Instagram Influencer and Model Katya Karlova on Body Dysmorphia and Learning to Love Yourself

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By Sophia-Joelle Oswald

According to Mayo Clinic, body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition that causes the person affected to carry endless thoughts about what they believe to be flaws in their appearance. These “flaws” tend to be small or non-existent to others, but in their own minds they are constantly feeling defeated, embarrassed, anxious, or even unlovable for those same things.  

Body dysmorphia is different from person to person, but it tends to suck up so much life out of those affected. Some people avoid social events and spend hours in front of the mirror focusing on what they don’t like about themselves. Others may spend tons of money on products designed to cover these perceived flaws, sometimes even seeking surgery. 

Body dysmorphia doesn’t discriminate based on gender, race, age, or other factors. Sadly enough, it has been found in children as young as 5 and in adults as old as 80. Studies find that BDD impacts between 7% and 2.3% of the general population. 

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We Tried a $33 Sex Swing and Now You Also Have to

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By The Babes (Maddie Womack & Katie Harbinson)

Once upon a time, The Babes™ lived in the magical land of Kansas City. The rent was high, our standards were low, and sex was on our minds. So we thought to ourselves, how DOES one ball(s) (haha) on a budget? The answer left us feeling conflicted: Amazon. We’re ashamed to admit it, but we’re non-profit employees in our 20s. We love trying new sex toys, but our bank accounts do not. So with that, a babe volunteered to give it a swing. Which babe you ask? You’ll have to guess 😉

COME ON, SWING IT. Ok, we must confess, the babe who was first enticed with the concept of a sex swing was just a bit intimidated by it. Before a bit of research, we imagined they were super hard to install, expensive, and well, inconvenient. Post-research, we realized we were wrong—oops!

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Books to look out for in 2023

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By Nicole Mitchell and Sophie Oswald

New year, new TBR. Maybe you’re already on that reading grind and have finished 10 books so far; maybe you’re new to the scene and looking for where to start. Either way, there are incredible books coming out this year from well-known authors such as R.F. Kuang to debut novelists like Hannah Kaner. To make it easy, we’ve cut this list in half with months January through June—we’ll be sure to touch back with end-of-the-year must-reads! Hopefully this list helps you figure out what your TBR should be for the year.

What are some books you’re looking forward to that we didn’t touch on? Share your thoughts with us by using #catcallback and tagging us on socials!

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Can We Not Publish a Coloring Book Romanticizing Domestic Abuse?

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By Emily Park

UPDATE: Colleen Hoover canceled the coloring book and deleted her announcement hours after this went live. Catcall still stands by this editorial. For further explanation, read the afterword below the original story.

I’ve long been on the fence about how I feel about Colleen Hoover (CoHo). The best-selling author has sold over 20 million books, and in 2022 she sold more copies than the Bible…2.4 million more copies. Normally, I’d worship a woman who’s taking the book industry by storm, but CoHo is not someone I can celebrate. 

The last straw for me? The January 10 announcement of a coloring book for It Ends With Us, a novel about domestic violence. But before I get to the hopefully obvious issues with that, let me backtrack.

I’ve read four CoHo novels: Ugly Love, It Ends With Us, All Your Perfects, and November 9. For my personal reading choices, November 9 ended any intrigue I had regarding the rest of her books. I’m not trying to gatekeep anyone from reading the books they enjoy, so if you think you’ll read November 9 and don’t want a (smallish) spoiler, skip the next paragraph. 

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Some of our faves from 2022

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By Catcall Team

Before we get too excited about the new year, we want to take a moment to honor our favorite stories from the past twelve months. It’s hard to narrow the list down, but here’s a roundup that touches the surface. This year we shut down mansplainers, shared AAPI stories, and encouraged people to diversify their feeds. Of course, we wouldn’t be Catcall without sharing our favorite sex toys and other raunchy tales too! Take a look…

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