Catherine Gigante-Brown

To the tattoo artist, I was a flesh canvas that she could transform into something beautiful.

Why, when I'm cool with being a salt-and-pepper chick, does it so clearly unnerve others?

Instead of categorizing people as different colors, I proposed we might begin to think of each other as Earthtones—because our skin colors are based on hues from the earth. Just as the planet is made up of a myriad of shades, it’s still one cohesive entity. We can be thought of as one entity also.

Makeup and I have always had a love/hate relationship: I love it; it hates me.

"Remember, this isn’t just happening to you, it’s happening to moms everywhere. It’s not your fault — "

Wrinkles or lifelines? Chunky or curvaceous? The choice is yours.

From New York to LA, this lady knows a good story.

I fumbled with my lace bra, hoping my silicone form wouldn't fall out from the left cup. I wasn't exactly ready . . . yet I was.

I sat obediently in her chair atop four ancient copies of the Yellow Pages. Crossing my fingers, I prayed Catholic schoolgirl prayers.

Mindel and Maria were young teenagers when the horrors occurred—but they remembered the tiniest details with crystal-clear intensity.