Aja Barber

We can never get enough handy gift guides, so we asked our lovely writer Aja what she has planned for her holiday shopping this year.

I refuse to write some sort of inane rubbish about how sweatshirts are the new sweatshirt.

I've been really trying to think about every purchase I make and its overall impact on the world. However, I recently broke code and indulged in the Marimekko for Target collection.

Recently I went through another round of unfriending on Facebook. It keeps things tidy, the arguments thoughtful and my head from exploding. This time around I just got rid of any white person that felt passionate about "certain political topics," but wasn't showing up for people of color, as we watch the meteoric rise of fascism in America and police violence. I’m not obligated to educate anyone for free, especially if they don’t appear to be absorbing what I’m saying or having the tough conversations on their wall with their peers.

In 2015, to be a woman (and a black woman at that) among the general public means having to keep your defenses up.

Have we all been problematic in the past? Oh hell yes. I know I have.

I may not be thrilled to vote for her, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let the misogyny and toxic masculinity we fight so hard against control the campaign narrative of the first major woman presidential candidate.

The TJ Maxx beauty section is lit right now, and I made you a full list of the products you can currently find on their shelves — basically, what I bought last Sunday.

Hiiiiii people! These issues aren’t going away. And neither am I. So scroll on by if it bothers you.

The entertainment industry allows abuse to flourish and allows abusers to hide behind fancy titles and big credits.