Tag: women

Exploring Female Friendships in “The Office”

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By Sydney Borchert

Pages from The Office Paper

The term friendship surfaces images of a kindergarten classroom. This picture, in my mind, involves youngsters crafting paper people and chains singing “kumbaya” in a close-knit circle. Friendship is trust. Friendship is intimacy. Friendship is equality. Although an image of cheek-squeezable, singing children brings smiles and good cheer, friendship possesses deeper layers. You see, the term dates back to the 1670s (bear with me, I promise this isn’t a history lesson). The Quakers, also known as Friends, were members of a large Christian movement. Known as the Society of Friends, the people established their own way of life. The women were held to a certain standard: running the household and caring for the children.

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Tickling or Torture: What It Teaches Us About Consent

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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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5 Products for Women ONLY

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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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Where Did You Learn to Speak to Women Like That?

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By Lisa Marchand

There are many things I love about being a woman. In fact, many days I’m grateful to live in this day and age as a female. But there are some days, ones that still come too often, where I wonder how progression still feels so stagnated. Days where I cannot comprehend the disrespect we face on the streets.

Several weeks ago I left the bus shaking, immediately dialing my father to tearfully thank him for being the man that he is. Shortly after, I called my mom to tell her what happened. What I experienced churned up feelings inside of me that meant—although grown up and on my own—I still needed my parents to process the mysteries of the world.

Photo by Louis Blythe

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Pen Friends

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By Kelcie McKenney

IMG_7707

In the fifth grade I paid $1.95 for a best friend.

My French teacher pressed us to try a pen pal service that would let us meet new friends across the globe. I wasn’t all that interested in France—my French was a mumble at best—so I set my eyes on England instead. I sealed in a check, a survey about my interests, and the hopes of meeting an international friend into an envelope addressed to the International Youth Service.

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