American women have a long held fascination with French women. We tend to assume — and book sales reflect as much — that French women have it made; they enjoy relaxed relationships with food without ever worrying about putting on an ounce, they keep elegant
Anne-Marie Guarnieri is the Editor-in-Chief of xoVain, a beauty website that is revolutionizing the industry. Although she's new to the xoVain team, Anne-Marie has been writing about for publications such as Allure, Marie Claire, and Teen Vogue for over a decade. Preceded by xoJane, xoVain doesn't
With social media crowding our field of vision, it’s easy to miss what is right in front of us at times: real human beings. We care so much about feeling connected to the world by constantly updating our status and commenting on others’ photos, yet
Body ideals for women have dramatically changed over the past 60 years, according to media research. Scholars have found that the women shown in media images have become increasingly thinner over time – dangerously thinner. Body mass indexes (BMI) of women on television and in
Call me shallow, but one of my most vivid prayers as a little girl was for L.A. Gear shoes and pierced ears. Yes, in case you're wondering, I got my way. To this day I still struggle with buying into our culture of over-consumerism. Even
Much has been made in recent years about marriage’s new economic classification as a luxury good, a rite only reserved for the well-to-do. The argument is usually made from an economic or sociological perspective, which although valuable and fascinating, tends to skirt the practical and
Name a BBC television show and I’ve probably watched every season. Doctor Who, Sherlock, Merlin -- I’m a sucker for their programming. Just a few weeks back, however, I found a program that was nearly too much for me to handle. Luther is a show
The first time I posted a selfie on Instagram, I didn't think twice about it. I looked good when I took it (or so I thought), and we all post photos of ourselves when we look good
When our comments are being expressed on today’s ubiquitous public platforms, we must always watch what is being written. It never seems to fail, regardless of the content being discussed, that a handful of people will have negative opinions to share in response to the
It's December 31st. People everywhere are preparing to gather in their homes with close family and friends, or by hosting parties with lots of champagne, hors d’oeuvres and dancing. The more wild ones will be celebrating at the hottest nightclubs, or by roaming the streets
Sometimes I go to yoga simply to stand in the middle of a room where I don’t have to be worried about hitting my neighbor. Living in a city, these accidental collisions occur more often than you like: at the market, when you have your eye
So freely did Elvis Presley “bump, grind, and shimmy” around on stage that Ed Sullivan pronounced him “unfit for a family audience” in the 1950s. However, after selling millions of hit singles, in 1956 Sullivan reluctantly hired Elvis to perform, yet still insisted that Presley
What makes something or someone beautiful, really? What is it that makes us stop in our tracks and be left in awe? In nature, we often recognize beauty when it's unexpected, unique or rare. For example, a rose blooming from a stem of thorns or
Put others first. There are only a few shopping days until Christmas, and parking lots and malls are a scene of mayhem; people are on edge--honking at one another and fighting for their place in long lines. Until Christmas, be conscientious while driving, even give someone
What sets humans apart from the rest of creation is the ability to use our minds to imagine, critique, reason, or create ideas. Animals do not “think” about what they are going to do in the morning, or create art for art’s sake. Our brains are
Oh, how we all long for beauty! Mysterious and diverse as it is, we capture it, photograph it, and worship it, often forgetting how fleeting it is—like sand in an hourglass. However, in order to hold and keep beauty, we must build it solidly from
Who among us can recall life before online social networking? Those hazy events which predate the Facebook status update and Twitter feed somehow seem less authentic in light of the continuous stream of information to which we now have unlimited access. By now, our favorite
The world screams at women: “This is what you should be, right now.” Ten minutes later, the standard changes, and women run to catch up. Darling challenges women to become what they are made to be. It combats the model of today’s society that commands
One day on a brisk morning walk down Sunset Blvd., I noticed something really strange. As I sauntered past the dining patio patrons, heads where turning to my direction. Many men put down their forks to gaze upon my monumental moving appearance, and they held
Nineteenth-century Frenchwomen authors. Free-loving flower children. Angry women protestors defending their rights with neon posters and hateful words. All those images spring to mind at the mention of feminism. Conservatism, however, brings up another list of images, most prominent among them a picture of a