This month, Lisa Belkin, a writer for The New York Times’ Motherlode blog, wrote about her own disbelief and utter shock towards the following message sent by the Sigma Nu fraternity of Duke University: “Hey Ladies, Whether your dressing up as a slutty nurse, a slutty doctor, a slutty schoolgirl or just a slut, we invite you…” Lisa Belkin admitted to being stunned by the message.  Adding it to her already established education of college relations, she concluded that “in social settings and in relationships men set the pace, the rules, and act as they had in the days when women were still “less than.”  It might as well [be] the 1950s, but with skimpier clothing, fewer inhibitions and better birth control.”

My initial reaction: Now, I am in no way going to defend this obviously sexist Facebook message, but I am also not going to say I was as shocked as Lisa Belkin when reading it. Being the recipient of several variations of the same message, I felt indifferent — if not completely unmoved — by the evident sexist remarks. If anything, the message was just some boys being immature…

Lisa Belkin provides several other examples of “after-class sexism” that exist at other universities. From the Delta Kappa Epsilon chapter at Yale, chanting, “No means yes, and yes means anal,” to Kappa Sigma fraternity of Southern California who refer to women as “targets” who “aren’t actual people like us men,” there were many examples to pick from. Princeton junior Jared Griffin adds to this general feeling by correctly observing: “When the guys go [out] they are laid-back, casual, like they are going to class. But the women come in, in short cocktail dresses, makeup, high heels…” Read More »

No, I’m not talking about moving home with your parents, which I fully support. The New York Times recently published an article about the current trend of parents purchasing shiny new NYC apartments for their kids as a graduation present. Forget a new dress for the ceremony, some apartment supplies or maybe even plane tickets to Europe, these parents are dropping $1.15 million on a condo to send their kiddies off into the real world.

The article cited a variety of reasons why the parents thought that this “present” was appropriate. My personal favorite was, “it was a way for us financially to give them money without having to die.” Well, that’s a bit much.

But regardless, it got me thinking. Just because some parents can afford such a luxurious gift (to think I had my fingers crossed for some new baking pans…) does that make it appropriate? Is buying a brand spankin’ new pad really going to help grads get on their feet, pinch pennies and save up for their own place one day? Not having to worry about cramming three people into a tiny apartment and paying an outlandish amount of rent does sound pretty awesome…

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After months of studying and working my post-grad ass off for the LSAT, I finally got my score. After weeks of waiting and anxious e-mail checking (I had to remove email messages from my Blackberry because every time my phone lit up or beeped, my heart would stop), the message letting me know whether or not I’d be able to apply to the schools I’m interested in or not appeared. As the message sat in my inbox, I took a deep breath to see the reality of what I’ve worked so hard for.

And instantly, I felt disappointed.  See, because I have student loans from undergrad, I am very cautious about paying for law school. In order to combat massive amounts of student loans, my goal was to go to law school with the bulk of my expenses paid for or a full-scholarship. Depending on what law school you want to go to, the option of a scholarship could be determined by one to two points. And unfortunately, where I want to be and the amount of money I want is not a reality right now. Talk about a cold hard slap in the face!

With months of dedicated LSAT studying behind me, I feel discouraged. If money wasn’t an issue, I would just dust myself off, suck it up, take the test again and not worry about the outcome or the prospective costs. However, money to pay for school is the end-all-be-all for me right now (you know, unless I win the lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House comes to my place with a big check and balloons). It sucks, but hey, a girl has to look at the big picture and consider everything.

A lot of people feel the liberty to say “told you so” to me right now. However, feeling a setback from the score doesn’t surprise me like some may think. My goals and scholarship options were set very high. I went into this knowing the very specific set scores for different schools and what it would take to get the money I need. Trust me, it’s been on my mind for months.

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Earlier this week, the New York Times posted one of their chuckle-worthy trend pieces on how the look of Seinfeld icon Elaine Benes is suddenly de rigeur among fashionistas. Suddenly, those flouncy floral dresses, lace tops, floppy hair and boxy denim jackets Elaine sported through the better part of the classic NBC series are back in a big way among style-conscious gals.

Now, I’m as big of a Seinfeld fan as anyone. I’m most certainly the master of my domain, I’ve eaten at the real “coffee shop,” Tom’s diner (the food’s not that great), and vetted more than a few potential partners for their spongeworthy-ness. Hell, I’m pretty sure my current career as a magazine writer in New York was inspired in part by subconscious, youthful admiration for the Seinfeld heroine herself. But would I advocate a full-on renaissance of Elaine’s style? Initially, my answer was an adamant “no!” But then I realized that the Elaine look has already been in revival for quite some time.

Nine months’ time, to be precise.

Since the premiere of our favorite fist-pumping partygoers on The Jersey Shore last December, I knew I’d seen Snooki before. That hair? That sass? That cute-meets-cuckoo persona? She’s totally a tanned-up, dressed-down street version of Elaine!

Don’t believe me? Evidence that Lainey and Snooks were separated at birth: Read More »

I am the perfect product of a 20-something generation.  I am 23 years old, I’ve graduated college, I’m single and I live at home with my parentals (wow, typing it in a sentence just made me realize how pathetic it all sounds).   I’m doing a bit of freelance blogging and slowly looking for jobs (by slowly I mean sifting through jobs that don’t give me a heartbeat and leaving my energy for the ones I truly love).  Living the dream can be a slow and patient process, but I have the drive to let the dreams settle in.  I want to find that perfect job.  I want to do something I love and as long as it’s going to take me – I am willing to let it ride.

And according to a recent New York Times post, that makes me (and the rest of us) lazy and immature.
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There are some things you shouldn’t fake but you do anyway. We’ve all done it. I did it last night. Heavy breathing, a little writhing, a moan or two, and you’re got yourself a straight up ‘big O.’ Hey I just wanted to get some sleep, I was too damn tired for a marathon sex sesh.

It doesn’t mean that some things aren’t better faked.

Sometimes you just don’t have the time to read the New York Times every morning, or take up sailing to impress the hot preppy guy in your economics class, or even make sure your life isn’t a complete disaster. In this case, sometimes a girl just has to fake it. Hey, you think I actually have time to read the whole Economist every week to fit in with my superstar Ivy peers? Hells no.

How to Fake Knowing About Current Events:

1. Pick up the Economist from the library, read the first 5 pages where they summarize all the major events that happened in the past week in bullet points.

2. Skim the world section of the Times every morning, usually you can pick up the main points in 10 minutes- things in Iraq continue to go to hell, terrorism lives on, etc.

3. Every Sunday the Times summarizes all the major news stories of the previous week. Plus all the stories rock.

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Not only does college leave me stumped in my latest lecture, the daily grind leaves me scratching my head as well. Especially when it comes to my questionable relationships with men boys. Countless hours spent over-analyzing his latest text, the way he touched my arm in the bar, and how many days it took him to finally pitch me a Facebook message… It’s exhausting.

So who’s to blame for the late night ponderings?

Well, according to a recent article in the New York Times, it seems the culprit is me. Well, me as a lady, at least. Alex Williams, the author, argues that the real problem with dating in college comes from the fact that there are more girls on campus than guys and the reason men act the way they do in college is because (in most cases) there are less of them and they can get away with it. The article even suggests that, because of the the general laws of supply and demand, it is the women who have to assert themselves romantically or they will be left alone on Valentines Day to “stare down George Clooney movie over a half empty pizza box.”  Um, ouch.

In a situation where women outnumber men, the article states, “men have all the power to control the intensity of sexual and romantic relationships.”  Therefore, if they do not get what they are looking for with one woman, it is easy for them to move on to the next.  A woman, however, doesn’t have that luxury since her pool of potential suitors is much smaller.

Does this lopsided population gap in college really describe the backwards dating behavior? Read More »

Like many busy college students, I often justify skipping gym sessions by telling myself that I don’t have enough time.

“I have a paper to write, I can’t waste an hour waiting for the only elliptical that works.”
“I need to run on the treadmill for at least 45 minutes, and since I have a paper due tomorrow, that’s out of the question. I probably just shouldn’t go at all.”
“I’m not waking up at 7am to get in an hour workout before class.”

You know the deal.

I know that if I don’t clock in at least thirty minutes of cardio per session, I feel like my gym outing has been a waste and a failure. And I’m always hard on myself if I leave without doing crunches, even if I’ve run a couple of miles. In short — going to the gym has become about the time clock, but according to a study published in the New York Times, I’m going about things all wrong!

A couple of years ago, researchers from the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan observed two groups of rats paddling in a small pool. The first group completed two 3-hour workout sessions, and the other group engaged in interval training, moving for twenty seconds and then resting for ten seconds for a total of 14 reps. The scientists were trying to figure out if prolonged exercise did more for the body’s endurance (ie., your ability to work out for longer, which translates into more calories burned) than the shorter/quicker exercise method. They found that both groups exhibited the same molecular changes that correspond with endurance gain, coming to the conclusion that we might be working out for longer than we really need to. Read More »

"I take 10 minute showers! I'm killing the planet!"

For the past few months I’ve been talking your ear off about why the earth is in trouble and how you can go green to save our environment.  And while it’s great to do whatever you can to protect the planet, there is such a thing as caring a little too much. According to the New York Times, there has been an increasing amount of people that report anxiety and stress because they feel like they are never as green as they would like to be.  And, believe it or not, such anxious thoughts about the environment can have negative impacts on your emotional state, your health, and your relationships.

How do you know if you’re just a concerned citizen or full-blown green stress case?  Read on for the answer and for ways to manage if you’re glowing green just a little too brightly.

Are you green stressed? There’s a huge difference between being concerned and being down right obsessed.  Before you go any further, ask yourself a few questions:  Are you happy with your efforts to help the environment?  Do you feel like you’re doing enough to go green?  Are you willing to give up your green efforts to preserve some of your favorite activities?  If you answered yes to all of these questions, then congrats!  You are helping in a way that is both healthy for the environment and healthy for your well-being.

Didn’t pass the test? Then you may have some anxiety issues related to going green. With all of the information out there, it’s hard to feel like you’re ever doing enough to counteract the rest of the world’s indifference.  Before you start ripping your hair out, realize that this is more of a psychological issue than an environmental issue.  An obsession with going green is just the same as an obsession with losing weight or making money – you never feel like you’re doing enough. Read More »

"I'm running for the pizza. I'm running for the pizza!"

Ever wonder why those treacherous treadmill sessions haven’t turned you into the next Gisele?
Are you one of those people who thinks that you can eat a slice of pizza after leaving the gym because the body is supposed to burn more fat on days that you exercise?

Well, step away from the pizza, woman.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, the commonly held belief that you continue to burn calories for hours after exercising (commonly known as “afterburn” — you know, the idea that you get a “free meal” that day because you burned 400 calories on the elliptical) is actually a myth! Read More »