Verily • 8th April 2020

A Spring Wedding and Coronavirus: Embracing What Is Essential

For a year, I have been planning my May 23 wedding. Truthfully, I’ve been planning this wedding my whole life. I always knew that I wanted to get married, and ever since I was a young girl I had ideas of what my wedding would look like. When I was introduced to Pinterest as a teenager, that idea began to visually take shape as I carefully curated a wedding board full of floral arrangements, wedding dresses, Italian wedding traditions, and color schemes. Shortly after my fiancé and I got engag

Verily • 20th December 2019

Playlist: Best of 2019 (That You May Not Have Heard Yet)

As 2019 winds down and 2020 waits in the wings, I have taken some time to reflect on the last year: all the ups and downs, triumphs, the moments of laughter and tears. As I reflect, I also look back on the music I listened to, which made up my soundtrack for 2019. There are some old constants (Fleetwood Mac) and some new pop sensations (Julia Michaels), but I realize that a huge part of my year was peppered with the ear-worm, top-of-the-charts hits that play on a loop on the radio, at department

Verily • 31st October 2019

Top 40 Remix: Miley Cyrus's 'The Most' is an Ode to Unconditional Love

Loving, and even accepting love, is ultimately a choice Miley Cyrus’s name has been in my newsfeed so much lately for reasons regarding her personal life, that I almost overlooked the fact that she released new music. At the end of May, Cyrus released a six-track EP titled, She Is Coming. The album itself is a hodgepodge of all the different styles that Miley has tried over the years, and personally, I thought it lacked the cohesive storytelling that an album needs for listeners to stick with i

Verily • 29th May 2019

When Thor’s Mom Says Your Tagline . . .

Light spoilers ahead . . . although if you were going to see Avengers: Endgame, you’ve probably seen it by now, right? Avengers: Endgame, the final installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avenger series came out weeks ago, and unless you have been under a rock or have zero interest in the franchise (Nebula, who?), you’ve probably already seen the movie. For fans, the movie was such a compelling final saga and provided such satisfying closure, that it’s hard not to continue reflecting and

Verily • 19th March 2019

"Period. End of Sentence." Deserved Its Oscar and Deserves Your Attention

The 26-minute documentary that sheds a light on the period taboo That Time of the Month. A Visit from Aunt Flo. My Monthly. The Red Devil. So rarely do women directly say what they mean when it comes to their periods; rather we choose to refer to it by funny or mysterious monikers. This is why the documentary, Period. End of Sentence., the 2019 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Short, is so important. The title alone makes clear that the film doesn’t sugarcoat what the average woman deals with

Verily • 6th March 2019

How Julia Michael’s Relatable Hit ‘Anxiety’ Moves Past Awareness to Understanding

Selena Gomez teamed up with Julia Michaels to sing, “Anxiety,” a track released just weeks ago, on Michaels newest EP, Inner Monologue: Part I. If you are wondering who Julia Michaels is, you will might recognize her from her 2017 pop single “Issues,” but honestly if you are familiar with radio pop hits, you’ve heard her work before. Michaels is a songwriter, and she has been composing songs for pop stars such as Gomez, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato for quite some time. In “Anxiety,” the album

Verily • 25th February 2019

Five Memorable Moments from Last Night's Oscars

We've watched it for you. The Oscars forged ahead this year without a host, following the step down of former host pick, comedian Kevin Hart. Nevertheless, as the old adage goes, the show must go on, and fears that the broadcast would be a total trainwreck were quelled, following a rocking opening by Queen and the hilarious onstage banter of three of our “Favourite” funny ladies, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler. While the evening’s entertainment value was mostly lackluster, this year’s

Verily • 16th January 2019

Netflix's 'Baby' Glamorizes Sexual Exploitation of Minors

In the #MeToo era, we have seen countless women bravely come forward to share their stories of sexual assault and harassment. Many of these accusations have been brought against powerful men who have used their status and rank to take advantage of vulnerable or young women, holding their lives, careers, and emotions hostage. One of the most depressing but important things to come out of this movement is that it has changed how we talk about the sexual exploitation of minors, from reanalyzing Woo

Verily • 11th January 2019

Top 6 Shows We'll Be Watching in 2019

If your New Year’s resolutions involve watching better TV, then look no further. This spring will bring a host of excellent show options—some brand new, a few reboots, and a returning series. While not a new show, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is always worth adding to any TV listicle. The second half of season four will be released in January, and we couldn’t be more excited. The show follows Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), a woman held captive by a cult leader in an underground bunker for fifteen y

Verily • 10th January 2019

The Future of Women's Magazines: Where 'Free Love'-Era Advice Lost Modern Readers Like Me

On January 1, the Washington Post published a report titled "Women’s magazines are dying. Will we miss them when they’re gone?" In the lengthy feature, Lavanya Ramanathan details the history of women's magazines that began in the 1960s, noting their rise to prominence at a time when women's ideas in society were less likely to be taken seriously. Sexism was much more rampant than it is today, and feminists like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem were pursuing avenues to spread their messages of eq

Verily • 14th December 2018

How I Discovered Empowerment Through Sewing

When I was younger, I attended a sewing camp where I was taught the basics of sewing techniques. Each summer, while other kids went away for weeks of roughing it in tents and cabins, and chowing down on classic campfire fare after long days of physical activity, I would pack my pattern and fabric and gear up for a week of non traditional camp complete with sewing lessons and a fashion show to flaunt what we had made. I attended this camp for more than five years until I aged out. After my camp

Grotto Network • 25th October 2018

How Anyone Can (& Should) Care for the Homeless

Ever since I was a little girl, I have witnessed my father’s simple yet incredible treatment of people who live on the margins of society. He has always been incredibly generous, but particularly with people who are poor or homeless. I would skip alongside my dad as we walked through the streets of the city where we lived, and observe as he greeted by name the homeless men and women who sat on the sidewalks. He would stop and joke like an old friend, and ask what they needed or if they had e

Verily • 8th October 2018

How The Latest 'A Star Is Born' Compares To the Others

I watched all four versions of the iconic film this weekend, and here's what I think. This past weekend, the much anticipated, “A Star is Born” starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper was released, bringing in a whopping $41.3 million. I was one of the many who sat in the theater, completely locked into the story for the over two-hour run time. To say I enjoyed the movie would be an understatement. A Star is Born tells the story of Jackson Maine, an alcoholic country-rock star, whose career is q

Verily • 5th September 2018

5 TV Shows That Caught Our Eye This Fall

Be sure to set your DVRs. Fall is undeniably one of the coziest seasons, and lucky for us we have an amazing lineup of television shows to cuddle up and watch as the weather changes. This fall our TVs will be graced with some exciting reboots, new releases, and series returns. The Good Place starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, is a lighthearted comedy about a group of deceased characters that all find themselves in the Good Place, aka heaven or paradise. Bell’s comedy will be returning for i

Acculturated • 18th December 2017

Good vs. Evil in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

This past weekend marked the release of Star Wars: Episode VIII, The Last Jedi. This is the second film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which has introduced a whole new generation to the joys of Star Wars fandom. This movie has received mixed reviews, which, as a loyal Star Wars fan, baffles me, but as a general media consumer I understand the critiques. Even though the franchise is becoming more inclusive and diverse, the story stays basically the same; good versus evil, beautifully choreogra

Acculturated • 9th November 2017

I’ll Take My Superheroes Seriously, Thank You

Thor: Ragnorak, the third installment in the Thor series and the seventeenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuted this past weekend, and as an avid fan of superheroes in general, I made sure to see it right away. Nearly three hours after sitting down in the theater, I walked out disappointed, popcorn bucket hanging limply at my side. The movie was so over-saturated with comedy that it failed to be funny. In our nearly full theater, laughs were scattered, even though there was nary a mo

Acculturated • 24th October 2017

'Mindhunter' and the Glamorization of Serial Killers

Recently, Netflix released a new original series, Mindhunter, exploring the minds of serial killers. In 1977, F.B.I. hostage negotiator Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) begins to question the troubling nature of criminals who seem immune to all reason. Along with agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), a behavioral science specialist, Ford interviews some of the United States’ most notorious convicts in order to better understand how their minds work. The show is a cerebral thriller, based on real events

Verily • 17th October 2017

For Me, an Assault Survivor, the #MeToo Campaign Isn’t Like Other Social Media Activism

I did what I thought I could never do. For nearly two weeks, I have watched as outrage over Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct has been broadcast all over social media. The exposé published by the New York Times created a domino effect, leading one A-list celebrity after another to speak out about their experience having been assaulted or harassed by Weinstein. The brave testimony of one woman led to the empowerment of many—including myself. Just when it seemed Weinstein and his sexual misde

Verily • 8th August 2017

Is the Target Swim Campaign the Only Example of Body Diversity We’ve Seen All Summer?

Sometimes inspiration comes from unlikely places In late July, Miami Swim Week took place. The bathing suit version of fashion week features bronzed bikini-clad models strutting around in what we’re told will be next year’s hottest trends. This year, though, one runway switched things up: Sports Illustrated. The magazine-turned-swimsuit-brand launched its 2018 collection with a new lineup of plus-size suits modeled by the women they were designed for—in other words, women who don’t fit the size

Verily • 24th July 2017

This Powerful New Book Made Me Appreciate My Freedom as a Female

‘Daring to Drive’ should be on your summer book list. This morning I woke up to the sun shining through my windows. I checked the weather and put on a light summer dress to provide comfort in the heat. I hopped on my regular commuter train and took the empty seat next to an older gentleman. Normally, I wouldn’t think twice about these details of my morning routine, just what life looks like for a young American woman. But I recently read the memoir of a modern-day woman whose life offered none