The birds are chirping, the snow is (hopefully) done for the season, and it’s time to start thinking about what you want your garden to look like for the summer.  Maybe you’ve never considered the advantages of growing fresh veggies, or thought that gardens are only for people with farms.  But, creating your own personal garden is much ea...

Does the phrase ‘reefer madness’ bring back the memory of watching black-and-white films as a kid, seeing how people supposedly stumbled about after smoking marijuana?  Do you remember sitting down in your middle-school class and listening to your teacher drone on-and-on about why you shouldn’t ever pick up a joint?  Do you associate mari...

For many years, herbalism was associated with the counterculture movement.  The idea that plants can be used as ‘natural medicine’ rather than prescribed medication was avoided for many years.  Witchcraft and drug use seemed to be synonymous with the use of these plants to heal everything from aches and pains to chronic medical conditions...

If you’ve ever woken up in the morning and felt just as exhausted as you were the night before, your most common solution might be to go to bed earlier.  But what if I told you sleeping more hours is not the source of the problem, but rather that you’re not spending enough time in the truly beneficial stage of sleep?  On a biochemical lev...

Life happens at inconvenient times.  Sometimes, everything goes well for a few weeks and you’re on a roll: all of your work is done and you finally get some ‘me-time’ thrown in there.   It seems like your ducks are in a row.  And then, the ‘can we talk’ text comes from either your significant other, your roomate, or one of your ...

When I was a senior in high school my mother was dying of stage four lung cancer; and I took care of her.  At the time, my little brother was a freshman, my older sister was gone, my older brother was at school seventeen hours away, and my father had to keep bread on the table and the medical bills paid.  I was taking care of things.Shop ...

Ever since I was a kid, I was a picky eater and liked the worst foods for me possible.  Until college I had a steady diet of mac & cheese, pizza, and bagels.  My diet the first two years of college included much of the same, with the occasional 'new foods.'  It wasn’t until I was in my first college relationship eating around som...

Sometimes, we’re not always aware of how impactful our words can be.  In such a technological society, how can we strive to be constantly aware that our words have consequences and that nothing we say is actually off the record?Purchase Baja East Baby Doll Tee here!‘Political correctness’ (PC) is often confused with being respectful of people’...

As an environmental studies student, I sometimes wonder if people can sense my pain when I see someone throwing a recyclable milk jug into a garbage can.  Often, we can’t see the environmental impacts of our consumption choices; rather, they place unequal burdens on vulnerable populations that have to deal with our waste.  Just because we...

There’s no doubt that biologically, a male body and a female body are chemically different and have unique nutritional needs.  Since the female body has to be equipped to deal with so many hormonal changes such as menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth, it's important for every woman to maintain her health to prevent deficiencies, disease, or...

I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder when I was about fifteen years old.  It wasn’t until I started going to therapy, a suggestion from some of my closest friends and teachers, that I began to understand the repercussions of my poor mental health.  My depression did not manifest itself in the cla...

In an Ebony Magazine article titled "Dear White People: Locs are not 'just hair'" Josie Pickens boldly told readers that ‘it is maddening that White people love the culture that we produce so much—whether it be dreadlocks or Drake, but seem ambivalent towards our suffering and what it costs to create such a gorgeous culture in the face constan...

As my 21st birthday approaches, I find myself wondering where the time has gone.  My 20th birthday feels like it was yesterday – and since I often use age as a milestone in my life, I place a lot of expectations for myself around birthdays.  People have said your 20th birthday is an insignificant milestone, but I completely disagree. &nbs...

Who exactly is Gloria Steinem?  Well, that’s a very loaded question.  Your U.S. history textbook would describe her as a modern political activist for both women’s rights and humanitarianism across the globe.  But, as a feminist and aspiring journalist, I think of Gloria Steinem as an quintessential badass.Image viaGloria was indepen...

My cousin Dylan and I would write songs and chapter books when we were children.  We would watch classic horror movies with my mother and yell at the television screen saying we could do it better.  We'd talk for hours on our parents land-lines discussing characters and plots, figuring out ways to up-the-stakes and make the story authenti...

Diversity is not only a buzzword on college campuses, it’s alive in the world of theater, too.  A recent study of the 2015-16 Broadway season showed that diversity on the New York City stages has increased, with 35 percent of roles going to minority actors.Learn more about The Bechdel Test here.This number is nearly 15 percent above the previo...

I was fifteen the first time I walked into a lingerie store.  My mother and I, in support of local businesses, went on a mother-daughter shopping date to Zoe & Co. in search of better fitting bras and well-fitting underwear.  I was astonished by the padded underwear that they had on sale; the inserts on the center of the butt and on t...

I remember the first time I stepped into a New York City coffee shop.  I was homesick, lonely, and frankly looking for anything that reminded me of home.  A quiet stroll on a weekend morning led me to Saturdays Surf, now a SoHo staple – then, a new concept store that merged men’s fashion and coffee.  It was quiet.  It was quaint...

Testing cosmetic products on animals seems like such an archaic concept that it's difficult to believe some companies are still choosing to do it.  One reason many manufacturers still test on animals is so they can reach their market in China.  China—expected to have the world's largest beauty market in a few years—requires animal testing...

You probably loved the ubiquitous rose gold trend of 2016 and 2017.  The beautiful, rosy hue was found everywhere, from streaks of pink in hair to the introduction of the rose gold iPhone.  However ‘Millennial Pink,’ as its informally nicknamed, had its moment, and there’s something a little different on the horizon for 2018.Learn more ab...