I'm in Mexico and watched it in Spanish with South American (Argentinian?) commentators. My Spanish isn't perfect and understanding South American accents can be hard, but I'm *pretty sure* when Marcelo held up his #12 jersey one of the commentators made a Twelve Years a Slave reference.

That's not why I moved to Mexico, but now that I live here I'm trying to be an ally and speak well about my experiences of the culture and what I see my girlfriends, nieces, sisters-in-law and mother-in-law experiencing. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't, and by your count I'm not doing well at all, and I'm…

I can see that, and thanks for your point of view. I'd like to think I'm fairly aware of the ridiculous amounts of privilege I've got (white, wealthy, American) but learning to be an effective ally and talk critically but not appropriatingly about something that goes ignored (and that I had the luxury of obliviousness…

I see that here in Mexico, too. It's so, so problematic. Some vulgar 65 year-old gringo with zero personality and a massive sense of entitlement retires down here and brings nothing to the dating table but a social security check but has a list of requirements as long as his pendulous old man scrotum about how he…

That must've been really frustrating for you, though I suppose some people *could* read your comment as a variation of "but I'm pretty! I shouldn't have to work for it while other —fat and/or less pretty— people get attention!" although FWIW I don't think you meant it that way.

I don't know, I generally thinking straight-up murdering someone is at least moderately more abusive than ignoring them.

I dated a lot when I was being treated for PTSD and in retrospect I kind of wish I hadn't. Hypervigilance is a hard trait to warm to and I think I probably would've been better off just finding a low emotional-impact sex partner and focusing more on doing the work and not, you know, screaming like I was being murdered…

Something similar happened to me about twelve years ago. When that light bulb went on, it flipped a switch in my brain that took me from understanding myself as someone who had permanent anxiety to just being someone who was prone to anxiety. Thankfully, the relief and freedom I felt in the short term (that elation at…

I was almost named Pheonix. Not Phoenix, but Pheonix. Apparently when push came to shove (as it were) my parents couldn't agree whether the O or the E came first and in their sole act of good parenting decided to name me something they knew how to spell.

It DOES have lyrics! At least the song does. I remember hearing it when I was ten or so and my little mind was blown.

While not casting doubt on this-one-person-you-know-near-Austin as a legitimate sample field; my twelve years in Austin working with and around mental health professionals, as well as those who've received their advanced degrees from Austin institutions then and open their practices in Austin tells a different story.…

You might already know this, but it's not meant to be flattering; it's meant to be statement-making. Coco Chanel was revolutionary for taking women out of corsets. That, way more than the little black dress or the box jacket is her true legacy, so showing dramatic at Chanel is, fashion-historically speaking, a Really…

The biggest problem is Coco Chanel, despite being The Worst Ever what with her Nazi boyfriends, antisemitism, attempted espionage and whatnot, is largely credited for taking women OUT of corsets. For Herr Karl to put women back in corsets at Chanel is kind of a big deal and it bothers me because it's so unsubtle.…

Hang on...aren't you in Texas? I'm newish to commenting so I don't know the place that well yet, but if you ARE in Texas, maybe our experiences are almost identical because we worked for the same *cough cough* bunch of cocks.

*dead tree biz fistbump*

I worked for a major daily newspaper from 2002-2011. I can only speak from experience and a bit of insider information (I saw many, but not all of the checks) but IME women get paid *significantly* less than men in similar positions. There are also all manner of perks (e.g., skybox suites for a major southern…

In hemlines as in life, let Los Galácticos (Los Galácticos:Football:: The 90's Supermodels: Fashion) be your guide.

Wow, your ex sounds like a piece of work. I think you're exactly right when you talk about the insecurities of guys getting freaked out or teased so they hedge their bets, which is hugely tiresome. Here's to better men in your future!

"You know what's funny? I flirt with guys all the time. And I mean the great looking ones, the really high-caliber studs? They flirt right back, no problem. Because they know their status will never be questioned."

Anything people with an interest in human rights can do to spread the word that there are inclusive communities of all faiths helps the entire world, particularly those who are marginalized or oppressed in the current systems. One of the ways to spread the word is by not treating Christianity like a monolith.