This week, Bayer has been under fire with the Food and Drug Administration for its birth control pills Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella. The pills in this family contain a synthetic hormone called drospirenone, which is being linked to the seventy-five percent increased chance of blood clots. Bayer went in front of the FDA and unfortunately, the FDA ended up voting 15-11 to keep the pills on the market. They did however vote “21-5 on Thursday that labeling on Bayer’s popular Yaz and similar birth control pills is inadequate and should be revised to better reflect the higher risk of blood clots associated with these drugs.” Some of the members of the panel voted yes because they feel there are women that do benefit from the drugs. Well, yeah I and many of the other women affected had benefits. And then we almost died.

After going through such a harrowing experience and reading about so many other women who’ve gone through the same thing, it’s tough to know they will stay on the market for now. The lawsuits are still ongoing, and I hope the women affected get some peace of mind and justice. If you don’t think it’s that common, check out some of the responses I got…

Dear Mom,

Lately you’ve been giving me an earful about how “my generation” is somewhat selfish, immature and materialistic, which is evident in our relaxed, no-rush approach to marriage, babies and careers. You’ re not being mean, just observational. “Your generation” started younger, so to say; marriage, babies and careers happened in your twenties not your thirties as it does more often in today’s world. Although you strongly believe it is different for everyone, you seem to have a special standard for me personally. You were married with your first kid by the time you were twenty-five…and that was after being a fashion merchandising buyer for the once popular clothing store A&S. (Superwoman.) You never had a problem with me being single until I turned twenty in September of this year. All of a sudden my relationship status has become a constant topic of conversation. I know you want what’s best for me mom but I have to be honest. With all due respect, Mom, I don’t want a boyfriend.

My friends and siblings are in relationships and I am so very happy for them because I get it — relationships are great. But right now I am at a place in my life where being single is great for me. Here’s why… Read More »

Winter break can get boring, so make something cool

Turns out us college kids aren’t super greedy, we still want our perfect job

Why try these fun winter activities this year?

The amazing confessions of an English teacher in South Korea

Simple ways to save money while in college

Yummy! Holiday brain food

Homemade marshmallows. Must.make.immediately.

The benefits of getting counseling in college

Having the right bra size isn’t only good for the look of your ta-tas, but your health too

Earlier this week, Sigma Phi Epsilon at the University of Vermont was suspended after new members responded to a fifteen question document. A questionnaire sounds harmless enough, right? Wrong. One of the questions was, “If you could rape someone, who would it be?”. Students at UVM held a rally on Thursday about the incident, and the suspension comes after over 3,200 students signed a petition requesting action against the fraternity. Sigma Phi Epsilon’s headquarters say that this is an isolated incident and it does not reflect the views of the fraternity, they did take action and are conducting an investigation.

This situation is reminiscent of the Yale Delta Kappa Epsilon scandal of October 2010 where members were led around campus chanting “No means yes, yes means anal.” Yale announced in May that they were suspending the chapter, but the scandal also resulted in the creation of the Marshall Committee and the subsequent banning of Yale Sex Week. While the UVM scandal has sparked conversations at UVM that “speak out against rape culture (evidently actively fostered by this UVM fraternity)” it’s also sparked a lot of conversations in support of the fraternity. Even though it appears the incident was isolated between a few individuals, it doesn’t change the fact that it encouraged rape. Read More »

It’s that time of year again, when the weather is getting colder, and the semester is coming to an end, and there’s a reminder of the holiday season everywhere you turn. From Christmas carols to wrapping paper, to baked goods, the usual December suspects are all around us. But nothing truly says the holiday season quite like Christmas movie marathons. Like the rest of the world, I started the holiday season a little early this year, so I’ve been watching Christmas moves since before Thanksgiving. And I have to say after watching about six (or sixty) of them, I’m beginning to notice a few similarities.

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I really think my best moments during Intro to Cooking come when I’m trying to think up something to eat after getting home from work at 11 pm. Nothing inspires creativity quite like not going grocery shopping for two weeks and coming home to a house stocked with peanut butter, ramen noodles and leftover chicken of questionable date.

Let’s review some of Intro to Cooking’s best recipes — the ones I’m most proud of saying that I cooked! Read More »

We all know the best part about getting your hair done is the fact that your blowout lasts several days. Okay that and the free scalp massage. But seriously, you always leave the hair salon feeling like you stepped out of a Tresemme commercial. And then when you finally give in to washing your hair, your new cut doesn’t feel so hot because you can’t do it like your stylist does. So you blow out your hair and attack it with a flat iron, all because you think you can’t get a good blowout at home. This is a myth. You can get a salon blowout at home whenever you want, it just takes some patience and practice.

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When I was a kid, my friends and I would make jokes about Victoria’s Secret: the bra cups are infused with chemicals that will permanently make your boobs bigger, any male who buys gifts there actually gets an amazing discount, the mysterious “Victoria” is actually a man who is selling his personal lingerie collection.

Well, earlier this week, Victoria’s Secret finally got out. It’s not pretty, it has nothing to do with being sexy, and it’s not even the least bit funny.

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Winter can be wreak havoc on your body and psyche. Your skin is dry, your ears are cold and there is nothing sexy about long underwear. More than anything, I hate daylight savings; getting out of 4pm class to complete darkness is the worst. Having moved from Texas to New York, northern winters hit me particularly hard.  I visited Columbia as a prospective student in February, so I knew just how cold it could get up here. The one thing nobody told me just how long northeastern winters last! From November to April, I am absolutely freezing, and what was up with that blizzard on Halloween? This year I am taking a stand. Since I only have one year left of college, I’m determined to not let winter be the worst part of it. I am not going to order Indian delivery and hide under my covers all day. I have combined three years of actual winter experience with some online research to compile a winter blues action plan to get us through it.

Stay warm and dry.

This seems obvious, but maximizing your warmth and dryness actually takes some tact. You want to be warm, but you don’t want to look like a snowman or get wedgies. Layers are the key to staying warm while looking somewhat polished. Seriously, you probably couldn’t guess the number of layers I’m wearing right now. During the winter, I layer tights (usually with a flesh color at the bottom) and wear camisoles under my shirts. I also recommend a layer of cashmere or lightweight fleece under your coat. For ultimate warmth invest in good rain boots and an effective winter coat (I am a fan of Burton coats because they are stylish and sturdy). When it is really cold, I wear thick ski socks and weave two pashmina scarves (of complementary shades) together for double warmth. It is pretty annoying to take on and off layers upon layers whenever you enter or exit a building, but being warm is worth it.

Music

When you have to walk somewhere, distract yourself from the biting cold by listening to music. If you wear big stereo headphones, they can double as hipster ear muffs.

Exercise

Just because bikini season is over does not mean you should fall into a sedentary lifestyle. Staying healthy will keep you happy; the only reason your winter jeans should be a size bigger is to accommodate long underwear. Exercising regularly will keep your endorphins levels up and keep you feeling good about yourself. Wouldn’t it be magnificent to already be in good shape when spring comes around?

Indulge in winter-time treats

Winter comes with special food and activities: cider, hot chocolate, ice-skating, skiing, fireplaces Christmas markets, cuddle buddies. Getting excited about the nice features of winter can make it seem less dull, at least for the first few months.

Light

Don’t be left in the dark! Soak in as many rays as you can and work under bright lights. Lack of sunlight has been proven to be a depression trigger. Some people swear by light therapy; I personally haven’t tried it, but maybe I’ll get some brighter light bulbs this year.

Don’t Get Sick

Just because it is winter doesn’t mean you have to catch a cold. Wash your hands regularly, carry hand sanitizer, get a flu shot, take a multivitamin and maintain your healthy diet.

Don’t Get Congested

Maybe it is just me, but whenever the heater is on I wake up congested every morning. I try not to blow my nose too much because I am susceptible to winter nosebleeds. Every since I started including a Neti-Pot rinse to my morning routine, winter has felt less stuffy.

Vitamin D

If you feel like you need more vitamin D in your life, take a supplement or eat Vitamin-D rich foods. Don’t use a tanning bed!

Something that motivated me to do this challenge was the fear of popping a zit at work and having it bleed as if I had been stabbed. I’m sitting here at work holding a tissue to my face because I absentmindedly popped a zit on my face. What could be more humiliating than that? Having six or seven Korean kids come up and scream “Teacher! You bleeding!”

This first week has been marginally difficult. While not touching my face has not been that hard, not popping any zits has been. Every time I have had the urge to touch my face and I acknowledge that it is happening,  I stop and try to think about what I am feeling. Basically whenever I’m feeling bored, frustrated or down in the dumps, I tend to go crazy with wanting to get rid of the zits as fast as possible. It’s always been that way, throughout middle school, high school and college. I would get in the dumps about something and just start picking away, trying to eradicate the problem by picking away at something I didn’t like about myself.

My friends who have known me the longest have seen the changes my skin has gone through. From the typical pubescent acne to my current “Wow, you have acne and you’re how old?” they have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of it all.  I asked some of them this last week if they noticed my skin when they first met me and I’ve heard a mixture of “Oh, I hardly notice any more.” Um, I didn’t ask if you notice now and you haven’t seen me in four months. My friends all seem to have clear, smooth complexions and the only advice they would give me about my skin is just to not pop the zits.  Well, no sh*t. But when you turn and look at yourself in the mirror and there are zits and black heads spanning most of your face, you just want them gone by any means necessary. Popping has been, for me, the most effective and immediate way to get rid of it.  It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve turned into some sort of stress relief. Getting rid of that puss has turned into a symbolic way of ridding stress in my life, I am physically pushing it out of my body by popping a zit and forgetting by doing so I add more stress and shame to how I look by adding a scab or a new scar or pit.

After a week of trying to not pop any zits, touching my face, and washing my face every morning and night, I think there is a small difference. I haven’t had as many new breakouts in the past week. But it is incredibly hard to resist the urge to pop or prod some of these black heads that have sprung up around my neck and jaw line these past couple days. I believe I’m getting closer to that wonderful time of the month and my skin is becoming incredibly more sensitive. Add those extra hormones to the extra work outs I’ve been doing and I’m sure I’ll be broken out with fresh zits all next week and I’ll be DYING to get rid of them.

Recognizing my triggers, however, helps me to avoid them. I know when I’m bored that I need to occupy my hands with something. I can’t just sit still and blankly watch some YouTube video or be passive in my classroom. I need to move my hands more often. If I’m stressing out, working out will help relieve that tension in a much more constructive manner. When I’m sad though I don’t really know how I should handle it. Constructively speaking I should keep myself busy and try to not focus on how I feel, but when I’m upset about my skin, it seems completely counterproductive to ignore it. Writing has helped to focus the energy to acknowledge what has upset me, but I need another outlet that isn’t writing or working out. Any advice?

I want to say thank you to every one who has commented and been so supportive. It is so wonderful knowing that I am not alone and others feel the same way. Thank you too for the advice and I want to explain to everyone the reasons why you may notice I don’t mention any use of Accutane or birth control as a way to alleviate my acne problems. I know that Accutane can be incredibly useful and great at solving acne and could help with the slight Rosacea I have but the side effects are too much. When I was 17 I had asked my doctor about it and he said there wasn’t enough evidence for him to suggest I would need it. As well, it is more likely that it would cause more harm to the facial blemish, a large purple blotch from a blood vessel, than it would in helping decrease in size that is on my right side of my face. This is the biggest reason why I will never use it because I fear that this mark will always be on my face and it is the most noticeable characteristic I have. I had some friends in high school who used Accutane and some did have great results but for some it didn’t change their acne much either. I feel that with a lot of my acne problems it is from my own doing, continually touching and popping zits.

With birth control, I have never taken it due to family history of it causing ovarian cysts in almost every female in my family and has hindered some of the women in my family from being able to become pregnant easily after they stopped using the medicine for a year. With all medication there are side effects and with medicine that influences my hormones, I am not comfortable. I hate the feeling of not being in control of my own body and it is plausible as one commenter suggested that my acne is caused by a hormonal imbalance and these medicines could be used to help treat and correct that. I would rather try an old fashion approach of eating right, a normal sleeping schedule, and exercise. Again, thank you so much every one for how wonderful and gracious you are all being with your comments.

Allison is a 2010 graduate who is currently teaching English in South Korea. She likes Reese’s peanut butter cups and a good brown ale — two things she cannot find in South Korea. Oh, and she likes to write.