feminist – Page 17

By Alyssa Bluhm

I have a vivid memory of being tickled when I was about five years old. My dad and my uncle tickled me to the floor, sandwiching me between the wall and the dining room table. While my uncle tickled me, my dad pretended to pull Cheerios out of my bellybutton and strawberries out of my strawberry-blonde hair, slurping them up like a delicious bowl of cereal. That was one of my dad’s favorite jokes when I was young, and it’s still a fond memory. Mostly.

I also remember that, as the tickling continued, my laughter turned to tears of pain, that my ribs felt close to cracking with every gasping breath, that I felt cornered and helpless, and that nothing I did would get them to stop.

Photo by Caroline Hernandez

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By Addie Whelan

As a woman, I’ve always worried about using pens or even ear plugs that create the urge to put on a flannel and chop down trees. Maybe the pens will suddenly sprout a beard, or maybe as I brush my teeth, my car’s oil will suddenly need changing. Even more, what if those bulky, black pens don’t fit right in small, petite, feminine hands? Or what if I am on the barricade at a Justin Bieber concert—screaming until my voice goes hoarse—and those manly orange ear plugs don’t squeeze into my ears?

Rather than damage my ears and worry about my choice in writing utensils being too masculine, I searched for the best alternatives. Here are five products “made especially for women.”

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