get proper treatment for my depression before I could be readmitted. This made me spiral down even further.

I stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house in Florida, where, without school or friends, I dedicated 24 hours of my day to bingeing and purging. After a few months at my aunt and uncle’s house, I was admitted to my first of seven eating disorder treatment centers. Over the span of three years, I spent more than 12 months at these various treatment centers.

I was anything but a cooperative patient during these times. I never completed one of these programs. I was either sent off to another facility for a higher level of care, or I was kicked out for various reasons. I was beyond defiant. I wanted to be free of the hell I had created, but, at the same time, that hell became my safe haven. The one thing I had to let go of in order to progress was the very thing that I clenched onto and the very thing that gave me purpose and a feeling of belonging.

During these few years, there were more trips to the hospital, more dances with death. I will never forget the way my family members would look at me. My mom and my aunt would stare at me with such terrorized looks. I knew I wasn’t myself and I couldn’t recognize my actions as my own. My defiance and attention-seeking behaviors were unmatched with anything I had ever done before. I was pleading for help, for someone to save me from what I was becoming, and in the same breath I made sure that people knew to stay away from me, because the last thing I wanted was to give up the one part of me that I could hold on to.

After a certain point, I decided that something had to give. I was exhausted. I was so incredibly drained by all that I had become. How did I get to the point I was at? How did I veer so far off course? What happened to this straight-A, overachieving girl with her whole future ahead of herself?

Slowly, I let down the barricade. That was the scariest leap of faith I had ever decided to take. At least when I took the handful of pills in my dorm room, I was aware of my perceived notion of the consequence of death that was to come. With letting go of my eating disorder symptoms, however, I had no clue where that would lead me, or what I would clench as I let go of my security blanket of bingeing and purging.

So, I leapt away from using these symptoms to deal with my problems.

And I fell.

And I leapt again.

And I fell harder…

This process occurred for a while, and I progressed slowly. One of the most important concepts that I started out with in my recovery (and that I still practice today) is allowing myself to be as nonjudgmental as possible with myself. Allowing yourself to evolve and grow from your mistakes rather than punish yourself for them is key to recovery.

I continually try to turn to alternative ways of coping with my feelings. I have filled up countless journals with the raging thoughts that had my mind going in circles. Allowing myself to purge my head of these maddening thoughts has allowed myself to find relief and eventual peace.

Soon my slip-ups became fewer and fewer, and I was acting out less and less. I slowly began to find myself. I realized my interests and values in life, and I began getting involved in the community and focusing my efforts towards ideas that would better serve my energy.

I contacted a nonprofit, The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, about volunteer opportunities within a few months of being at the last treatment center. I arrived at the office and was greeted with open arms. After our first meeting, I returned pretty regularly, just organizing papers and doing random office chores that needed to be completed. Although it may sound trivial, just knowing that I was held accountable and had a responsibility to help an organization that supported a great cause gave me reason to continue to further on my journey to discover whom I am.

With these baby steps, I continued my imperfect process of recovery. My relapses occurred less and less frequently as I began to take their power away. I would acknowledge a slipup, but I did not let it define or defeat me. I began volunteering more and more and eventually integrated myself back into school and other activities.

Today, I am on the Junior Advisory Committee at The Alliance, where I hold a leadership role in helping spread body acceptance and eating-disorder awareness throughout my community. I am a full-time student in the honors psychology program at Florida Atlantic University, and I will graduate next year. I am back playing softball a few times a week, and I also hold a part-time job. My head is finally silenced from the constant negative chatter, and I truly feel happier and healthier than I have ever been.

I take life a little less seriously now. I try to find the best in all situations, and I really do value my mental health. I know that I am a natural extremist, but with that awareness, I make sure to have balance in all that I do.

And, most importantly, I am fully recovered from my eating disorder. Not only am I asymptomatic of eating disorder behaviors, but I am also comfortable and accepting of the person whom I am. I am not perfect, but I no longer strive for unrealistic perfection. That kind of perfection is fictional and unattainable. With this knowledge, I set high goals for myself that are still very challenging, but I know my limits and I make sure that these goals are attainable, realistic and in line with my values.

 

Do you have a story to share? Submit your story to Her Story!

Think you might be suffering from an eating disorder? The National Eating Disorders Association has a free and confidential screening to help you determine next steps. If you're looking for more information, be sure to call the NEDA helpline. Looking for ways to help spread the word? Find out how you can get involved on your campus.

The Debate Over This Dress is Breaking the Internet

0
0

See this dress?

This is the dress that's currently causing all of the Internet to have a meltdown. It all started with a Tumblr post by a user named swiked, who posed this question to the World Wide Web: "guys please help me - is this dress white and gold, or blue and black? Me and my friends can't agree and we are freaking the f*** out."

Naturally, social media was set ablaze with tons of debates about the colors of this dress. Some saw blue and black.

While others clearly saw white and gold.

To answer any of your questions, no, this is not a joke and the Internet is not trolling you. People seriously think this dress is white and gold. Apparently, there's a science behind it, and there might be a legitimate reason for such a debate. 

Clearly nothing will ever make sense again. 


So, let us know—is this dress black and blue, or white and gold?!

Zendaya Calls E! Out for Racist Comment

0
0

From starring on Shake it Up to shaking it up on the red carpet, Zendaya has always been one to take fashion risks. Whether it be groundbreaking styles or cutting edge hair, she is definitely not afraid to make a statement. Zendaya has walked the red carpet in everything from gold trench coats with a mass of perfect curls to leggy gowns and pixie cuts. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that she would premiere yet another daring 'do at the Oscars last Sunday night.


Zendaya caught the attention of many when she appeared on the Oscars red carpet with waist-length faux dreadlocks. In Hollywood, it is a rarity to see celebrities with dreadlocks at high-profile events—so when Zendaya sported the look, it caused quite a stir.

In the eyes of Vogue.com, her fashion risk paid off and she was named their Breakout Style Star of the Academy Awards. They referred to her dreadlocks as being “one part Lisa Bonet, one part Venus de Milo, and all very grown up.” However, some fashion critics obviously did not agree.

During the E!’s Fashion Police post-Oscars fashion review, host Giuliana Rancic made a comment about Zendaya’s choice of hair that was far from the praises sung by the Vogue team, going as far as to say that Zendaya look like she smelled of "patchouli oil and weed." Over the years, Fashion Police has been known to make offensive comments pertaining to celebs' red carpet choices, but this comment by Rancic incited widespread anger and disbelief.

Social media users felt that the comments showed ignorance and distaste on Giuliana’s part and were racially motivated especially seeing as Rancic had previously praised Kylie Jenner as being “edgy” for donning the exact same look. 

Following Giuliana’s comments, Zendaya posted an eloquent response that displayed maturity beyond her years:

Rancic has since publicly apologized to Zendaya through both Twitter and in a video that was released on Wednesday. She insists that the comments were never intended to be about race and that she has learned a lot over the past few days.

While Twitter users question how a television host can be oblivious to the fact that a comment concerning stereotypes of the hair of African-American women is offensive, Zendaya graciously accepted Rancic’s numerous apologies.

The 18-year-old posted to Instagram, saying, "Giuliana, I appreciate your apology and I'm glad it was a learning experience for you and for the network. I hope others negatively affected by her words can find it in their hearts to accept her apology as well.”

What do you think of Guiliana’s apology?


Should You Join a Professional Association?

0
0

As busy collegiettes, sometimes the stress of networking, endlessly searching for jobs and internships, and learning about how to succeed in a chosen career path can be enough to make our heads spin. One way to make the process easier? Joining a professional association. In almost every field, there are at least one or two (or sometimes several!) different professional associations that unite people working or pursuing careers in that industry. The catch? Many also charge yearly membership fees, which can be especially intimidating to your average college student on a budget. Do the benefits outweigh the cost? We talked to several collegiettes on their experiences as members of professional associations, and got them to weigh in on whether or not it’s worth it.

What benefits do professional associations offer?

Practical career experience outside your major

Especially if your major doesn’t necessarily correspond to the field you’re looking to have a career in, joining a professional organization is a great way to meet other students that you might not meet in your classes and get involved in your industry outside of class.

Danielle Jackson, a senior at the University of Georgia, says her experience as a member of her campus’s chapter of PRSSA has allowed her to learn about pursuing a career in public relations in ways her English major might not have allowed her to.

“I'm a member of PRSSA at the University of Georgia and I think it's definitely worth it,” Danielle says. “I'm an English major, which means I obviously don't take the same classes as the PR students, so I try and learn as much as I can from my experience in PRSSA.”

Lesley Mitler, founder of Priority Candidates, a career coaching service for college students, agrees that professional associations are a great way to explore career fields that you might not have direct exposure to through your major.

“Depending on your major and how committed you are to pursuing a certain field, professional associations can be helpful,” Mitler says. “They can also add to your knowledge and understanding of fields that you have had little exposure to but might be interested in learning about.”

Obviously the classes you’re taking for your major are important, but joining a professional association allows you to tailor what you’re learning in class to your specific career field.

Workshops and conferences

Most professional organizations offer yearly national conferences and workshops that bring in exciting guest speakers and allow local chapters to come together and network. While you don’t always have to be a member to attend, organizations like the American Business Women’s Association offer discounted registration fees to members who pay the $90 annual membership fee.

Even if you don’t make it to the national conferences, many local professional association chapters bring guest speakers to campus meetings.

“At my school we have meetings twice a month, and we've had informational panels featuring people from top PR firms as well as professionals who have done PR for some really popular companies,” Danielle says.

The best people to give you advice about how to succeed in your chosen career field are those who have been there, done that—and the guest speaker opportunities that professional associations can provide are a great way to make connections with people who may be helpful later on down the road!

Networking opportunities

Every collegiette knows that one of the scariest parts of the career search process is networking—and for collegiettes who are easily intimidated by making new connections, joining a professional organization can make a world of difference. Organizations like New York Women in Communications offer frequent networking events and a members-only online directory—kind of like the association’s own private LinkedIn! What’s more, as you develop a bond with the other students in your organization, you will not only have great friendships, but also an amazing network of contacts in your industry.

With all these networking opportunities, it’s likely you’ll be able to have access to potential jobs and internships that you might not have through your school’s career center.

“It's a really great experience for people looking to network and get exclusive information about job and internship opportunities that they won't always find at their school's career center,” Danielle says.

As the saying goes, it’s often not what you know, but who you know, and professional associations can be a great tool for the networking-nervous!

Meet people with similar career interests

Even with all the other obvious perks of joining a professional association, one of the best reasons to join is simply to get involved with other students who have similar career interests! Collegiette Brianna Susnak, a freshman at Indiana University, says one of the best parts of being involved with a professional association is being able to meet other students interested in pursuing a career in her chosen industry.

“I'm part of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, which is a professional association at my school that promotes diversity in the media,” Brianna says. “I have found being a part of a professional association is a great way to get involved because it allows you to meet other people who share similar career interests and goals as you.”

In other words, professional organizations can really help you connect with like-minded students on campus—and off.

Is it worth the money?

While professional associations are packed with exciting benefits, the cost of joining—which can often approach $100 a year—can be intimidating to potential members.

If you’re unsure about whether joining a professional association is right for you, many campus chapters offer a membership to just the local chapter, so you don’t have to pay to be a member of the national organization, which typically costs more. Rachel DeFeis, a University of Delaware junior, feels that being a member of just her school’s chapter was beneficial; and it was also affordable.

“Not being a dues member has a lot of perks as well,” Rachel explains. “I learned a lot from the general meetings by their guest speakers and workshops.”

Being just a local member has also allowed Rachel to test out the association and ultimately realize that being a national member would be worth it too.

“I think the dues would've been worth doing,” Rachel says. “You get trips and the internship database, and it has its perks.”

Perks like exclusive conferences, members-only networking events and access to internship and job databases are often enough for some collegiettes, like Rachel, to realize that paying the dues in order to become a member of the nation organization is worth the cost.

Brianna agrees; ultimately, she says she feels that her experience as a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists has been worth the membership fee.

“For a small membership fee I have been able to meet and interact with so many cool people while gaining professional experience in the field,” Brianna says. “I would definitely encourage other collegiettes to reach out and join a professional association regardless of their career interests, because they will definitely reap the benefits of it!”

Should you join?

While it’s not the only way to network successfully, meet other students interested in your career path, and find jobs and internships, professional associations can be a great place to start for collegiettes who want a little extra career help.

Mitler believes that when deciding whether to join a professional association or not, it’s best to consider your own personal circumstances and how you personally would benefit from being a member.

“You should do your research, understand your choices and make sure you can justify the benefits of membership,” Mitler says.

Ann Marie Adams, a strategic communications professor at Ithaca College, agrees that ultimately, doing your research and examining the way a specific organization could help further your career goals is the best way to determine if a professional organization is right for you.

“Much like our investment in higher education, retirement savings or a home warranty, we are banking that the experience will net some return should we ever need to net some benefit from it,” Adams says. “I always encourage young people to look at what they are passionate about, to project what their career goals are and to factor those aspects into what an organization has to offer short or long term.”

If you’re interested in joining a specific organization, it can be helpful to ask around to see if other members on your campus have had a good experience, and if they feel it’s worth the money. Ultimately, every organization is different, so be sure to do your research and ask around to make sure you make the right choice! 

Solve Your Winter Skin Problems With These Indulgent Treatments–Free!

0
0

The harsh winter weather has left our skin feeling dry and dull, and we’ve tried probably every hand cream, body butter and moisturizing treatment available to bring our glow back. There’s nothing that leaves us with a more luxurious finish than Lalicious does (that sugar scrub… divine!) so we’ve partnered up with this beauty brand to give away five $100 gift cards to shop everything you need for an at-home spa day!

Founder Jessica Kernochan created Lalicious after a fruitless search for the perfect body exfoliator—which means we now have access to a treatment that leaves skin totally luminous. With all-natural ingredients like pure sugar cane crystals, cold-pressed coconut and almond oils and more, the Extraordinary Whipped Sugar Scrub leaves you with super soft, crazy touchable skin. Finish off with the brand’s extra-nourishing body butter—in delicious fragrances like Brown Sugar Vanilla, Sugar Lemon Blossom, Sugar Coconut and more—and flaky winter skin will be a problem of the past!

What do we love most about Lalicious? Every carefully-crafted formula is full of good-for-you ingredients and totally free of parabens and sulfates—plus, the brand never tests on animals so you know you’re indulging in cruelty-free products!

Trust us, after you try these once, you’re going to want a lifetime supply—get started now by entering to win one of 5 $100 gift cards... and don’t forget to follow Lalicious on Twitter at @LALICIOUS_LA for exclusive access to the brand’s latest news! 

Fill out my online form.

5 Conversations You’re Avoiding (But Need to Have)

0
0

February 22 to 28 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. We'll be sharing information about this important issue throughout the week, from what to do if you or a friend is suffering from an eating disorder to how to love your body just the way it is! Be sure to check out all of our content here.

College students are masters of procrastination, especially when it comes to having difficult conversations. Most of us would rather pretend a problem doesn’t exist than confront a close friend or have “the talk” with our significant other. No, thank you!

However, some of the toughest conversations are the most important ones to have, and the sooner you acknowledge a problem, the sooner you can deal with it. If you’re avoiding one of these tough conversations, now is the time to take the plunge. Here’s how!

1. Defining the relationship

There’s a reason why the scariest four-word sentence in the English language is, “We need to talk.” Asking your guy to DTR or discussing your future together can be nerve-wracking, uncomfortable and awkward, which is why we often try to avoid it altogether.

“I'm graduating in May, but my boyfriend isn't. I'm completely avoiding the conversation about whether we're going to stay together,” says Rachel*, a senior at Skidmore College. “It's come up recently, and I basically told him I haven't ruled anything out, but that I don't want to make concrete plans either. I'm worried the conversation will either ruin what we have now (if we decide not to stay together) or put too much pressure on us to work perfectly (if we decide to stay together).”

How to approach it: Before initiating “the talk,” you should think about what you want out of the relationship. According to Susanne M. Alexander, relationship coach and author of Creating Excellent Relationships: The Power of Character Choices, it’s important to first consider your own values, needs and goals, and to ask yourself questions like:

  • Am I willing to be sexually intimate with someone I date?
  • Do I see living together with someone as an option?
  • Do I want friendship to be a foundation for a relationship?
  • Do I see a dating relationship as a step towards marriage?

“When you understand your own direction, it’s easier to have a conversation with a partner,” Alexander says. “You can say something like this: ‘What’s important to me is X, but I’m unsure about what you really want. I appreciate what we have together (be specific). However, it will be helpful if we can talk together about our direction. Are you willing?’” 

2. Telling a friend you’re concerned about him or her

You love your friends, and you’d do anything for them. But when it comes to confronting your close friend about a serious issue she’s having, like a drinking problem or an eating disorder, telling your bestie you’re concerned about her behavior isn’t so easy. You want to look out for your friends, but at the same time, you don’t want to come off as being too critical or intrusive.

How to approach it: If you see that a friend is engaging in self-destructive behavior, the most important thing to do is to let her know that you care about her, says Roy Stefanik, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

“When addressing an issue like this with a friend, the first step is to make sure what you want to address comes out of concern and doesn't sound accusatory or put the friend on the defensive,” Sefanik says. “For instance, if a friend has a drinking problem, you can start with, ‘I know this has been a rough semester for you since your breakup with X, your struggle in classes, your fights with your parents, etc.’ It tells your friend you're aware of his or her problems, and it reflects an empathic stance.”

Keep in mind that you don’t want to come off as being overly confrontational. “Before you suggest he or she has a drinking problem or eating disorder, wait and let your friend have an opportunity to address it before he or she becomes angry and digs in his or her heels,” Stefanik says.

When you’re addressing the specific concerns, stick to the facts. For example, you could say something like, “Last night I (or your friends) heard (or saw) you vomiting before the party,” or “You hooked up with (person’s name) Friday night and you don't remember.”

The next step is to offer your friend a way to get help. According to Stefanik, “referring to counseling and psychological services departments or student health on a college campus can help in identifying students with serious problems and helping the individual get treatment.”

Finally, if your friend refuses to get help, the best thing you can do is let her know that you’re there for her. “Just because he or she won't get help this time doesn't mean the friend won't get treatment in the future,” Stefanik says. “It may take some time to help them change his or her mind.  All you can do is plant the seed.”

3. Talking to a friend about her relationship

Whether you don’t like your friend’s new guy or you think that she’s moving too fast in her relationship, voicing your opinion on someone else’s love life is a tricky business.

“I recently had the, ‘I don't think you're ready to move in with your boyfriend’ talk with one of my close friends, and it was definitely not fun,” says Taylor*, a junior from the University of Rochester. “I tried to give her rational and practical reasons: By next semester they'll be out of their ‘we just started dating and are so happy’ honeymoon period, if he started to become super clingy and she became uncomfortable she wouldn't be able to escape it, they might start getting into fights if they lived together, etc. I didn't want her to think I was attacking her relationship by asking what would happen if they broke up, so I focused on whether or not this decision would be the best thing to keep their relationship strong and to ensure her own personal happiness.”

How to approach it: Before getting involved in your friend’s relationship, ask yourself whether the situation warrants an intervention. “Intervening in a friend’s relationship requires sensitivity. If there is a safety issue, then you will step in,” Alexander says. “However, usually what to do or say arises when a friend asks you for relationship advice. It is wise to avoid acting like you know what is right for another person. A good technique is to ask questions that help your friend sort out her own thoughts, feelings and answers.”

Alexander suggests asking your friend:

  • What is working well in your relationship?
  • When do you your communications go off track? What would work better?
  • What are you learning in the relationship?
  • What can you do differently to improve the situation?

In many cases, it’s better to let your friend figure it out on her own. After all, do you really want to tell your friend to dump her BF only to have her resent you for it later?

However, if the relationship is physically or emotionally unhealthy for your friend, it’s time to intervene. Don’t focus so much on your opinion of the guy or the relationship in general; instead, state the facts and let her know that you don’t want to see her get hurt. 

“For example, if she tells you her boyfriend stood her up because he had to study, and you've just seen him out with some other girl (and they weren't studying), you can certainly tell her this,” says Carole Lieberman, psychiatrist and author of Bad Girls: Why Men Love Them & How Good Girls Can Learn Their Secrets. “You can be a sounding board for any concerns she brings up about her boyfriend, but you shouldn't direct her to dump him unless there is something dangerous about him, such as a violent temper or substance abuse.”

Be honest, but ultimately, let your friend make the decision herself. “If the friend solves the issues for herself, she can’t blame you for potentially bad advice!” Alexander says.

Taylor says she’s still hoping her friend will change her mind, “but she pretty much decided to room with him because he doesn't have other rooming plans for next semester and she doesn't want to ‘ditch him.’ Even though the conversation didn't go the way I hoped, I feel good that I expressed my concerns. If things do go sour with the boyfriend next year, I'm hoping she'll know she can come to me, because I ultimately want what's best for her.”

4. Ending a toxic friendship

Toxic friends are the worst. They undermine you, compete with you, constantly try to one-up you, zap your energy and try to bring you down, all the while pretending to be your bestie for life. If your friendship feels less like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and more like Mean Girls, that’s a sign you need to end it ASAP.

Of course, this is easier said than done. “It's hard to get rid of a frenemy because there's no ‘script’ for breaking up with a ‘friend,’” says Jessica Rozler, coauthor of Friend or Frenemy? “So much energy is focused on giving advice for romantic relationships, but there isn't much out there for dealing with friendships—which play a huge role in all of our lives.”

How to approach it: Ending any relationship is hard, and it must be done carefully if you want to avoid a big, dramatic blowout. According to Rozler, it’s best to be direct. “Pick a time when it's just the two of you,” she says. “When you talk, stress that you're not attacking her. Try using, ‘I feel’ language rather than accusatory statements.

“For example, rather than saying, ‘You're always trying to one-up me, and good friends don't do that,’ try something like, ‘When you brushed off the fight I had at work the other day, it really hurt my feelings,’” Rozler says. “There's a chance that your friend isn't realizing the impact of her words or actions and that your friend could try to correct some of these behaviors.”

5. Talking to your parents about your career plans

It seems like every other phone call from your mom inevitably includes questions about your job or internship hunt. “A really big [conversation] I'm avoiding right now with my parents is, ‘How is your job search going?’” says Annie Pei, a senior from the University of Chicago.

The closer it gets to summer or (gulp) graduation, the harder it is to avoid those nagging conversations, but adding “finding a job” to your list of responsibilities is the last thing you want to think about.

How to approach it:  Before you roll your eyes and say “I know, Mom!” for the millionth time, consider whether you’re putting enough time into your job search as you should be. If not, set aside some time to crank out a few applications. But if you’ve been job-hunting like crazy and not seeing results, explain to your parents that you’ve been taking all the necessary steps and that you have a clear plan.

“I still try to prevent any awkward questions that might come up, though, by talking about the jobs I've sent applications to. That way, my parents know that I'm actively applying and initiating my own job hunt, so they're less worried,” Annie says. “They don't need to worry that their daughter isn't doing anything to plan out her future. They can rest assured that the process is going to take some time, but they know I'm on it.”

By responding logically and calmly and not just blowing them off, you can show your parents that yes, you care about your future just as much as they do, and that you’re on top of the situation (no nagging necessary).

Are you avoiding a difficult talk that you know you need to have, or do you have advice for tackling awkward conversations? Let us know in the comments below!

*Names have been changed.

Think you might be suffering from an eating disorder? The National Eating Disorders Association has a free and confidential screening to help you determine next steps. If you're looking for more information, be sure to call the NEDA helpline. Looking for ways to help spread the word? Find out how you can get involved on your campus.

The 8 Most Wearable Looks from the LFW Runways

0
0

There are plenty of reasons we love fashion month—seeing what trends we’ll be coveting next season, getting a glimpse at some new street style inspo, and catching celebrity sightings galore. Another reason to love fashion week? (As if you needed one!) Tons of styling and outfit inspiration from the runways! Even if you’re a collegiette on a budget who can’t exactly afford a Mary Katrantzou dress, there were still plenty of looks on the runway this LFW that can easily be copied with pieces you already own! Below, check out some of our favorites:

1. Sass & Bide

Minimalism has been a trend that’s been all over the runways for some time now, and we love the way the clean, oversize proportions in this look from Sass & Bide make it super wearable for real life too!

2. Markus Lupfer

We’ve established that turtlenecks are one of next fall’s most major trends. The chicest way to wear them? Layered under a V-neck sleeveless dress, like in this look from Markus Lupfer. If you're extra daring, try the look with a pair of sporty-glam sneakers, like these ones here!

3. J.W. Anderson

Wrap skirts are super fashion-forward, but also majorly flattering, making them the perfect piece to steal from the runway and add to your closet! Take your cues from J.W. Anderson and style it with your favorite sweater tucked in.

4. Mulberry

Getting matchy-matchy is the easiest way to look pulled together without having to work too hard at it. To up the comfy factor, try a knit matching set, like this look from Mulberry.

5. Topshop Unique

Despite this outfit coming from a fall collection, the super ladylike embroidery on the skirt in this look from Topshop Unique is giving us major spring fever and has us dreaming about the leg-baring looks we can’t wait to break out in a few months.

6. Mary Katrantzou

The mix-and-match prints look is a trend that can be intimidating at first, but when done right, it’s so right. Case in point: this look from Mary Katrantzou.

7. Pringle of Scotland

Sleeveless jackets are a great layering piece for the upcoming spring season—try styling one with a top and pants in a matching colors to go for monochrome vibes like the ones we saw at Pringle of Scotland.

8. Jonathan Saunders

A fun, colorful coat is the best pick-me-up to get through the rest of a dreary winter! Layer it over neutral basic pieces to let it stand out, the way it was done at Jonathan Saunders.

Will you be giving any of these runway looks a try, collegiettes?

6 Ways to Feel More Confident

0
0

February 22 to 28 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. We'll be sharing information about this important issue throughout the week, from what to do if you or a friend is suffering from an eating disorder to how to love your body just the way it is! Be sure to check out all of our content here.

Society has unrealistic expectations of beauty. Whether it permeates through magazine culture, fashion advertisements or dangerous thinspiration movements,  the ideal body that many girls strive for is becoming harder and harder to achieve.

When all of these images and messages start to stack up, how can you keep your self-esteem intact? Yes, Candice Swanepoel is beautiful. Obviously Beyoncé is a queen. But so are you!

If you’re in need of a confidence boost, look no further. We spoke with collegiettes to uncover their tips and tricks so you can start feeling more confident and love the skin you’re in.

1. Straighten up

Maintaining correct posture not only makes you appear more confident, but it can also play a big role in how confident you feel.

In a research study conducted at Ohio State University, when participants were asked to sit up straighter, they were more confident about the statements they wrote about their qualifications compared to those who slouched.

Kayla Ermanni, a junior at the University of Michigan, finds that straightening up helps her with public speaking. “If I’m presenting in class, I try to stand up straight because it will look like I’m confident in what I’m saying,” she says. “Sometimes looking and feeling confident go hand in hand.”

So how can you practice better posture? First, you want to make sure that your head, shoulders and hips are level. Imagine drawing a straight line from your ear to your shoulder, your hip and finally to your ankle. Next, roll your shoulders down and back, and place your weight evenly on both feet. It might feel awkward at first, but with practice it will become second nature.

Although it seems simple, changing your posture can make a huge difference in how you feel about yourself. Next time you sit down to tackle a homework assignment or take notes in class, skip slouching and sit up straight instead.

2. Fake it

Have you ever heard the expression “fake it till you make it”? If not, make it your new mantra. By imitating confidence, you will eventually learn to accept your successes and grow real confidence.

Sona Kollarova, a senior at the University of Ottawa, uses this approach to boost her esteem.  “If you act like you are confident and outgoing, people will believe it, and eventually you will start to believe it yourself,” she says. “I would also suggest that you take any opportunity you can to meet new people and put yourself out there.”

Connie Chan, a senior at Carnegie Mellon University, says real confidence can and will grow from faking it initially. “One really good piece of advice I've heard is to walk like you are going somewhere important,” she says. “It may seem silly, but it actually helps you exude confidence, even if you don't actually feel it. If you begin with something as simple as walking, it will soon flow over into the way you do other things. Fake confidence will soon become genuine confidence; it's a way of making the mask become the face.”

On your way to class, pretend that you’re walking to an important job interview. This simple gesture (along with standing tall and proud) will bring you one step closer to finding your most confident self.

3. Think positively

When you’re feeling self-conscious, there’s nothing worse than a negative mind. If you’re constantly critical of your every move, your self-esteem will surely suffer.

Instead of focusing on the negatives (what you don’t like about yourself, what you wish you could change), reflect on what’s good in your life. What qualities do you have that are one of a kind?

Harper Yi, a junior at The College of William and Mary, says journaling is a great way to keep track of the positive things that happen during your day. Not only is the process of writing therapeutic in and of itself, you can look back on your journal later when you’re feeling down and remember all the good things that happened to you.

“Journaling is a really great exercise,” she says. “You don't even have to write a lot, honestly. Sometimes it's really great to refocus yourself by taking time every day to write one sentence of good news or gratitude.”

Along with journaling, you can start by leaving daily reminders around your dorm or apartment for quick confidence boosters. It’s as easy as writing uplifting messages on sticky notes and posting them around (especially on the bathroom mirror). Write whatever you think will speak to you the most, including inspirational quotes or reasons to appreciate who you are and what you’ve accomplished.

Need some quote inspiration? Try these!

“You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.”–Amy Bloom

“People often say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.”–Salma Hayek

“Whatever you are doing, love yourself for doing it. Whatever you are feeling, love yourself for feeling it.”–Thaddeus Golas

Whenever you start to doubt yourself, your appearance or your abilities, look at your notes! You can even surprise your roommates (and give them a nice confidence boost in return) by leaving them a note on the fridge or the counter in the morning.

4. Dress to impress

To start feeling more confident, you need to dress the part. There’s nothing like finding the perfect outfit: one that’s comfortable, that’s flattering and that says, “I know I look great.” When you’re wearing a cute outfit you feel fantastic in, it changes the way you carry yourself, how others see you and in turn, how you see yourself.

And it’s not always what’s on the outside that counts. Splurging on a Victoria’s Secret bra-and-panty combo can work wonders for self-confidence. Laura Bouman, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin—Stout, says this little trick can make you feel powerfully sexy.

“Wearing sexy lingerie during the day (under your outfit obviously) can make a girl feel super sexy and confident, even just for a day,” she says. “No one even has to see it; it's your little secret!”

Along with rocking the right outfit, your beauty regimen can positively influence your confidence level.

Sophie Dodd, a junior from Middlebury College, says bold lipstick works to polish off a confident look. “When I need a pick-me-up, I love to rock a bright red lip,” she says. “It screams confidence, which in turn makes [me] feel confident.”

Similarly, Ashley McDonald, a junior at Central Michigan University, finds that a bold lip combined with the right outfit can turn you into a force to be reckoned with.

“What I do to feel confident is wear a bold lipstick color, like hot pink or red,” she says. “When I pair that with a killer outfit, I feel ready to take on the world!”

5. Accept compliments and show thanks

Have you ever thought something like, “They don’t actually think I’m smart; they’re just being nice”? Think again! In order to gain confidence and greater self-esteem, it’s important to take compliments for what they’re worth. Instead of discrediting the person who gave it to you, assuming she’s lying or whatever else you tell yourself, believe her and show your gratitude!

Giving thanks to people who affected your life positively, even just for a simple compliment, will help you to recognize your strengths and redirect your negative energy.

“Say thank you, and not just, ‘Hey, thanks,’ but sitting down and writing an email or a card to someone who helped you out today or last week or last year,” Harper says. “It's a way to remind yourself of how good you have it. Gratitude is so important in life! The key to being happy and confident is knowing how to smile about what you already have.”

We’re used to brushing off positive thoughts because it’s so much easier to focus on the negative.  When you receive a compliment in the future, use it to fuel your self-confidence, not take away from it!

6. Exercise

Between classes, extracurricular activities and homework, there never seems to be enough time for exercise. But there are endless benefits for bringing yourself to the gym, which include stress relief and confidence-building. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of finishing an intense workout. When you challenge yourself and succeed, you’ll start to believe in yourself in other aspects of life as well.

Becky McColl, a senior at the University of Delaware, believes that you can achieve higher confidence through regular exercise and focusing on your overall health.

“I really love running, and I always find that I feel better about myself when I'm running regularly,” she says. “I think exercising regularly and doing things that are beneficial for your health are really important factors in feeling good about yourself.”

Along with exercise itself, what you wear can play a factor in your confidence. Susannah Hine, a senior at UC Irvine, says wearing just a sports bra gives her the motivation to work out and feel great about herself afterwards.

“A great confidence booster is to go for a run or hike and only wear a sports bra on top,” she says. “I'm not quite why this is so empowering, but even on the days I feel super bloated, going out in public wearing only a cute bra top always boosts my self esteem!”

 

With practice comes confidence. You won’t wake up one morning feeling 100 percent sure of yourself; it takes time and energy to love the skin you’re in. We hope that with these tips, you can be on your way to a more confident self!

Think you might be suffering from an eating disorder? The National Eating Disorders Association has a free and confidential screening to help you determine next steps. If you're looking for more information, be sure to call the NEDA helpline. Looking for ways to help spread the word? Find out how you can get involved on your campus.

The 14 Most Hilarious Reactions to #DressGate

0
0

In the words of Ellen DeGeneres, "From this day on, the world will be divided into two people. Blue & black, or white & gold." We're still questioning everything we know about life as it is—and as last night's debate completely broke the Internet, a Google search isn't going to lead us to the truth... but it certainly has proven fruitful in providing us with some pretty hilarious reactions to life's biggest question.

Leave it to Jared Leto to remind us that at least some truth still exists...


...but that clearly wasn't the truth some of us were looking for.


Since the Internet couldn't answer the question, some people decided to go the old-school route.



Others decided to reach out to the higher powers.


At least one of those higher beings responded with their verdict.


Some questioned BOTH sides of the debate.


And then there were those who chose not to accept that there was another side.





Meanwhile, it seems that Kylie Jenner was way, way ahead of the whole thing.


 

A photo posted by betches (@betches) on

Or... was it this puppy that had it right all along?


After a certain point, Ariana Grande just could not.


Emmy Rossum, on the other hand, needed to STOP. EVERYTHING.


Amidst all of this, we had to be reminded that there's more to life than #TheDress.


 

Get your priorities in order #thedress

A photo posted by elitedaily (@elitedaily) on

...Even though clearly, last night's events will likely have some very serious consequences for us in the future.


But until this is all sorted out, we'll just have to question everything.


Are you team #whiteandgold or are you with #blueandblack?

What Eyelash Extensions Are REALLY Doing To Your Eyes

0
0

Back in 2012, Kristin Chenoweth appeared on the Late Show With David Letterman sporting a pair of sunglasses. When she took them off she revealed her swollen eyes, the result of an allergic reaction to her experimentation with eyelash extensions. While this relatively new trend has been making waves in the beauty world, not everyone is aware of the serious risks involved. 

1. Infection

Just like our eyebrows, our eyelashes keep out sweat, dirt, and dust to protect our eyes. Extensions can trap all of this debris and cause infections such as pink eye. Eyes can become swollen, red, and sensitive, and you might even experience a fever or blurred vision. Yikes.

2. Loss of eyelashes

Glue can pull out your lashes—or maybe, you end up pulling lashes out when you're picking at the extensions. Lashes might also fall out due to excessive tension placed on the shaft of the hair. This can damage the hair follicle and slow down or completely prevent the lash production.

3. Dry eyes

Typical lashes create a zone of still air in front of your eye to protect it from air and dirt. When lashes are extended, they act as a channel that will guide air right into your eyeball. Research shows that a lash length of one-third the width of the eye is optimal for the best protection.

4. Allergic reaction

Like they did for Kristin Chenoweth, lash extensions can cause an allergic reaction in some people that may not even show up after the first or even second application. The formaldehyde used in a lot of glue can cause a reaction that may result in oozing or crusting. Gross! Formaldehyde is also a known carcinogen, a cancer-causing substance.

Even if none of the above happens to you, extensions can still cause redness, irritation, and inflammation. If you decide to go through with it, be sure to avoid the following: excess glue, lashes with glitter, sleeping in falsies, cheap extensions, and lashes made out of synthetic fibers.

After learning about the dangers associated with eyelash extensions, would you take the risk, collegiettes?


What To Do If Your Roommate Has Depression or an Eating Disorder

0
0

February 22 to 28 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. We'll be sharing information about this important issue throughout the week, from what to do if you or a friend is suffering from an eating disorder to how to love your body just the way it is! Be sure to check out all of our content here.

In college, sharing a living space with other girls is never perfect. There is always going to be some friction, whether it’s a difference in living styles (like someone who never takes out the trash), or “boy drama” between two of your roommates that you have to mediate. Though these little bumps in the road may seem dire at the time, usually everyone gets over the issues at hand, and you eventually find yourselves back to watching Scandal together and having “roomie dinners,” right?


Well, what do you do if some of those little bumps in the road seem more like barricades? What if some of the little disagreements you are having with your roommate actually stem from a much bigger problem she’s dealing with? Or what if it’s not your roommate that has a big problem, but your closest girlfriend?

It can no doubt be a very tricky situation to deal with, especially if you just suspect she has a problem and aren’t positive. If you think your roommate or friend is facing a serious personal issue – like depression or an eating disorder, for example – it can almost feel like you’re walking on eggshells around her in order not to upset her or make her problem worse. If you can relate to this situation, here are some warning signs to look out for to help you get a better idea about what’s up.

For an eating disorder, look out for:

  • Obsession with calories, food, or nutrition
  • Compulsive exercising
  • Making excuses to get out of eating
  • Avoiding social situations that involve food
  • Eating alone, at night, or in secret

Laura Mizia, a JMU junior, has experienced living with someone struggling with this disease. “Every time I went out with her, I’d end up eating the rest of her food. She’d make up excuses like ‘Oh, I’m not hungry,’ or whenever she’d start seeing a new guy she’d say she was just so caught up and excited that she forgot to eat.” Mizia also recalled that her friend started smoking cigarettes and drinking a lot of coffee because she thought they “suppressed her appetite.”

Another indication that your roommate might be dealing with an eating disorder is if you notice signs that she is scolding herself for her appearance. “If someone had baked or made something fattening in our apartment, signs would go up like, ‘No more cookies, you are so gross, stop. Do you see yourself?’” says Diane*, who is also dealing with a roommate with an eating disorder. Other red flags she noticed were her roommate “making lists of what she was allowed to eat the next day, providing reasons of why she should get skinny,” among others. “Before she puts anything in her mouth, you can almost tell there is an internal struggle going through her mind.”

Michelle Cavoto, a registered dietitian with James Madison University’s H.O.P.E. team (Help Overcoming Problems with Eating & Exercise), says there are many signs to look out for if you suspect your friend has an eating disorder. For example, if you find an unusual amount of empty food wrappers in her room, this may be a sign of binge eating. “Look for unhealthy behavior, like 12 candy bar wrappers or a box of cereal disappearing in just one day.” Diet pills and boxes of laxatives are also tangible evidence of a problem. As for behavior, Cavoto says to “watch for them being withdrawn socially, being controlling around eating situations,” or always going to the bathroom immediately after meals.


Food isn’t the only source of “internal struggle” among college women. Sometimes a friend can seem like she’s had a serious mood change for no apparent reason. Although everyone feels a little down in the dumps sometimes, in some cases depression can be a serious issue, and it’s definitely something you should watch out for in a roommate or close friend. Here are some warning signs to look out for if you think she is depressed:

  • Prolonged sadness that lasts longer than two weeks
  • Losing interest or pleasure in activities she used to enjoy
  • Increased problems with school and family
  • Wanting to be alone or keep to herself more and more
  • Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting up
  • More irritable and stand-offish to friends or change in mood

Beth*, a senior at SUNY Purchase College, has had lots of experience with dysfunctional roommates, but definitely still finds it difficult to deal with. “Sometimes they are your best friend, sometimes they are super-clingy, and sometimes they scream at you for no reason…It is really difficult sometimes because they are not thinking straight,” she says. Some of the most prominent red flags that she noticed (besides her roommate’s erratic behavior) were her irregular sleeping patterns. “I found that my roommate dealing with depression would often stay awake for the better part of the week, sleeping only 2 to 3 hours a night, if at all, and then spend an entire week in bed.” She also added that she was very paranoid, missed classes a lot, and when they tried to help her, it only made her “meaner and more selfish.” Beth says she’s found that dealing with that sort of disorder “can only be helped when they recognize they have a problem…all you can really do is be patient and supportive.”

Julia Urban, a grad student at JMU, is also familiar with the struggle of trying to help a depressed roommate. “We let her know we were there for her…She felt we would never be able to help her because we would never understand. She didn’t think it was worth ‘getting into it’ with us, even though we wanted to be there for her.”


If you feel that a friend or roommate is dealing with a serious problem, whether it’s an eating disorder, depression, or something else, here is a step-by-step guide to confronting them, courtesy of Celeste Thomas, M.S., Ph.D., the outreach and consultation Specialist coordinator at the Counseling and Student Development Center at James Madison University.

  1. Have a one-on-one discussion with her to let her know you’re concerned, but do so in a way that doesn’t make her feel attacked. Instead of using the term “you”, as in “You’re really depressed,” use “I” statements, like “I’ve been worried about you lately.” Cavoto also stresses how important this approach is in order to avoid your friend taking the defensive. “Tell them how their behavior is affecting you and ask what you can do to make things easier for them…Definitely stay away from the blame and shame game’,” she says.
  2. Be ready to have specific examples or memories of certain behaviors that concerned you. This will help your roommate or friend understand why you’ve decided to talk to her. For example, if you suspect she has an eating disorder, mention the times when she chose to go to the gym over hanging out.
  3. Have options with you to share with her. Whether it’s pamphlets, resources on campus and the surrounding community, or online support groups, let her know what’s out there that can help her. Also, make sure she knows that you’re doing this because you care about her, not because you’re trying to play therapist or make her feel guilty.
  4. If she agrees to go see someone, like a counselor or psychiatrist, let her know that you’re willing to come with her to the first appointment to make it easier. Sometimes people are hesitant because they’re nervous or feel ashamed.
  5. If all of these methods backfire and just make her more stubborn and angry with you, you can always come in to see your school counselor as the friend who wants to help, and find out how to handle things from there. Don’t give up just because she doesn’t agree to seek help herself at first!

 

*Name has been changed

Think you might be suffering from an eating disorder? The National Eating Disorders Association has a free and confidential screening to help you determine next steps. If you're looking for more information, be sure to call the NEDA helpline. Looking for ways to help spread the word? Find out how you can get involved on your campus.

7 Ways to Stop Stress Eating

0
0

February 22 to 28 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. We'll be sharing information about this important issue throughout the week, from what to do if you or a friend is suffering from an eating disorder to how to love your body just the way it is! Be sure to check out all of our content here.

It's 10 o'clock on a weekday night and the things you have to do are quickly piling up. What's probably on your mind? Food, of all things. And you're not even that hungry!

We've all been there and done that. College can be stressful, and one way collegiettes try to let out some stress is to stress eat. Unfortunately, your body won't be too happy about all that unnecessary food. Luckily, Her Campus is here to help you conquer your cravings. Check out these seven tips to avoid stress eating!

1. Figure out your stress-eating patterns

The annoying thing about stress eating is that a lot of the time, you don't even realize you're doing it! So it's useful to pay attention to when and where you tend to stress eat. If you notice any patterns, be on alert when you're in similar situations.

The first step is to identify your personal triggers. Is there a specific place or situation (like social gatherings or study sessions) that makes you reach for food? Do stress or boredom make you turn to food for emotional relief? Do you eat to suppress uncomfortable emotions like anger, anxiety or shame?  To identify these patterns, try keeping track of the times you want to overeat with a food-and-mood diary. Every time you reach for comfort food, ask yourself what triggered it.

"The only way to really see what our patterns are is to be able to be internally calm enough to watch them happen rather than being in the middle of acting them out," says yoga and meditation instructor Annie Mahon. "We have to learn how to take a pause so that we can decide how to best handle a moment of stress instead of just doing what we always do, which is often unhealthy."

Once you’ve identified your patterns and triggers, you can be more mindful in these situations so you can minimize the temptation to use food as a way of coping with stress and other emotions. If you’re more prone to stress eat when you’re studying alone in your room, go to the library or a café or get a group of study buddies together.

2. Ask yourself, "Am I really hungry?"

Every time you reach for food, ask yourself how physically hungry you are on a scale from one to 10. Six to 10 means you're probably physically hungry, but any low numbers should raise a red flag. Unlike physical hunger, emotional hunger comes on suddenly, causes cravings for specific comfort foods, isn't located in the stomach and often leads to mindless eating and post-consumption feelings of guilt.

UCLA sophomore Iris Goldsztajn uses a similar technique to differentiate between wanting to stress eat and actually being hungry. "I anticipate that I'm going to want to [stress eat], so that I can recognize it and talk myself out of it," Iris says. "Then, when I feel like stress eating, I ask myself if I'm actually hungry. If I'm not, I have a ... cup of tea to trick myself. If I am hungry, I think about it first and measure out a healthy snack beforehand, because if you just eat out of the pack, you know you're going to finish it."

The best time to eat is when your stomach feels fairly empty but not hurting with hunger pangs. By eating before you feel signals like irritability and light-headedness, you'll be able to ward off those stress-eating habits!

3. Choose your foods wisely

So you're in the middle of studying, and suddenly, you just really need that sugar fix. What's a girl to do? Probably grab the bag of gummy bears or cookies on her desk and begin snacking... and snacking... and snacking.

"Don't fall into the sugar or ‘comfort-food’ trap to assuage stress," says nutrition specialist Jason Boehm. "Do your best, but don't get bogged down with the [stress]. You will get through this!" 

If you really have to eat, try going for some fruit instead of munching on extra-sugary sweets. "I remind myself to eat healthy because 'empty calories' like chips and cookies don't give your brain the fuel it needs to get through studying," Iris says. Mandarin oranges are low in calories, will satisfy your sweet tooth and will keep your hands busy. Peeling the orange and smelling the scent can also be calming on those frazzled nerves, while the vitamin C in the fruit will help strengthen your body's immune system in times of stress.

Craving something salty and crunchy? Try keeping some nuts and seeds around. Pistachios are are packed with fiber and healthy fats. They also regulate your blood sugar, so you won't experience the dreaded crash after a sugar high like you would with fatty, sugary foods. However, it’s easy to overdo it with nuts, so prevent that by measuring out quarter-cup servings into Ziploc baggies instead of snacking straight from a big bag.

An even more foolproof plan is to simply get rid of all the food that you normally can't resist. Have a lot of sweets in your room? Give them to a friend. Tempted by snacks from the vending machines in the library? Instead of bringing money with you, try bringing your own healthier snacks.

"Not keeping junk food around is a great strategy because it gives us that moment of pause between reaction (I'm stressed, need something to eat) and acting out (eating the candy or chips)," Mahon says. "If you have that moment of pause, and you have a little bit of a mindfulness practice, you might be able to decide to do something different, like a sun salutation, going for a walk or taking a short nap instead."

4. Take a breath

Studying can get a bit overwhelming at times, and a study break can be the most effective way to reenergize. "Students can set aside even five minutes a day to sit still and follow their breathing," Mahon says. "Every time their mind wanders, they bring their mind gently back to the feeling of breathing in and breathing out."

A quick breathing exercise is a great, healthy way to clear your mind. By slowing down your breath, you can trick your body into thinking that you're going to sleep, which will cause your body to relax. Try closing your eyes, slowly breathing in and out and repeating your breaths 10 times. You'll be calm in no time!

5. Have a spot of tea

There's nothing like a warm cup of tea to calm exam nerves. In fact, black tea is known to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone that can cause weight gain.

"Drinking certain calming herbal teas can be helpful … green teas or other caffeinated teas would not be calming, but might help you focus more on your work," Mahon says. "Feeling the warm cup in your two hands and then sensing the smell and taste of the tea as you prepare and drink it is another way to practice coming back to the present moment."

Take a break from multitasking and throw in some deep breathing exercises while you're at it to lower your cortisol levels.

6. Exercise

Physical activity really does wonders! It lifts your mood, generates energy and reduces stress. Walking is especially good for conquering stress eating because you’ll have some time to work through your problems and practice moving meditation. Exercise can also help you refocus your mind on your health goals. After you've gone on a run, you'll probably feel less likely to undo your efforts with cake!

"My suggestion for a study break would involve movement as well as breathing because studying is such a sedentary activity," Mahon says. "I would do walking meditation (walking while paying full attention to your steps and your breathing) or yoga or even cranking the tunes and dancing around your room. They can also use walking meditation as they walk between exams and studying to help bring them back to the present moment." 

7. Catch some z’s

On a typical day in college, it's totally normal to see collegiettes working in libraries into the wee hours of morning. Unfortunately, four hours doesn't exactly count as getting enough sleep, and that may actually be contributing to your stress eating.

Boehm believes that getting enough sleep and exercise during finals period is crucial to preventing stress eating. "You feel better and think better with enough sleep and exercise," Boehm says. "And when you're not hungry, you're less likely to reach for sugary junk foods."

Lack of sleep is directly linked to stress, overeating and weight gain. Feeling tired can increase your stress levels. Also, your levels of the hormone ghrelin, which affects when you feel hungry, go up when you don't get enough sleep, which makes it harder for you to satisfy your food cravings and causes you to keep eating. A solid eight hours of sleep every night will do wonders!

The next time you find yourself reaching for some junk food to snack on while studying, think twice about your stress-eating habits. With these tips, you can say goodbye to all those seemingly self-emptying bags of gummy bears and boxes of cookies and hello to conquering your cravings!  

Think you might be suffering from an eating disorder? The National Eating Disorders Association has a free and confidential screening to help you determine next steps. If you're looking for more information, be sure to call the NEDA helpline. Looking for ways to help spread the word? Find out how you can get involved on your campus.

Science Proves There's a Reason Behind Your Pizza Addiction

0
0

Finally, science is agreeing that your craving for fries and ice cream can be endless.

A new study from the University of Michigan confirms what Nutella-lovers have long claimed: highly-processed foods like pizza, chocolate, and fries are the most addictive ones.

According to Dr. Nicole Avena of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who has been studying food addiction for 15 years, “Several studies really do suggest that highly-palatable, highly-processed foods can produce behaviors and changes in the brain that one would use to diagnose an addiction, like drugs and alcohol.”

The Huffington Post points out, however, that the studies that have concluded that these foods can be addictive have generally used animals as their test subjects. Clinical studies in humans have determined that some individuals meet the criteria for substance dependence on food; food addiction in humans has yet to be thoroughly researched.

In her latest study, Avena investigates the contentious topic of food addiction, specifically the mental and physical impact of consuming highly-processed, fatty, sugary foods (for example, “munchies” like pizza, potato chips, and chocolate), in order to suggest that attitudes and behaviors involving food can affect the human brain the same way a drug does.  Avena’s extensive research found that in some individuals, the consumption of this type of food closely resembles drug addiction patterns. 

As a part of her project, Avena had more than 500 participants identify their “problem” foods, or foods with which they most struggle to eat moderately. “Problem” foods were determined using the Yale Food Addiction Scale, which prompts individuals with statements such as, "I eat to the point where I feel physically ill" or "I spend a lot of time feeling sluggish or fatigued from overeating." Participants’ answers to these questions help them to determine which foods are their biggest challenges.

Then, using participants’ answers, Avena averaged the scores for each food type, and ranked them on a seven-point scale from most problematic to least problematic (with one being the least problematic and seven being the most). Findings showed that pizza, chocolate, chips, cookies, and ice cream were the most problematic foods, whereas cucumbers, carrots, beans (no sauce), apples, and brown rice (plain, no sauce) were the least offensive.

Okay, so perhaps this chart doesn't come as a complete surprise. Yet, Avena’s findings are the first to scientifically show a correlation between the foods that caused people the most mental distress and physical discomfort and those that are highly processed or are high in added fats and sugars. Notably, these foods are also have the greatest levels of glycemic load, which determines a food’s potential to raise one’s blood sugar level.

Today, food addiction has yet to be officially recognized as an addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), Avena claims that her recent work is the first clinical study to actually assess and analyze the relationship between how people eat certain foods and the ingredients of that food.

"If someone feels they are addicted to food, there really is no diagnosis a medical doctor could give to that person,” Avena explained. "This study is helping advance the literature so that we can help people who have addictive-like eating disorders."

She also said that she hopes her research will help with future treatment of obesity and eating disorders.

"This could help change the way we approach obesity treatment,” Avena said in a previous statement about her study. "It may not be a simple matter of 'cutting back' on certain foods, but rather, adopting methods used to curtail smoking, drinking and drug use."

Erica Schulte, a U-M psychology doctoral student and the study’s lead author, further explained, "If properties of some foods are associated with addictive eating for some people, this may impact nutrition guidelines, as well as public policy initiatives such as marketing these foods to children."

While we cannot rationally attribute all of our late-night munchies to a legitimate addiction, a greater understanding of how our bodies and minds react to particular foods can ultimately allow us to better control those chili cheese fry binges...maybe.

Jaden & Willow Smith's New Music is Completely Unexpected

0
0

While you were scratching your head over Jaden and Willow Smith’s T Magazine interview from November, the wonder siblings were busy creating some amazing new music, which they just released earlier this month.

Willow’s Souncloud bio reads, “I just want to make music so that I can raise the consciousness level on this planet. Let’s all come together in light, love and harmony through oneness with ourselves.” It seems like a pretty lofty goal for a 14-year-old, but if anyone could do it, it would be the progeny of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

In addition to her original music, Willow also uploaded a cover of Easy Easy by the English musician King Krule. Her voice really shines on this cover, and although they are both great, it's almost hard to believe this song is from the same girl who brought us “Whip My Hair.”

Jaden Smith took a break from capitalizing his tweets to record a few bars over Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” on his new track, “Melancholy.” His impressive lyricism is enhanced by his sister’s background vocals. The song, which references Smith’s well-established hatred for school, has just the right amount of teen angst.

Say what you will about Jaden and Willow’s eccentricities; no one can deny that the two teens have talent, and we can’t wait to see what these siblings bring us next. 

'The Breakfast Club' Just Turned 30

0
0

The stereotypical high school flick. Repeated hundreds of times over the years, this species of movie has become so overdone and overrated that it has practically become a trope. Amidst the backdrop of some average-looking school (often with a presidential name), the guy gets the girl, various shenanigans are involved, there's usually some authority figure like the principal who is publicly humiliated, and in the end everything is always resolved with a cheesy musical number—roll credits and fin. But some of you might be wondering: where did it all begin? The answer is unequivocally The Breakfast Club, which celebrated its 30th birthday this month on February 15. Sure, there were teen movies before it and many that came after—but John Hughes' 1985 classic about 5 students from different social groups who end up spending a Saturday together in detention took the teen film industry by storm and set an unparalleled standard for the high school flick that filmmakers have been trying to embody ever since. It wasn't just the catchy '80s music or the memorable quotes:

And let's not forget the most popular...

The film owes its success to Hughes' ability to take a simple plot and turn it into a cinematic masterpiece. Five delinquent kids spending a Saturday in the library doesn't exactly sound like a worthwhile setting, but through their awe-inspiring conversations, some wonderful adventures, and several tearjerking performances, you are brought into a life-changing experience that only Hughes could create. It was his ability to see teenagers for what they really were—intelligent, funny, unique and above all, human—with bigger problems than just who was taking them to prom or how well they could style their hair. Often times the problem with teen flicks is that they oversimplify high school students to the point of making them virtually one-sided and utterly unrelatable. In The Breakfast Club, we get a refreshing and groundbreaking change: colorful characters each with their own special back stories (Bender the burnout with an abusive father, Brian the geek who was pushed by stress to the point of contemplating violence, Andrew the star wrestler who could never live up to his father's high expectations).

What spoke even more volumes was how over the course of a day, these five diverse teens who under any other circumstances wouldn't have been caught dead with each other, managed to form a beautiful bond and come out with the realization we all tend to forget in the social hierarchy of life: that when it comes down to it, we're really not that different after all. Maybe that's why this film has endured so after all these years. Yes the fashions have changed, as has the music and the lingo—but the outcome still rings true for all future generations. That's why we'll continue to be talking about this movie 50, 100 years from now—because an amazing idea like that can never go out of style.

Sincerely yours, Her Campus.

Viewing all 25628 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images