Chelsea Cristene

Chelsea Cristene

Bio

Chelsea Cristene is a communications associate and English professor based in Washington, DC. She has been published by the Good Men Project, Salon, xoJane, and MamaMia, and runs a film review blog, Catch Up, with fellow Role Reboot contributor Telaina Eriksen. Find her on Twitter.

Chelsea Cristene Articles

When we are faced with an evil that looks like us, things get a little more complicated.

We Don’t Call Out White Terrorism Because We Don’t ‘Other’ Whiteness

If Trump is right (there’s a first time for everything) and we need to state what a problem is before solving it, then let’s state it now. Radical white terrorism.

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Photo by Pim Myten on Unsplash

The Problem With Trying To Keep Women Out Of Gay Bars

I see no such kerfuffle over straight men at gay bars, so it appears that this brand of exclusivity is Dicks Only.

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Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Allergy Shaming Is A Thing, And It Needs To Stop

I realized that allergies, much like mental health, are largely misunderstood and often dismissed as trivial or exaggerated.

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I reject the insistence that a woman can’t choose what makes her feel beautiful without regard for the judgement of others.

'One Creates Oneself': On Being A Feminist Who Loves Makeup 

I reject the insistence that a woman can’t choose what makes her feel beautiful without regard for the judgement of others.

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Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

There Is No Moral High Ground To Centrism

There is no middle ground when it comes to human rights. Read...
The first rule: Unrequited love sucks.

We Need To Learn How To Handle Unrequited Love

The first rule: Unrequited love sucks. The second rule took regrettably longer for me to get a handle on: My unilateral crush was not this guy’s problem.

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Photo by Gabriel Benois on Unsplash

How Advice To ‘Take The High Road’ Silences Victims Of Abuse

Anyone who has been a victim of abuse will tell you that the burden of emotional labor is enormous, and that it’s amplified by the pressure to keep quiet.

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I experience male and female attraction differently — though neither feels any less “natural” than the other.

Why I'm Coming Out As A Bisexual Woman

Chipping away at the problem of bisexual erasure starts with living truth out loud.

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Overall, women don’t want to be 22 again.

Men May Prefer Younger Women, But Women Don’t Give A Sh*t

When men’s dating preferences were observed, the age of women they expressed interest in never (never!) deviated from the early 20s.

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Photo by Toimetaja tõlkebüroo on Unsplash

Lesbians And Queer Women Do Not Exist For Your Entertainment

This article first appeared on Role Reboot and has been republished with permission. 


I was a band geek in high school. In exchange for the Saturdays we spent at various competitions all over the state, we would get an occasional “down” day to watch a movie or just hang out in the band room. These were lazy days filled with giggles and gossip, and on one day in particular, kisses with my friend Jessica.

Jessica was cute and kind and one year younger than me. “I don’t see anything wrong when girls kiss girls,” she said as we sat cross-legged on the tile floor: something that you’re never supposed to think let alone say out loud in a small conservative town. “Neither do I!” I agreed. And there it was – a smooch!

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