So there’s this thing that a number of lifestyle bloggers are doing called “Things I’m Afraid to Tell You.” We’re just trying to keep it real. Here goes.
- I cry a lot. I mean, at least once a week (therapy drags it out of me), but often more than that. It’s really a lot. It’s been rumored that there’s something going wrong in my brain, so now I’m on a handful of neuropharmaceuticals. They’re sort of helping, but, still, you know, the crying.
- I’m terrified about leaving college. I know I have another two years, but the idea that eventually they’ll make me leave makes me want to dissolve onto the floor.
- Other people are more capable, accomplished, and interesting than I am. This scares me. I’m really jealous of almost everyone else at Brown, and give almost no weight to my own accomplishments.
- I moved out of my room earlier this year because I had issues with my roommate, but also because I felt like I had failed to thrive in the dorm I was living in. I was super lonely, and my roommate had so many friends in the house that I started to just hate being in our room.
- I really really really like having a boyfriend. I wish I didn’t. It makes me feel very weak and like a very bad feminist.
- Sometimes I want to curl up in a ball and make someone take care of me, feed me soup, stroke my hair, et cetera. I feel like I’d develop Münchausen Syndrome if I knew I wouldn’t feel guilty about it.
- I avoid doing things that are hard. I hate exercise. I once chose not to take a class because the final paper sounded really long and boring. I make excuses for everything.
- I don’t really appreciate the arts. Jazz? I could do without it. Picasso? That’s weird. Beethoven? Eh. I do, however, enjoy shitty writing (especially my own).
- I’m flaky. I don’t answer texts if I don’t feel like it. Sometimes I bail on bigger plans because I get stressed and weird about it. But if someone doesn’t answer my text, I might cry (see #1).
I’m really not sure about posting this. That Girl Magazine isn’t supposed to be about me. And if this post results in a longwinded and mostly-irrelevant email from my mother, so help me God, I will password protect this whole thing, and encode it in such a high frequency that only those under the age of 30 can hear it.


Being a feminist isn’t about not [i]wanting[/i] companionship, it’s about letting your boyfriend drag you around by the teeth. And all of us avoid things that are hard. Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Even better than being human is being human with other humans. PS – your writing is great!