Laurie Sliva is the founder and director of BRIDGES Camp for Girls, a self-esteem and leadership building summer camp.  We met up with Laurie when we were doing research for CollegeCandy’s Eating Disorder Awareness week and knew instantly that her work and message had to be shared.

We are all fed up with our society’s impossible and unrealistic perception of beauty, and Laurie urges women everywhere to stop trying to change our bodies and start trying to change our mindsets.

I read somewhere that women have a negative thought about their bodies every 15 minutes. Sadly, this doesn’t surprise me.  I can look at my own thoughts over the years and say that sounds about right.  The more I talk to women and girls of all ages and body types, the more

I realize I am not alone.

I did feel alone at one point. I didn’t know that other girls felt like me.  In junior high, the pain of feeling left out, created an overwhelming desire to feel accepted and to feel a sense of belonging.  After losing some of my post-gymnastics, puberty weight the summer before high school, I noticed I got a little more attention from guys and girls. I felt pretty good. Soon I began skipping all meals except dinner with my family (so they wouldn’t find me out) and, when I needed more control, I began throwing up every night after dinner. My battle with anorexia-bulimia took over my life for the next six years my thoughts were occupied with how I was not going to eat, or if I had to eat, when I could throw it up, and how I would hide it from everyone who cared about me. My recovery began my sophomore year of college for a variety of reasons and with the support of family and friends who really didn’t have any idea how to help. Read More »

I’ve never really been much of a health nut. Sure, I try to throw some fruits & veggies in my diet and I drink light beer, but other than that my nutrition quotient is pretty low. I still consider pizza and pasta the two most basic (and essential) food groups.

Despite the fact that I know as much about nutrition as say, someone on Celebrity Fit Club, I actually wasn’t surprised to see this article in the NY Times about those miracle “flushes” and “cleanses.” Basically, lots of doctors says they’re bullsh*t.

According to the article, many western docs think that detox diets are not only not good for you, they could also potentially be harmful. One doctor in the article was quoted as stating “What ends up being consumed during a ‘detox’ are essentially stimulants, laxatives and diuretics.” Ew.

Okay, let me back up a second for those of you who may be as nutritionally clueless as I am. Most “cleanses” are like extreme diets that you undergo for a couple days or weeks. Basically, you avoid certain foods and replace them with nutritional and herbal supplements. In turn, your body that was once full of evil toxins is supposed to rejoice (after you feel like absolute sh*t for a few days) as you remove what the article calls “sludge” from your “constipated” body. Read More »

[Post courtesy of out friends at StyleBakery.com. For more awesome fashion, style and beauty news, check them out!]

We play with a lot of beauty products. In any given week, we’re fairly inundated with lipglosses, moisturizers, body washes and the like. But there are a few products that — no matter how many new ones come our way — we simply can’t live without. Here are the ones in our current arsenal. Read More »

So, you met this fantastic guy. You’ve been hanging out more and more, spending some nights, meeting up at parties, maybe even going to parties together. Things are great, you have a ton of fun, and damn, can the man kiss! You meet some of his friends, and he meets yours. Maybe you even do the toothbrush drop-off at each other’s houses. Awesome awesome awesome; he’s SO into you!

And then, no matter how great things are going, after about four months (max!) it hits you, and you go insane. And you have to ask: “What ARE we?”

Now, we can all admit that dudes are f’in confusing. I am guilty of this insanity as much as anyone. It makes everyone totally crazy because you just want to know that things are getting serious, and that he’s not secretly plotting to get out soon (or spooning with someone else). But still, I am staunchly anti-DTR (that’s ‘define the relationship’), and let me tell you why.

Generally speaking, there are two reasons for initiating the talk:

1. Things are fabulous, you are happy, and you want to revel in your togetherness as much (and as officially) as possible.

2. You’re unsure of how he’s feeling about the whole situation, and you want a little clarification and security. Read More »

So, you met this fantastic guy. You’ve been hanging out more and more, spending some nights, meeting up at parties, maybe even going to parties together. Things are great, you have a ton of fun, and damn, can the man kiss! You meet some of his friends, and he meets yours. Maybe you even do the toothbrush drop-off at each other’s houses. Awesome awesome awesome; he’s SO into you!

And then, no matter how great things are going, after about four months (max!) it hits you, and you go insane. And you have to ask: “What ARE we?”

Now, we can all admit that dudes are f’in confusing. I am guilty of this insanity as much as anyone. It makes everyone totally crazy because you just want to know that things are getting serious, and that he’s not secretly plotting to get out soon (or spooning with someone else). But still, I am staunchly anti-DTR (that’s ‘define the relationship’), and let me tell you why.

Generally speaking, there are two reasons for initiating the talk:

1. Things are fabulous, you are happy, and you want to revel in your togetherness as much (and as officially) as possible.

2. You’re unsure of how he’s feeling about the whole situation, and you want a little clarification and security. Read More »

When I think of spring break, I usually imagine lounging on a beach in Mexico sipping some type of frozen cocktail by day and dancing at a nightclub with all my friends by night.

This March, instead of doing any of the above, I’ll be in New Orleans with 11 strangers, volunteering at an animal shelter that was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. We will be walking dogs, helping with some repairs, and doing some administrative work. At night, we’ll be sleeping in an old church that has been converted into temporary volunteer housing (into which I cannot bring my flat iron!!).

So why would I possibly want to spend my break waking up every morning (without a hangover) at 7:30 a.m. to work with people I don’t even know?

I can think of lots of reasons!

Meeting New People: I wanted to meet some new people and do something fun without having to pay the expensive price of a ticket to somewhere tropical. What better way to make some new friends? At least you know that they’re all going to be nice; I doubt mean people spend their free time volunteering. And while it might be a little awkward at first, after some dreaded icebreaker games and bonding over scooping dog poop together, I’m sure I will leave this week with awesome new friends and memories. Read More »

When I think of spring break, I usually imagine lounging on a beach in Mexico sipping some type of frozen cocktail by day and dancing at a nightclub with all my friends by night.

This March, instead of doing any of the above, I’ll be in New Orleans with 11 strangers, volunteering at an animal shelter that was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. We will be walking dogs, helping with some repairs, and doing some administrative work. At night, we’ll be sleeping in an old church that has been converted into temporary volunteer housing (into which I cannot bring my flat iron!!).

So why would I possibly want to spend my break waking up every morning (without a hangover) at 7:30 a.m. to work with people I don’t even know?

I can think of lots of reasons!

Meeting New People: I wanted to meet some new people and do something fun without having to pay the expensive price of a ticket to somewhere tropical. What better way to make some new friends? At least you know that they’re all going to be nice; I doubt mean people spend their free time volunteering. And while it might be a little awkward at first, after some dreaded icebreaker games and bonding over scooping dog poop together, I’m sure I will leave this week with awesome new friends and memories. Read More »

[Welcome to my Weekly Love List, a list on all things I love. Because if I love them, well, obviously you should love them too. As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes, I am actually quoting them) “My Love is All I Have To Give.” So with that throwback, here are this week’s list-worthy things…]

There is nothing I love more than a good laugh. And more importantly, a good laugh when I’m bored. at work. at home. on a sunday. in an airport. Thanks to the internet gods of the world, there is no shortage of things that can make us laugh. A You Tube Video, a website where people share their horror stories (which are always funny) or a sight meant to be serious but makes you wonder, “is this for REALZ?”

And boy do I love it all.

So here are 5 of my favorite online sites that make me go hahaha. They make me LOL and sometimes even ROFL. Seriously. They are my go-to’s when I’m about to kill myself (or someone else) out of stress, or boredem, or a lack of desire to be productive. So, to sum that up, I pretty much visit these sites every day.

1) fmylife.com. Today, I discovered a site that I have become so addicted to that I’ve completely stopped productivity in all areas of my life. Well, except my love life – that’s always lacked productivity. FML.

In all seriousness: you will die over other people’s horrible mishaps – true or not. This site makes me feel a whole lot better about the time someone once asked me if I was pregnant… Read More »

Despite what She’s All That claimed during our formative middle-school years, no amount of makeup-free-artistic lonely girl can transform a douchebag into a gentleman. However we all like to believe that we are Belle and if we just love them enough (and listen to the talking cupboard) we can turn every beast into a prince. But at the end of the night (week, month, serious relationship) we’re still left with the same douchebag.

So, in order to stop just one girl from going home with that guy, I’ve compiled a list of three telltale signs that he should be avoided.

1. Blazer and a t-shirt

I have yet to figure out why guys think this outfit is anywhere near attractive. While I guess there is some advantage of knowing that they can go straight to the gym and/or a job interview with just a quick change, there’s something unsettling about the two looks meshing. If they can’t be bothered to decide between the business-casual look and the casual-casual look, chances are they won’t be bothered with remembering your name and number post hook-up. So unless you find yourself wearing a dress and sneakers out to the bars, I would recommend steering clear of this. Read More »

So if you are like me, you’ve been eating more ramen, wearing last year’s winter coat and squeezing every last drop out of the lip gloss tube. In these tough economic times almost everyone is tightening the belt and, sadly, our beauty regimens are one of the first luxuries to get cut. Penny pinching can be depressing, but finding small ways to treat yourself can really boost your spirits. There is a beauty brand out there the really understands this fact and could prove to be our savior!

e.l.f. – eyes lips face Read More »