[In early adulthood there is an activity that plays a large role in most of our lives; nights out on the town. And with those nights out always comes the question: “What am I gonna wear?!?”

Each week I’ll be putting together a cute and affordable “going out” ensemble guide (that you can tweak to your own personal style and body type, of course) so that maybe that age-old question can be answered a little quicker than usual. And your friends aren’t waiting - for hours - for you to emerge from your room. Just consider me your own (free) personal Rachel Zoe.]

So this week marks the official beginning of the holiday season and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year; how can you not enjoy massive amounts of delicious goodness, family time, and a four day weekend? It also means it’s time to head on home and see your family and friends who you left behind when the school year began.

It’s more than likely on Friday or Saturday you’ll hit up a party or two and run into familiar faces that you haven’t seen in ages, so looking damn fine is definitely up there on the list of priorities. You wanna prove to your friends, enemies, and possibly your ex, that college is doing you well and you’re more fabulous than ever. Here’s a guide to a vintage-inspired outfit that’ll accentuate your curves and ever-growing hotness, and leave everyone talking. (And, no, it is not a Pilgrim ensemble…though that would be vintage…) Read More »

What girl doesn’t love sweets? Not to intentionally sound generic, but screw it: Chocolate is like sex (literally). Peanut butter is like heaven. Ice cream, cherries, caramel…all middle names of mine. And it’s not because I’m secretly the witch from Hansel and Gretel, either.

It’s because I’m a woman. But the world of the woman is polluted with Catch 22’s and this is just another example. How in the freakin’ world do we keep the body we want if we’re going to indulge in our beloved sweets?

Well, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Luckily, some lovely health conscience Rachel Ray’s out there have have formulated some recipes that can make us all feel a little more comfortable with our affair with sweets.

So get your girls together and dive in on Oscar night well telling yourself: “Scarlett Johansson has curves. So can I.”

Provided you LIKE caramel walnut cheesecake. (And if you don’t; I don’t think I can trust you.)

CARAMEL WALNUT CHEESECAKE RECIPE: Read More »

Although the results of research done on matters such as how a woman’s weight affects her intelligence level are usually correlational (meaning there are relating factors, but one thing does not directly cause the other), I find it extremely refreshing to see news reports that suggest a healthy weight actually does have positive benefits.

The most recent study comes from scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Santa Barbara, who used data from a study of 16,000 women and girls. Details of their body measurements and their scores in cognitive tests were collected.

The results? Women with a greater difference between the waist and hips scored significantly higher on the tests, as did their children.

These findings are great, but how can this actually be true?

Slate does a wonderful job of breaking down the different theories and showing why they are just that–theories, and their take on it is copied below.

Theories:
1) Hip fat contains omega3 acids, which promote “growth of the brain during pregnancy” and “could improve the woman’s own mental abilities,” whereas waist fat has more omega6 acids, “which are less suited to brain growth.”
2) Teen mothers produce dumber kids because they’re thinner and deficient in omega3. 3) Men like curvy women due to “the double enticement of both an intelligent partner and an intelligent child.” Read More »

You wouldn’t be alone if you thought that a modern, simplistic aesthetic was what was hot at the moment, however, you’d be dead wrong.

What is hot, you ask? Vintage. But not that 80’s crap you’ve been regurgitating for the last 5 years. Nope. Get ready for 1920’s vintage flair.

Needed:

• Beading and fringing
• Drop-waists
• Kate Moss for Topshop
• Short bobs
• Cloche hats

Could this be it? Are the days of babydoll dresses and tent-like silhouettes gone for good? Can we all finally find some dresses that will hug our curves and flatter our features? Is it finally acceptable to be dressed up and beautiful because - gasp! - you want to be? Read More »

I may be a fashionista, but clothes remain an oddity to me. I gave up dressing for the male gender along time ago and now if I show off my tits it’s because I want to. And because I like my breasts, to me they are empowering.

I embraced the baby doll tent/trapeze dress for summer because for once it was a style that was breezy and light and dare I say it comfortable. I decided I’d stick it to the man (or men) who found the style unappealing. I liked it. And they showcased my legs, another of my favorite features. It allowed me to keep the ladies under wraps but let people go gaga over my gams.

All in all, I loved the shape of the summer dresses, or the fact that there wasn’t much shape to them at all.

But it all got me to thinking. In a way although we dress for ourselves, we do dress for others. And the other night I had a horrifying experience where in all of this shapely/shapeless controversy came to a head.

I was walking to the train from work, standing on a corner about to walk into Union Square. It was late and I was tired and talking to my boyfriend. That day I had worn an American Apparel strapless tube dress with a flouncy tunic to cover up the fact that the dress showed more curves than I was comfortable with.

So, I was showing off my shape, but still covering it up. And I had on my mother’s old cowboy boots, since I work at a Texas BBQ restaurant and its pretty much the only dress code requirement of a hostess. They also draw way more attention from men than I ever imagined—I get a “hey cowgirl” at least every other day. Read More »