6 Things Women Should Stop Having To Do

1.  Apologizing for wearing makeup/not wearing makeup 
Ew, why are you wearing red lipstick to the gym? Because I want a killer body and to look fabulous doing so that's why!  We live in a world where women are pressured to look a certain way. The women on the magazines don't even look like the women on magazines because of makeup and photoshop.  Women can hardly go to the grocery store without makeup on or we are asked if we're feeling sick or instantly assumed we are dying.  This same world, though, cruelly judges us when we do though.  We've all heard some guy say "you'd be prettier without so much makeup" but the second it comes off they run for the hills.  Guess what guys - we will wear as little or as much makeup as we damn well please without trying to please you because we're all fabulous.

2. Saying they're not a feminist
Oh you're not a feminist? So you think men should have more rights than women? Well that's what you just said.  FEMINISM DOES NOT MEAN YOU HATE MEN, OR LIKE TO BURN BRAS, OR THINK WOMEN SHOULD RULE THE WORLD (but c'mon just think about it...), feminism simply means that you believe women should all the same rights and responsibilities as men. Equal rights are totally in right now.  Why are little girls called bossy but little boys praised for being good leaders? Double standards, that's why.  It makes my heart so happy that Emma Watson (well known for portraying the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films) recently stood up and spoke in front of the UN about the common misconception of feminism.  Hopefully with the likes of Miss Watson, Beyonce and Taylor Swift (to name a few) coming out as feminists, young girls will follow in their lead.

3. Apologizing for liking Taylor Swift

Anyone who knows me understands that Taylor Swift will forever be my first love.  I also need like 5 more hands to count the number of times someone has asked "Who's your favorite artist or band?" and I've had to quickly mumble Taylor Swift's name hoping they don't hear me only to look up to see them rolling their eyes or giving me a look of disgust. Why? Since the beginning of her time, everyone has stereotyped the girl as the crazy, clingy ex girlfriend who does anything for attention.  The girl is now 24 years old and has only had 6 boyfriends,  being in the spotlight for 8 years.  Wow, what a slut, right? Wrong.  All of her songs are about bashing her ex boyfriends? Nope you've probably only listened to like 3 songs, so that's okay.  She should right a song saying that she's problem? Yeah, she's way ahead of you considering she's mentioned it countless times in many songs.  She's just another stuck up, wanna-be celebrity that doesn't care about her fans? Right, that's why she visits children's hospitals like once a month, invites hundreds of fans into her personal home to listen to her unreleased album, and consistently talks to her fans on social media.  Also not to mention if someone hacks her phone they'll only find pictures of her cats, baked goods, and maybe the occasional selfie.  Have I also mentioned she's been writing her own songs since before she was even in middle school?  When she finally does write a song saying she doesn't care what the haters have to say and she's going to continue dancing to the beat of her own drum, people still find a way to twist her words.  OH WELL.  Quit apologizing and denying that you like one of the world's most strong, inspirational  and successful women and just shake it off.  

4. Slut shaming

Ooh, she's wearing short shorts she must spend every second of her free time nailing some guy she met 5 minutes ago. Or, you know, maybe it's hot outside and she wants to wear something that shows off her awesome legs.  Especially in the high school and college era of our lives us girls like to pick each other apart until there's nothing left.  The reality is we need to stick together.  Girl power rocks, and it can only exist if we stop calling each other whores and sluts.  Who cares if the girl in your sorority has slept with over a hundred different guys? Does that make her less of a person? Does that give you any right to call her names? Here we are back to the double standard.  Guys are praised if they sleep with a lot of women,  show off their nice six ab and basically walk around half-naked.  But God forbid a girl shows off a tiny bit of cleavage, we riot.  If you like having tons of sex - cool. If you decide you're going to wait until marriage - awesome.  If you like wearing booty shorts that show off a bit of cheek - go for it.  If you prefer shorts that stay below your fingertips - then do it.  There's no need to for name calling.  

5. Being told to cover their bodies

Maybe this goes hand-in-hand with slut shaming, but I feel so passionately about what I'm about to say it deserved its own number.  Recently my old high school decided to ban girls from wearing yoga pants and leggings.  Why? Because it was distracting to guys.  IT. WAS. DISTRACTING. GUYS. REALLY?  Instead of teaching guys to keep their eye on the prize (ahem, the school work not their neighbor's ass), we tell girls that they should be ashamed of their body and that they have to hide it.  I can remember sitting in grade school watching a girl get yelled at for wearing a tank top to school.  Do our bare shoulders really turn you on that much that you can not focus on your work for 7 hours?  Well your idiocy is distracting me.  This just goes to show that we still live in a rape culture.  We blame the victims for showing too much skin instead of blaming the a-holes who couldn't keep their hands to themselves.  

6. Apologize for having emotions

I cry during movies.  I once cried during a commercial about abused puppies.  Sometimes I cry if you make fun of me for crying.  Do not ask us if we are PMSing and for the love of those sad abused puppies, do not just ASSUME we are pmsing.  We aren't just crying for the sake of crying, it's called hormones.  And men have them too.  I'm sorry you prefer to bottle it all up and not have a soul but do not make us feel like we are crazy for feeling everything too much.  

The Sounds of Fall

We all know exactly what the season fall looks like.
Scarves, orange leaves, tiny foxes, pumpkin patches, hay piles, halloween costumes, and cozy sweaters.
We all know what it smells like.  Pumpkin pie, that fresh outdoor smell, coffee, cinnamon cookies, hay, and crisp apples.
The idea of what exactly fall sounds like has been on my mind as of late.
I've decided to sum up, for me, what my favorite season sounds like with 10 songs for you to enjoy.



10. Skinny Love - Bon Iver
We've all heard the hit song.  It's the sad, lonely hit song about loving someone so much and knowing that it's doomed.  It won't last and unfortunately there's nothing you can do about it except sit back and watch it happen.  One thing you should know about me is that I love the acoustic guitar.  Every song from here on out will probably feature an acoustic guitar, too.  It just sounds like fall to me, whatever that means.  If this song is not on your Sunday morning playlist while you're wrapped in an oversized sweater, sipping coffee, get on it. Disclaimer: you may need some tissues because this song makes you feel heart ache whether you can relate or not.

9. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
This song features very few words. Yet somehow it just screams fall. I almost can't even explain. The second you listen you will nod your head and say "aw yes, that indeed is the sound of fall".

8. Young Volcanoes - Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy?! A song that reminds you of the warm feeling of fall?! Yes. One of those rare Fall Out Boy songs that features an acoustic guitar,  This song was my jam all summer long but it just feels more natural now that the leaves are changing. Is it the reference to foxes and hounds? Or is it because you feel like sitting around a campfire with all your besties singing along?

7.  Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran
Okay okay okay, so acoustic guitars may be my guilty pleasure, but acoustic guitars with violin are the key to my heart and scream fall in my ears.  Ed Sheeran is the poster child for our season of autumn. His ginger hair and ugly sweaters make everything all right.

6.  Beer/Flashlight/Maps - The Front Bottoms
These are three different songs, btw. I couldn't choose.  I pride myself on my ability to discover awesome little bands on my own.  With the Front Bottoms it was different though. I was casually listening to an old friend's radio show back in the fall/winter of 2011 and they played the song Maps. I spent the next week searching the internet up and down for a copy of the album.  The Front Bottoms are the perfect defintion of angsty men and I love my music angsty.  All three of these songs makes you want to go camping and curl up to the fire on a chilly night and pray you don't get eaten by a bear. Thanks for introducing me to this band, now I hope I introduce all of you. Enjoy.

5.  Oh Comely - Neutral Milk Hotel
I went through a phase where I wanted to listen to nothing but Neutral Milk Hotel.  This song is about 8 minutes of acoustic guitar and a raspy voice.  There's something very dark and uneasy about this song, and I believe there is also something very dark and uneasy about fall too.  Everything around us is dying and it's the beginning of the end (of the year).

4. I Won't Be Found - The Tallest Man on Earth
I can only listen to this song from September - February. There's something so completely original about it all.  His voice is unlike none you've ever heard and it's another one of those songs that I can not explain to you as to why it sounds like fall, but please do yourself a favor and type this into youtube. It will definitely make your fall fever playlist.

3.  Tiny Vessels - Death Cab For Cutie
Now we get personal.  3 years ago I spent two weeks listening to this song on repeat nonstop.  I don't think I listened to anything else.  I was so wrapped up in the song and I was trying to relate it somehow to my life and I couldn't make sense of it.  8 months later I finally got it, "you are beautiful, but you don't mean a thing to me."  Every time I hear it now I go back to that place 3 years ago and even on the hottest summer day, for the few minutes it plays it feels like fall.  It's a very sad, apathetic song and as much as I wish it was fall 365 days a year, there is something morbid about it.

2.  All Too Well - Taylor Swift
The references in the song automatically tell you the setting of the song is fall.  "Autumn leaves falling...", scarves, etc.  The thing this song doesn't tell you is that Miss Swift basically wrote this song for me.  This song basically tells the story of an old friendship of mine and that friendship reminds me of autumn time, so math says this song = fall.

1. Civil Twilight  - The Weakerthans
I discovered the Weakerthans in high school, but it wasn't until I reached college that I met people who knew who they were. I wasn't the only one on Earth completely in love with their sound.  Friends come and go and for whatever reason we all parted but everytime I hear this song I instantly go back to one day in particular.  It was October or November and we were on some mindless adventures. I don't know why this memory haunts me every time this song plays. Lyrically the song also brings images of fall to your mind with mentions of bitter cold, dusk and roads icing over, but you received number one because I can't close my eyes when the song plays or it's instantly fall 2011.