I Am A Feminist. Aren't You?

My roommate is a big Beyonce fan. She stands for gender equality and empowering women to do what they want and to be strong. I admire that. Recently, I read a quote by John Legend saying that he was a feminist and that he thinks everyone should be one. Sometimes my roommate proposes questions about gender equality that I didn't necessarily consider before, and I love how passionate she is about it. We are strong, independent women, and that is something to be proud of.

Feminism is not about pushing for women to be the dominate race. It is not about belittling men or saying that we do not need men in this world. It is not about chopping off all of our hair. It is not about becoming a lesbian. It is not about ignoring that men exist and do incredible things, too.





Feminism is:

From Google. Search "Feminism".

Wikipedia Definition

It makes me sad when guys make comments about a girl "taking feminism too far." Or seeing feminists as crazy women who don't shave under their arms and hate men. That's not what feminism is about. Everyone should be a feminist. Even men. Everyone should want the equality for all people, and in a nation so focused on "equality", we should mean equality for all. 

From dictionary.com

Recently, there was an article showing 15 girls who were rejecting Feminism.* It's hard to see girls misinterpreting feminism so much, and thinking that they are "strong" or "empowered" for not believing in or supporting feminism. In reality, they are saying "I am so strong and confident that I do not think I should be considered equal to my male counterparts." Try saying that out loud. Sounds kind of funny, right? That's because it simply doesn't make sense for someone to want to be seen as inferior. 

The other day a friend of mine told me that people at her work just assume that she is incapable of carrying the heavier bags of mulch or heavier items customers buy because she is a girl. For the record: she can carry them! And by saying that, I am not saying that this fact makes her "superior" to a boy of equal strength. I am saying that there should not be assumptions about what we are capable of just because we are women.

I am a feminist. Aren't you?

Even John Legend calls himself a feminist.

*I am not promoting this article. Look if you would like, but the views of that article do not in any way reflect the ideals and views of this blog.

You Are Enough

You are enough. And don't let anyone tell you differently. Tonight I listened to an inspirational talk by  Christi Andringa. She gave a presentation called Happiness and Wellness: Mind. Body. Spirit, and I was told she would "[focus] on how to be healthy and happy in all areas of our lives." In all honesty, it was one of those things that I decided to go to on somewhat of a whim. I wasn't sure how interesting it would really be, but it was an event offered through one of the student organizations that I am a part of on my college campus (the org is called SHOW-Student Health and Overall Wellness).

In her talk she told each one of us that we were enough, and she spoke a lot about her mantra of "because I can". It was something she once said in an interview for an award she was receiving, and she decided to stick that phrase on a t-shirt to empower people. So my challenge to you guys is to look for all of the "because I can" moments in your life.

Are you doing what you want? Are you happy with what you are doing? If not, why not? What's stopping you? It's easy to fantasize about doing what makes you happy, but it is also really to find reasons not to do what to you love.

I don't have time. I won't be able to earn a living. It's scary. It's a risk. I could get hurt. I could fail. I have to go to a meeting. I have to go to class. I have to work. I have to study. 

There are always risks, but if you're doing what you love--what you're good at--then you are going to succeed. Sometimes you have to figure out what your priorities are. What is getting in the way of you doing what you want? Why are you doing things that you don't want to do or that don't make you happy?

It's important to take the time to evaluate what you are doing and why you are doing it sometimes. If your priorities don't match up with what you are doing, how can you expect to be happy?

Remember, you are beautiful. You are worth it. And you are enough. So what are you waiting for?

Food by the Numbers

Sometimes a sudden health kick inspires you. The wheels start turning in your mind, and your motivation level soars. So, now that you have the drive, what are you going to do about it? Do I exercise? Do I diet? Well, yes, but also no. Yes you should definitely exercise, because you should always exercise. As for dieting, well this is where people get confused. In a sense, you are already on a diet, because everyone is on one. You don’t need to go on one; you need to adjust yours. That does not mean dwindle it down to nothing—or any other unhealthy form of cutting calories.

In a recent post, Lauren Conrad divulges 10 Foods You Need In Your Diet. She claims these items are “super foods”, as she describes the health benefits from each one. If you liked that post by Lauren, check out her “Shape Up: My 7 Days to Skinny Jeans Plan.” She shares food options, exercise plans, and more.

Prevention shares 25 “Ridiculously Healthy Foods”, including eggs, avocado, and chopped nuts. If you’re big into health, or you spend time with people who are, then you have probably heard a lot of the tips that people share online. The Internet is really a conglomeration of all the information that people have passed along and complied over the years. Yet there is still so much you can learn from each source. Try to compare and contrast—pay attention to the differences, because it can be up to you to decide which methods work. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan of attack. In fact, it’s a good idea to take tips from multiple sources each day—that way you are always updated on new information, and you see different perspectives. 

This lists and numbered tips should be straightforward ways to get started but, ultimately, you should figure out what works for you. Hope you found some of this information interesting! 

What other tips have you discovered about being healthy?

It's Ok to be a Foodie

I have 694 food pins on Pinterest. And you know what? I am not ashamed. So what, I like food, and last time I checked that was ok. Do I make all of the foods I pin? No, and I certainly do not eat all of them. Sometimes I just like browsing foods and getting ideas of things that I want to try, and there is nothing wrong with that.

EAT. Eat what you like. Eat a lot, eat a little—eat whatever is right for you. If you are working out a lot, you need more food to give you energy. You just have to find the right foods to eat. Eating more doesn’t mean stuffing your face with a Big Mac or a king-size Whopper. Space out your meals more, maybe. Or have nutritious snacks that will give you protein and give you the boost that you need.

Plan your snacks for the day—that way you know just how much you are consuming, rather than blindly reaching into the seemingly endless Dorito bag. It’s ok to give into those greasy cravings every once in a while, but in small portions. Every now and then, I just really want a handful of Cheetos. 

In the moment it can get easy to get carried away. A handful can turn into another, and another, and all of the sudden you’ve chowed down half the bag—ok, I can’t say that has actually happened to me, but you really can get carried away quickly. Planning your snacks can prevent that type of behavior. If you’re worried about putting on weight or you really just want to be healthy, your two biggest enemies are large portions and laziness.

If you want to be fit, you have to put work in. It’s not always fun, but when you are truly being healthy you will feel it. There’s nothing like it. Large portions of those greasy foods you crave will make you feel bloated and gross. They can cause breakouts and leave you feeling crummy. Plus, you won’t be left with that post-pig out guilt with smaller snacks. 

I also wanted to include this smoothie chart, because there are so many different occasions for these sweet, nutritious treats. They are super refreshing, and they take less than five minutes to make. 

If you can't read it, check it out HERE!  

Believe in Happiness

Last time I mentioned some social media sites, but I wasn’t saying that everything on them was bad. My point was that people share a lot of photos—many of them photo-shopped or repetitive—that aren’t healthy for impressionable teenage girls to see. It causes distorted images of what beautiful is. But I would like to state it for the record: there are some powerful and inspirational pictures that contrast the aforementioned.

For starters, there are people who believe in themselves and they want to remind themselves of it all the time. Don’t lose sight of who you are or what you can do. Even if other people aren’t putting it into words, you are amazing, and other people see that. But sometimes you need to see it, too. It isn’t enough to reel for compliments for other people; you need to love yourself. You might think that sounds cheesy, but if you love who you are, then you will be more self-confident. And people will be able to tell.

People are attracted to confidence. It’s fun to be around someone who is happy and sure of herself. You don’t need to be cocky. Gross. Just be yourself and be happy with who that person is and what she does. It’s easier said then done—I know. You can sit around all day and revisit every bad situation in your life—OR you can start concentrating on the positive, and that is as easy as it sounds. 

"Thinspo"* is Not In, so...

Tumblr, We Heart It, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Vine--the list can go on. Teenage girls are attached to their iPhones like infants cling to their bottles. They surround themselves with endless photos of thoroughly tanned girls with a "thigh gap" and an empty stomach. But what authority do I have to be talking about this subject? I am one of them. At least, I have been, but I'm tired of looking at pictures of my unhealthy peers, subjecting themselves to that kind of lifestyle.

Sometimes the best cure to the "I don't want to get out of bed" blues is to spend time scrolling through pictures of college dorms, yummy foods, and don't forget about the style pics. They are wonderful and a curse at the same time. We get top-notch fashion at our finger tips--yet finding those clothes in even the country's largest mall is a feat that many of us have yet to accomplish. And those "inspirational" photos of perfect abs with a list of small workout requirements to get them--"do 20 crunches, 40 squats, wall sit for a minutes, 5 push-ups, 10 burpees, and do it everyday! Then you too can have perfect abs."We can re-pin them all day long, but 1)we probably won't do them, 2) is that really all?

The trend of girls wanting to be thin is not so new. In fact, how is it still in? So I am pushing for all of these so-called trendsetters to actually start a new one, instead of brushing aside all of the attempts at "zero is not a size." It's not! So instead of ditching food and hitting the gym like it's your job, I propose re-defining beauty. But in order for it to work, we need to ditch the thigh gap, the no-food diets, and the  constant feeling that we are not good enough. If anything, we should be pushing to get fit, not thin. We want to be healthy, but there is nothing healthy about forcefully redefining your body structure by not eating.

It's not enough to occasionally acknowledge the articles and ads that tell you to love your body. There is so much more to be done to change this problem.

Whether you think of yourself as a leader or a follower, it's time to join the revolution, and RECHARGE BEAUTY.


*"Thinspiration" (short term is "thinspo") has hit the web as a term to describe posts about getting thin, plus how and why young girls should do it.