I’ve taken to staring at my face in the mirror each night. After I’ve gently washed it. After I’ve patted it dry and brushed my wet bangs off to one side I stare. At first, I did so halfway as if off handedly catching my reflection in a storefront. Unintentional. Removed. But then something would […]
Sisters In Mental Illness: Mental Health May
by on May 20, 2019 Leave a Comment
“I’m doing the right thing. This is the thing. I can be my full self here.” This month the tables are turned—it’s Shaley’s turn to be interviewed. Nichole Forbes chats with Shaley about how the Sisters in Mental Illness vlog began and what she’s learned after first telling her story here on SheLoves just over […]
My Stones of Remembrance
by on May 8, 2019 1 Comment
For someone with a love of simplicity and order, I own an excessive amount of trinkets. A few weeks before our departure from South Asia, I packed some of them in a suitcase to send back with a friend returning to the United States. I lovingly wrapped the items as I pondered the most important things […]
Liberate Me from Body Shame
by on April 14, 2019 Leave a Comment
The first time I felt body shame, I was ten years old. It felt white hot, like swallowing a burning coal and feeling it slowly sink and settle in my stomach. Someone told me it was time for me to start watching what I ate, because I was getting chubby. Embarrassment flamed my cheeks. Am […]
Who Will Pluck My Chin Hairs?
by on April 11, 2019 Leave a Comment
My mom and I once made a solemn vow: If either of us is ever in a coma, we promise to pluck one another’s chin hairs. My petite, five-foot-tall mom once grew out a single hair to see how long it would get. The coarse black hair spiraled below her chin until my brother and […]
