Body Image

I hid my fears and insecurities by desexualizing myself. Now I’m on the path of uncovering ways to unlearn ugliness as an identity.

Sexual shame hinders women in far too many ways. It’s a difficult beast to tackle, as it assumes so many nuanced, subtle forms in our daily lives.

Contrary to a common public opinion, there’s no right or wrong way to have sex.

Women get a whole lot of messages about body hair. So how do you figure out what you want in terms of shaving and other personal grooming?

When we have sex, all of our bodies’ small idiosyncrasies, quirks, and so-called “flaws” are on display. Our natural functions are part of life.

I saw a young woman the other day who was in her late teens. I had a moment of admiring how strong her legs looked, how able her shoulders; where she had curves and where she didn’t, how kind of mixed-up and funky some of her coloring and parts were, a study in contrasts. It was a moment of…

Many women and girls feel insecure about sex, especially when it’s new. How can we build some sexual confidence?

Oh, pubic hair. One of those subjects that, when brought up, generally kick-starts a furious debate about which option (shaved, trimmed, left alone) is the most attractive, the most empowered, the most hygienic, etc. And, depending on how much you follow this debate, you may end up feeling like no…

Ever since puberty, I found my body to be a site of shame, something I desperately wanted to escape. A transplant to predominantly white Catholic schools on Long Island, I was immediately deemed ugly. I had an older sister, but we were close enough in age that we were navigating puberty around the same time. As second-generation daughters of immigrant parents, we were on our own as far as navigating the personal and social meanings of our bodies.

I think this is a really great question, and I admire how honestly you’ve asked something that leaves people feeling so vulnerable. It’s something we’ve had others bring up or ask about over the years, so it’s definitely relevant to more people than just yourself. And that includes people who did…