SEX: my candidate for 'word of the year' in 2017

SEX: my candidate for 'word of the year' in 2017

Sex proved a bit tricky to untangle. I looked it up in every dictionary in the house, but dictionaries are surprisingly and disappointingly silent on this point.  Maybe the anti-sex-ed lobby is in bed with Merriam-Webster, or maybe there are fears that sexing up (definition below) the dictionary would cause the mass removal of dictionaries from American family rooms and classrooms.  Even today, 20 years later, Dictionary.com provides a stunningly unhelpful definition.

Read More

Stop period-shaming women.

Stop period-shaming women.

My first period was dreadful from the first drop. I grabbed several pads and headed to my room with a tear-stained face. For the next few hours, until my mother returned home, I checked my underwear every few moments.  Each time that I saw blood, I changed the pad.  I think I probably changed it every 20 minutes until she came home.  I had no idea what I was supposed to do and was woefully unprepared for this moment. 

Read More