After a six-year hiatus, Paramore is back. The three members have finally regrouped for the release of “This is Why,” a post-punk album centered around societal struggles. This Is Why captures the emotions of facing concerns that come with age, and embraces current-day anxieties. Lead singer Hayley Williams has been a fierce advocate for abortion access and a role model for young women entering the music industry. She reunites with bandmates Zac Farro and Taylor York, returning to the classic Paramore sound and adding elements from the rock genre. This post-punk, lyrically challenging 10-track album holds sentimental meaning to the band. This Is Why captures the emotions of love, life, and what we lose as the world grows. Though only 35 minutes long, the album focuses on the daily issues of society.
The first track, “This Is Why,” sets the tone for the rest of the album—beginning with a skittering and irregular drum beat and Williams’s mighty medley, focusing on current-day anxieties about the world. Williams’s booming voice conveys the everyday insecurities people face post-covid life- the struggles individuals face leaving the house and peering outside their bubble. This was their debut song, first dropping in October, catching fans’ attention and the return of Paramore. This Is Why’s jazz-rock energy encompasses a passionate message focusing on rage against the status quo—the album is influenced by similar themes centering around social turmoil and the voices of the public. “The News” highlights the 24-hour news cycle and being unable to escape it. This powerful, hard-hitting groove is lyrically complex in voicing the band’s opinions on war and the media. The News is politically charged and the loudest track on the album; Williams’ voice is set against a heavy baseline and alluring guitar. The politically forward song brings elements of grunge and punk to channel Paramore’s outrage around the lack of attention to social issues. This song uplifts the voices of individuals scared to turn on the news and shares their anxieties about watching it. Tells a story of being unable to access information without hearing about terrorism or violence, how society has changed throughout the years, and reminiscing on the past.
As students, day-to-day life can be hard with the demands on our time and minds; allowing ourselves the time we need takes effort. Taking time to channel your thoughts on something can benefit you in many ways. Through meditation, we can connect better with our bodies, creating a more vital awareness of our emotions and surroundings. Meditating has been used for thousands of years; many spiritual traditions include meditation as a part of their teachings and practices; the technique itself doesn’t belong to any particular religion or faith. Training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts sharpens focus and attention, connecting the body and breath. This form of self-care can help us regulate difficult emotions, reduce stress, and improve health. Through different practices of meditation, you can discover which type works best with your feelings and which can bring value to your daily life.
Mindfulness meditation is one of the most popular forms of meditation, originating from Buddhist teachings of practicing mindfulness. The mental training practice teaches you to slow down and let go of negativity, calming your mind and body. Entering the mental state involves being entirely focused on “the now” so you can acknowledge and accepts your thoughts and feelings. This practice combines concentration with awareness, connecting to deeper emotions to seek clarity. Practicing mindfulness is easy; find a quiet and comfortable place to relax. Begin with a short 5-minute meditation session and increase your sessions each time. Focus on breathing and becoming comfortable with your thoughts; the goal is to observe where your mind goes without judgment. Getting into this state may be difficult for some people, but downloading an app or a YouTube video can help get emotions centered. The “Mindfulness Movement” offers ten guided meditations from powerful women worldwide. Their goal is to celebrate women by sharing guided meditations reflecting on what they have learned and taught throughout the years. Regularly practicing mindfulness meditation has many benefits for physical and mental health, such as reducing stress, lowering heart rate, improving immunity, getting better sleep, and increasing activity. Bringing mindfulness into everyday life can seem intimidating, but it’s important to remember that even a few minutes each day can be beneficial.
An IUD in the Medicine Man exhibit in London Photo credit: Olivia Andersen
Humans’ efforts to control their fertility have been evident throughout history. Over time, important advances in medicine have changed the focus of public health measures. The evolution of contraceptives, from traditional home-based forms of treatment to modern ones, has revolutionized birth control today. From condoms made from fish bladders thousands of years ago, to court decisions that limit and expand who has access today, efforts to control bodies have in place for millenia, although often been imposed by governments, religious institutions, medical professionals, and others seeking to regulate reproduction by blocking access to contraception.
During the development of modern contraceptives, people initially relied on birth control methods of coitus interruptus, leaves, herbs, or periodic abstinence. These traditional methods varied throughout ancient societies. Many women would gather natural ingredients to create potions and other birth control-like substances or document their menstrual cycle. During ancient and medieval times, women took various forms of drugs, abortifacients, to terminate a pregnancy. Different variations of condoms were produced during these times made from animal skin, but it wasn’t until 1855 that the first rubber condom was invented. Initially, condoms were produced to guard against venereal infection, but they would later be used as a contraceptive. Ideologies surrounding the beginning of life differed between religious practices, but most maintained that life began after birth. These ideologies about abortion changed with efforts to control the population; these traditional methods slowly died out due to the political ideologies surrounding intercourse and life. Decades later, when the church began to closely regulate marriage in Europe, procreative intercourse within the bounds of marriage was the only sexual activity condoned. During the 1800s, two opposing movements surrounding birth control began. On one side, women pushed for birth control, while others argued that contraception was immoral and promoted prostitution. Ideologies surrounding the opposition to abortions and or preventative methods have delayed the freedom to exercise family planning. In 1873, The Comstock Act made it illegal to use the U.S. postal service to mail/sell anything sex-related, including contraceptives. This act wouldn’t be removed until decades later, after several attempts to repeal the law.
I’m Olivia Andersen, she/her. I was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. I am an identical twin sister; this shaped my identity and taught me valuable life lessons. Being a twin was essential in helping me to understand my identity and learn to grow as an individual. Growing up, we were always compared and seen as a pair, not as individuals. Once we realized that, we began working towards personal growth after graduating high school. I was a Covid-19 graduate from Eagle High School; this stripped me of my senior year, but that personal time brought clarity about the future. During quarantine, I took that time to focus on myself, drawing, painting, and discovering my interests. That summer, I rushed for a sorority at the University of Idaho; this was a new experience. My sister and I would later join Kappa Delta and begin our college experience. Kappa Delta taught me the importance of balancing school and social life.
I am a junior at the University of Idaho studying Sociology and Anthropology; I plan on furthering my education by getting my master’s degree in social work. Helping people has always been an interest of mine, but recently, I’ve discovered my passion for continuing my education and providing a safe place for women and children. This past semester I studied abroad in London. My twin and I lived in separate parts of London and had to learn to navigate the city ourselves. This opportunity pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me valuable life lessons. Having been raised in Boise, I was always sheltered and didn’t experience any culture shock. Going into studying aboard, they spoke to us about the culture shock that occurs due to missing family, but being with my twin and getting this opportunity helped lessen the culture shock. It forced me to adapt to a new lifestyle and become more aware of my social surroundings Allowing me to travel to new places and meet lifelong friends. Studying abroad has taught me that my future goals can come true and that I can accomplish anything by trying hard and persevering.
Having just turned 23, I continue to ponder what it means to be at this stage of my life. What has my transition from girl to young woman been like? What is still in store and how can I continue to cultivate and remember this journey into womanhood? I realize that this transition isn’t something I’ve formally been prepared for. There are times when I feel mature beyond my years and naïvely adult. I’ve watched my rooms change over the years, my clothing preferences, and my taste in literature expand into more intimate and serious topics. Trying to define where my girlhood ends, and womanhood begins fills me with conflicting feelings. Is this growth private or something that can be evaluated? Perhaps there is no real preparation past puberty – you just grow up, learn to take change in stride.
From pexels.com
As with all great periods of change, there is a feeling of loss that comes over me when I think of the years I left behind. While there is reason to be proud of getting older, I draw my focus towards objects, memories, people, and places that have defined this transition. Some of these aspects are universal, but stories of women and girls as individuals are diverse and complex because there are many ways to be a woman, despite what society narrates. For some, growing up means facing reality. This could be moving out of one’s childhood home, a relationship, the loss of a loved one, starting birth control, or even just starting menstruation. Personally, I’ve grounded my transitions in my identity and sense of self. I felt like a woman when I started to understand the complicated emotions shown by my parents and how they reflected within me. I realized that as I was getting older, I had new thoughts and opinions emerge. Asking myself questions about whether I’d want to be a wife and mother someday, what sort of career I wanted and how to navigate those expectations through the lenses of society and my parents.
My father often told me that being a woman of color in Journalism would not be easy. So, I had another facet to consider about womanhood – the color of my skin. If being Black has made me less of a person, does having my skin make me less of a woman by default? Growing up, women are told they can do and be anything, but always within the confines of sexist restraints and double standards. I want to believe that womanhood is an ongoing and beautiful adventure. The characteristics that describe a woman can be stereotyped when it comes to personality. Traits like sensitivity, tenderness, helpful, and nurturing have been linked to what defines the “typical” woman. But this definition of femininity is sometimes linked with sexual objectification and how forward or passive a woman is or “should be.” Down to the clothes we wear, whether “tomboy” or “girly,” there are endless ways to define being a woman. The lists can be biased towards traditional ideals that sadly have not yet been done away with. I do not believe that the traits listed define a woman poorly, but rather, society has curated a particular image of how to exhibit each trait. As part of my growth into womanhood, I find that my empathy gives me resilience, my sensitivity fosters deep understanding, and intuition, which in turn give way to patience and creativity in my words and actions. The clothes I wear showcase my version of my own beauty and allow me to express the nuances that make me who I am.
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I do agree that most women I have met tend to be more in-tuned with their emotions, myself included. However, gender socialization also plays a major role in the stereotypes embedded in modern culture. What is expected of women and men has been instilled since childhood for many people. It involves teaching children to behave under an umbrella of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors associated with their gender. As time goes on, girls learn to behave in a docile or modest way and are often expected to be more emotional due to their hormone fluctuations. Boys, on the other hand, can often be taught to suppress their emotional sides in effort to look strong, capable, and masculine. That said, many of the personality traits we see among young men and women are often apart the gender conditioning that occurs well into adolescence.
The journey to womanhood is rooted in the sum of my experiences and how they form a sense of self. Self-concept is the perception of behaviour, abilities, traits, and overall personality. As I grew up, my interests and thought patterns began to shape the girl I was growing into. As I age, I continue to learn what’s important to me, what virtues and characteristics I want to embody within the framework of a woman that has been provided by society, my spiritual beliefs, and female figures in my life. This collection of internal conditions lays the foundation for the experiences that will follow. There is no single way to be a woman, but I do believe that all women are unique in the way that we process emotions and make use of our intellect. One is not better than the other and that is the beauty of being human; of growing in my own way from girl to woman. I do not want to despise my bifurcated self; I will not choose whether I am strong or kind. There are no parts of me that are useless, no matter how society views them. The stereotypical traits of women do not represent the fullness of womanhood, and with this in mind, as I get older, I can learn to be content with the version of me that is both strong and tender, or sensitive and assertive.
There isn’t a time of preparation for the changes from girl, to adolescent, to young woman. Cultivating my own journey of growing up and defining who I am as a woman is what will go towards the breaking down of social expectations for girls and women. No one can tell us who we ought to be, a sense of self is formed inside of us long after we have left our parents and living communities behind. I want to remember my transitions as they were. To join all the woman who have come before me in the frightening, yet fulfilling, path to growth. Nurturing the freedom to be the strongest woman I can be by the standards of my own personal beliefs.
For lots of people, being in nature is very appealing. We love to go on hikes, take scenic pictures, sit and read, do activities like rock climbing, and so much more. My own nature-related hobbies include taking hundreds of photos, pressing flowers and leaves, and sitting and listening to the sound of the wind whistling through the trees or water running through a creek. During the quarantine of 2020, learning to forage became a new obsession of mine and I soon found myself immersed in the realm of cottages, bread making, open rolling fields, gardens, mushroom foraging, and collages romanticizing the rather mundane aspects of life. Those who have also found themselves on this side of the internet might know that I am referring to the popular culture known as cottagecore.
Almost immediately after discovering the concept of cottagecore, I was enthralled, and I wanted nothing more than to be able to walk through the countryside holding a basket of flowers, eventually finding my way back to a cottage where I could bake bread as golden beams of sunshine lit up the space around me. It wasn’t long after learning about cottagecore that I learned about a subculture within cottagecore that caters to the LGBTQ+ community. Though it has no offical title or name, some of its members are affectionately referred to as cottagecore lesbians and mushroom bisexuals. As a woman discovering a newfound obsession with mushrooms, I thought that this title was quite fitting.
The language of poetry is deeply evocative. Poetry is cathartic. When minds are racing, and hearts are beating poetry gives form to experiences that can’t be spoken aloud. Women have long been emphatic about expressing feelings of oppression, discrimination, gender roles, race, and mental health. Women have also created poetry about daily life, motherhood, and romantic love and frustrations. While there are many great male writers, Ernest Hemingway being a personal favorite, women’s writing deserves to be known just as widely. In high school, the poetry and literature we read tended to focus on male writers. For the curriculum, only ¼ of books were written by a female author. I don’t believe it’s done intentionally, however, there is a quiet but collective belief that women are secondary to men. Though, times continue to evolve and with that, more women of all ages have stepped up to represent other women, to advocate for and inspire them.
Just to name a few, poets that have greatly influenced female writing include Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, Anne Saxton, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary was a women’s rights activist as well as a writer, -most known for writing A Vindication of the Rights of Women. This work was famous for the criticism placed on the lack of women’s education in the 18th-century. She wanted women to be seen as relevant to society and not valued only for their domestic duties of raising children and maintaining a household.
Journal from pexels.com
Each woman used her own style and technique to communicate through poetry. Emily Dickinson often wrote about her frustrations surrounding religion, law, and nature. She was very inspired by other writers in the Romantic Era. Today, Dickinson is considered one of America’s greatest original poets. In her writing, she showed incredibly sharp-sighted observations a noteworthy ability to explore social and literary concepts. Despite not having any formal education, she wrote because “it is liberating but also knocks our feet off the ground”, as she once described. I think anything women do is backed by passion that is unique to us. These poets continue to inspire from the 17th century into the modern day.
Poetry can be a struggle to read and understand when the diction is something resembling Shakespeare’s style. However, many poets today handle the language of poetry with grace and authenticity. Rupi Kaur, is one of today’s most renowned poets. She reached millions of people with her 2014 publication “milk and honey”, and continues to do so today through her new works, “the sun and her flowers”, and “home body”. She creates a space where all women can relate to each other’s ache, and the need to feel heard and seen. Women in poetry utilize writing as a tool of agency and expression. Just as Dickinson felt, writing is liberating.
Whether you are a writer or not, I believe all women should read literature and/or poetry. It can give names to experiences and feelings that are difficult to understand. Poetry benefits the reader and the writer. It gives rhythm to silence and brings creativity and imagination to the forefront. Reading helps improve ideas, skills, and self-development Being mindful of the present world and daily life and routines is also something that poetry captures well. Mundanity becomes meaningful in just a few lines.
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One thing I noticed is that writing quickly connects us to other people. Many of the most famous writers were friends! Many participated in the same workshops, visited each other’s homes, and wrote letters to each other from afar. Likewise, today, with the use of social media, local and university courses, and events- writers can continue fostering a community. Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield are widely remembered as bitter foes but in truth, the two had an affectionate albeit turbulent friendship. Both women were ambitious and had a mutual understanding of their literary talent. They challenged each other with insight and critique. Woolf was even hurt by one of Mansfield’s critiques, and yet it was one that ultimately improved her next three works.
Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton both attended Boston University and took the same poetry classes. They discussed writing and enjoyed discussing and pushing back against the expectations for women of that time. It will always be incredible to me the power behind women standing together. When we share works with each other we become inspired. Proofreading and receiving constructive criticism strengthens everyone. Others bring a different perspective, new ideas, and a nuanced imagination. Women in the poetry world are brutally honest and this level of depth has a profound influence over the culture of writing.
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Still to this day, many writers have captured the struggles of isolation and loneliness because of COVID-19. This is how we stay connected. For eons, the written word has always been a way to preserve history, to have the self-remembered. Every woman should read or write poetry (even if its “bad”). The goal is to have fun expressing and play with language and create your own. As a place to start, here are 11 Beautiful Poetry Collections written by female poets.
This article explores my personal take and observations about the mother-daughter connection. I am aware that many girls and women grew up without a mother figure in their lives and that many have traumatic or difficult relationships with their mothers. Please note that my intention is not to discount readers’ who lack a maternal connection.
Mothers can be a cornerstone, the place of nurturing, care, and unconditional love. Although this love is expressed in different ways and by different degrees, the bond between mother and daughter is a dynamic one. Ideally, a mother is a powerful role model to a daughter. She emulates compassion, gentleness, and strength in multiple areas. Many women watch their mothers take care of everyone, a home, sometimes at their own expense and it is admired. Daughters see this act of resilience, especially in times of stress and overwhelming situations. Mothers can provide a sense of safety and security during these tumultuous moments.
When daughters bond with their mothers, it helps develop a sense of self, the capacity to nourish and care for oneself, a relationship to one’s body, self-esteem, and it can also set the stage for other relationships later on in life. Dr Christiane Northrup, author of the book Mother-Daughter Wisdom (Hay House), says: “The mother-daughter relationship is the most powerful bond in the world, for better or for worse. It sets the stage for all other relationships.”
If you’re like me, added hormones is not for you. I’ve battled with the side effects of just about every hormone based contraceptive since I started birth control in my freshman year of high school in order to regulate my period. It has cost me increased anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, lack of confidence, stress, and extreme mood changes. For those with a history of blood clots, it can even be very dangerous, and doctors will not prescribe them hormonal birth control due to this. Although this is not the case for most people, some just would prefer to not have additional hormones in their body in order to not get pregnant. Recently, I’ve seen several advertisements for a new non-hormonal birth control, Phexxi, a vaginal contraceptive gel that has been a sigh of relief to many. Phexxi became commercially available in September of last year, shortly after it became FDA approved.
Seldom do we pay attention to the way our bodies respond to our menstruation cycle outside of standard PMS and period pains. After two years of tracking my cycle and PMS symptoms and extending those observations past menstruation, I realized how my body, mood and hormones flow according to the 4 phases.
There are 4 phases of the menstrual cycle: Menstruation, the Follicular phase, Ovulation and the Luteal phase. Of course, a well-known occurrence during this cycle consists of symptoms of PMS or Premenstrual Syndrome: from mood swings, to apathy, cravings, and stomach troubles–but typically this only describes one phase. Additionally, it’s quite common for women to get through the bleeding phase and move on through. I had forgotten how, as women, our internal body functions around this cycle for the entirety of the month. Allow me to explain how tracking and understanding each phase can bring more control, clarity, and respect for what our bodies most need.
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