Lisa Marie Basile

It’s Monday, 6 a.m. and Sarah, 30, wakes up — as she does five days a week (but really, it’s seven, because the body is a fickle thing).

When the spread was published, all the girls in the shot were small — small enough to notice their not-bigness. It was the first time I felt “othered,” the first time I noticed how some versions of thin weren’t thin enough.

When you hear about a person with a chronic illness working or not working or considering quitting a job, these decisions were not made lightly.

My happiness is what undid me, ironically. I worried so much about being OK with the happiness that I fell apart.

Is there a certain quality to letter writing or diary keeping that inspires the confessional? I believe so.

It can really take a toll on you when you have to parent a parent.

Remember that your body is you, it is not separate. Treat it, yourself, with love. You’re a body of magic.

The fact of the matter is that content mills are dangerous and personal essays are a different beast. And there’s a vast level of discrepancy between a phone-it-in XYZ — and a Here’s What It Feels Like piece and other essays, where the language sings and the story is backed up by reportage. I’m aware of this. But there is also a middle ground.