Topic: self-esteem

5 Reasons Why You Should Skip the Whole New Year’s Resolution Thing

5 Reasons Why You Should Skip the Whole New Year's Resolution Thing

The concept of making New Year’s resolutions goes as far as 153 BC with the mythical king of Rome, Janus. Janus, having two faces (not unlike most people I know), was able to reflect on the past year as well as foresee the upcoming future, and in doing so became the symbol of resolutions. It was the beginning of the New Year that Romans sought forgiveness from their enemies, exchanged gifts and also perceived the New Year as a fresh start and a clean slate of sorts. I, however, have never bought into the whole New Year’s resolution thing… as of January 1st you just get a free “do-over?” Sounds like something invented by Weight Watchers and not the Romans, if you ask me. So here’s an idea: fuck the New Year’s resolutions, you know you’re not going to stick to it anyway. Instead, use these five reasons as your excuses as to why you’re not doing that whole resolution thing… your friends will marvel at your wisdom. More »

Amy Adams Has Normal Ideas About Losing Baby Weight

Amy Adams Has Normal Ideas About Losing Baby Weight

Amy Adams, whom I will love forever because of the movie Junebug, just gave an interview to Parade magazine about being a new mom. Most of the time when you see new mothers in the media, it’s an article about how quickly they lost all their baby weight, and it just makes regular new moms who don’t have personal trainers or live-in nannies feel bad about themselves. But Adams doesn’t want to be one of them. More »

Bullish: How to Tell if You’re a Narcissist (and How It Might Be Holding You Back)

Bullish: How to Tell if You're a Narcissist (and How It Might Be Holding You Back)

Are you a narcissist? If you really are, you probably won’t care. Or else, you’ll read this article and think, “Yes, but that’s for people who can’t back it up. Boo-ya!”

This November, the task force behind the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) announced that Narcissistic Personality Disorder had been removed. The New York Times had a cheeky take on the matter: A Fate That Narcissists Will Hate: Being Ignored.

I’d been thinking about the topic of narcissism ever since 2005, when I was working to establish myself in stand-up comedy. An ex-boyfriend found my website and emailed to say that the site was “the most narcissistic thing I’ve ever seen.” More »

Bullish: Is It Better to Rule Through Love or Fear?

Bullish: Is It Better to Rule Through Love or Fear?

Is it better to rule through love or fear? Machiavelli always gets a bad rap (much like Draco and Procrustes). In The Prince, however, Machiavelli didn’t actually suggest that ruling through fear was the superior method; he said that a ruling through a combination of love and fear was best, but if you had to pick one, fear is safer.

Of course, none of us are actually ruling a Florentine principality during the Renaissance, but I naturally recalled my tenth grade reading assignment when a fellow committee member for a conference I am planning told me that a few other committee members were scared of me (or, at least, scared of messing up around me). That’s … interesting. I mean, I’m not scary. I’m Ashlee Simpson-sized. I wear a lot of Ann Taylor. I like babies and pets. More »

I Took a Burlesque Class to Feel Sexy, and Felt Anything But

I Took a Burlesque Class to Feel Sexy, and Felt Anything But

I’ve always loved to dance. I’d never delude myself into thinking I have any great dance moves, nor would I list it among my assets or skills. I was once in Brooklyn dancing with a male friend and a couple girls tracked me down in the bathroom and told me we were the best dancers they’d ever seen. I’m going to assume they were intoxicated, or it was mostly the male friend (fella’s got some moves on him).

Although I’ve daydreamed about it, I have never been out dancing where the crowd has parted and formed a circle around me and cheered me on à la Footloose. My mother had warned me about watching that movie too many times when I was little; she knew it would lead to false expectations.

My love of dancing, sequins, and tantalizing behavior eventually led me to the art form of burlesque. More »

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