There are certain things that make us feel successful in early adulthood that are totally rational: a good job, close-knit friends, our own apartment, paying bills on time, etc. But there are other things that, while deeply satisfying, are not real…

I would never use the word foodie (because that word is awful) but I do consider myself "someone who enjoys trying new foods that have the potential to either gross me out, or become my new favorite." To bring these two potential outcomes…

Look, we all have bad sex at some point in our lives. We all settle for much less than we are worth, and hook up with scruffy, chest-tattooed dudes who think that they are really good at oral because they were too hot to be told otherwise. That,…

We've all been in relationships where we compromised on things that we clearly shouldn't have. We've all bent our most fundamental principles for someone who was cute or cool enough. Somewhere in your life, each of us has all but pretended to be an…

Wanting to get healthy is a normal, usually positive thing. A great number of us exist in largely sedentary (office-based) lifestyles, and have access to near-limitless unhealthy food options, so it's nice sometimes to really buckle down and focus…

Being a woman is hard. Being a woman who, in any significant way, deviates from the norm of what is considered "beautiful" or "feminine" is harder. And one of the more common deviations from the ideal of femininity is being very tall, particularly…

Recently, I decided that my wardrobe needed a makeover, mostly to match the overall simplification and streamlining I was trying to achieve in every area of my life. I wanted to focus on neutral colors, versatile cuts, and things that wouldn't…

During those crucial first few dates, there are certain things that we all do that tip the scales in our favor just a little bit. And there are subtle things that the person we're on a date with can do that weirdly speak disproportionate volumes to…

If there is one thing that frustrates me as someone who suffers from adult acne and rosacea, it's the incredibly lame and ineffectual "skin secrets" you get from models and actresses in magazines and beauty blogs. I always get excited that it's…

Navigating Forever 21 as an adult who can no longer get away with flower crowns can be a truly tricky thing. Using it for good instead of evil, and understanding what is "savvily thrifty", and what is "tragically immature-looking," can be…

1. Puts his clothes neatly in a little stack somewhere discreet when he stays over at your house, instead of spreading his crap out everywhere, or taking up your desk chair. 2. Stays on his best behavior around your parents (particularly your…

There is no time for any of these people. Just unfriend and be done with them immediately. The racist/sexist/homophobic extended relatives that you keep on out of a sense of guilt, and with whom you used to try and have civilized discussions, but…

When it comes to eating well, diets don't work. It doesn't matter what you call them, what kind of specific regime they entail, or what your goals are. Setting out on a "diet" – in which you eat differently for a set period of time in order to lose…

If you're a woman, you're of dating age, and you have relatives/friends/access to any form of media, chances are you've heard a lot of terrible dating advice. Depending on your romantic situation, you might have heard several varieties of tired…

Look, it's not my job to tell you what to do with your life. But I do know what is best for you, and it would be unethical for me to not give you the important advice I know to be true. And few pieces of advice are more important than "who you…

As a teenager, I loved Sex and the City. To say I was obsessed with it probably wouldn't even do my relationship with the show justice. And in retrospect, that probably wasn't the best show (or overall message) to be really into when you're going…

Several years ago, at a house party with the guy I had a crush on, a several-drinks-in Chelsea decided that it was a good idea to woo him by pretending to be a huge fan of his favorite band. (I had never listened to a single one of this band's…