internet

Love, Alexi: How I Nearly Let Instagram Ruin My Relationship

I’m not proud to type any of this. Not proud at all. I wish I could forget that I ever nearly let Instagram ruin my relationship.

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Mayo Mermaid (image credit: Sanne of Full of Freckles)

Washed Up Whales, Hungry Hippos, & Mayo Mermaids: The Power Of Reclaiming Fat Insults

Internet trolls and their fat insults (no matter how creative) don’t make me cry. There's power in reclaiming fat insults!

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Image credit: Oliver Thomas Klein via Unsplash

From Neopets To Pro-Ana Sites: Finding Community In Toxic Online Forums 

Users exchange tips about restricting food intake, and there’s a lot of “thinspiration,” a phrase for photographs of women with thigh gaps and angular bodies. So many bones.

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Fight off creeping existential dread with puppy cuteness. (Image Credit: Twitter/@cuteemergency)

TWITTER PUPPIES: The Temporary Cure For Existential Dread Brought On By Trump

Hello. I am writing to you from a place of rage over the House of Representatives’ misguided attempts to reform health care.

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image credit: Ben White via Unsplash

Don't Tell Me You're OK, When You Are Definitely Not OK

If we aren’t going to be honest about how we really are, why are we asking?

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"Our mental illnesses are not a substitute for your bland personality, nor are they buzzwords you can use because they sound more interesting than saying you’re a 'neat freak.'" Image: Thinkstock

Saying “Bipolar” And “OCD” Casually Doesn't Make You Quirky Or Edgy

I’m about to be in the midst of a depressive episode. At times like these, I’ve learned to take a step back from social media. While I do ultimately believe social media is a force for good, a means through which we can connect to, learn more about, and inform one another, there’s a real problem with how mental illness is portrayed there.

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Social media notoriously gives its users the opportunity to present their lives as perfect and conflict-free. Image: Thinkstock.

My Friend's Instagram Post About Her Miscarriage Changed How I See Social Media

I scrolled through my Instagram feed to catch a photo of a friend’s first tattoo. It was an abstract design that paid homage to her wedding venue, a distinctive historic site in her home state. The tattoo seemed sweet at first, but then I read the photo caption. My friend had gotten inked to honor the child she lost in miscarriage.

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You shouldn’t pursue self-love and better self-esteem because you want to feel worthy of being loved someday — you should pursue self-love because you deserve to love yourself. Image: Drew Coffman/Unsplash.

'Nobody Can Love You Until You Love Yourself' Is Bullsh*t

There is a danger in the rise of affirmations and other empowering online content. Some types of affirmations aim to inspire a sense of independence, but in reality only invalidate the struggles of the person who reads them.

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