Back when gender roles were more strictly defined, a “sissy” was the last thing a man wanted to be called. These days, some men are going out of their way trying to earn the privilege of being called a sissy.

I’ve always been seen as difficult — even from the beginning. And I’m sick of being expected by society to bow my head and be quiet.

that coy sweet vanilla body spray
mixed with expectation
and I could taste skin
before I could even see it.

I will always rise.

Loving yourself has nothing to do
with vanity.

I was essentially being told what to wear to work — as if sexist societal norms were some type of excuse — as if my own hard work into this profession didn’t speak for itself.

Learn, think, move forward. Use your voice as a chain to break freer, like a battering, swinging signal. Let’s educate ourselves, inform ourselves, and never let them put us down again.

Take the pictures. Take them all. If you’re feeling it, take 100 in a row. Soak in this moment and say, “Damn, I look good.” Because you do.



A strong woman will never fit perfectly into your idea of strength, or even womanhood.

Are we using it to promote a healthy coexistence with men or are we turning into men to try to beat them at their own game? Have women in the public eye been using this responsibly?