shame

How to cope with a less-than-perfect wedding day.

Ask Erin: I Need Help With My Post-Wedding Shame

She’s made all the mistakes, so you don’t have to… Ask Erin is a weekly advice column, in which Erin answers your burning questions about anything at all.

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Being pregnant can be hard, even without unwanted commentary.

8 Women Share What It's Like To Be Shamed During Pregnancy

Pregnancy has the potential to be one of the happiest times in a woman’s life.

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“Showing skin isn’t exclusive to smaller girls. It’s okay for a plus-size woman to let her body breathe in her clothing,” [Mariposa] said.

'We Wear What We Want' Is The Body Positive Movement We All Need

LA-based plus-size model Simone Mariposa has sparked a social media chain of women who refuse to let the opinions of others dictate their clothing choices. “Every plus-size girl has had to bear the terrible brunt of being judged/policed for what we wear and how we wear it,” she tweeted.

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Teeth are inseparable from class in this country. Image: Thinkstock.

How An Exploding Tooth Made Me Confront My Own Classism

Teeth are inseparable from class in this country. I have gotten by in life largely by being able to “pass” as middle class, by being white and articulate and confident. People meet me and assume that I must have gone to college. Middle class people talk to me like I’m their peer. But I am not their peer. I will never be their peer.

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These insightful, funny, and heartfelt cards are an important step in destigmatizing mental health issues. Image: Hope Street Cards.

Two Australian Sisters Have Created Cards For People Living With Mental Illness

We know that this year alone, one in five Australians will experience some form of mental illness. What we might not know is that only one in four will receive a get well or greeting card. Studies have indicated that psychiatric inpatients receive only “half as many cards and gifts when compared to medical inpatients.” Two Australian sisters, Trudy and Sam, intend to change that.

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My epidural made me stop wanting to die. Image: Thinkstock.

Whether Or Not Someone Gets An Epidural Is None Of Your Business

We compare birth stories like war stories. Twelve hours of labor, 32 hours of labor, three hours of pushing, we fall into the trap of trying to one-up each other. So yes, I can see why, to a parent-to-be who is enthusiastically anticipating pain relief, the refusal of an epidural might seem like a bit of a hero complex. And maybe for some people it is! But it’s none of your goddamn business.

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Whatever you decide to put on your body while you are swimming with your family, have fun with it. Image: Thinkstock.

The Mombod Swimsuit Guide

The Internet has told us that instead of selling our wild summer children to a band of traveling performers, we should go swimming with them instead. At a beach or at the pool, your choice. The Internet also told us that us moms should get over our silly body issues and just play! Have fun!

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This miracle outcome is not based in fantasy, but in science. Image: mvorocha/Pixabay.

I'm A Doula, And Let Me Tell You, Orgasms During Childbirth Are A Real Thing

My initial reaction when I first heard about women who reported orgasms during birth was that they were lying braggarts — mainly because I was jealous I had never experienced this phenomenon. But since I’ve become a birth doula, [...] I’ve witnessed many women experience multiple orgasms during birth.

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