Gina M. Florio
Gina is a Features writer and reporter for Bustle and a regular contributor to Hello Giggles. Her work has also been featured in Brooklyn Magazine, The Establishment, and Mind Body Green. She's a Harvard alumna and an international yoga teacher who's very uncomfortable talking about herself in the third person.

The Yoga Community Is Neglecting People Of Color

In a world where Donald Trump is the President of the United States, his administration's policy decisions throw us into constant states of shock and despair, and his chaotic social media presence makes every week feel about a year long, we…
By Gina M. Florio

"Beauty & The Beast"'s Interracial Kiss Matters

The first onscreen kiss I ever saw was when Ariel and Prince Eric finally embraced in The Little Mermaid, right before her human legs turned back into a single green fin. Her long red hair was cascading down her shoulders, and as they kissed, their…
By Gina M. Florio

Women's History Month Needs To Be Intersectional

The first Girl Scouts meeting to ever take place occurred in Savannah, GA on March 12, 1912. Juliette Gordon Low was 51 years old at the time, and she brought together 18 girls in her hometown to enjoy the great outdoors as well as inspire one…
By Gina M. Florio

Why Anxiety Isn't The Same As Being Nervous

There are enough misconceptions about mental illness to fill up the entire Atlantic Ocean — twice. People who have never experienced lifelong problems with their mental health don't understand what it's like to live with an anxiety disorder, yet…
By Gina M. Florio

The First Female NFL Referee Gives Us Advice

On Sunday night, Super Bowl LI was watched by millions of people across the country. Even if you're not a football fan, you don't need to know anything about the NFL to know that all the referees out on the field were men. In fact, until 2015, there…
By Gina M. Florio

Ways The Pill Might Be Messing With Your Health

Ever since birth control was first made available to women nationwide, we've been presented with all kinds of information about contraception, and we've learned a lot ourselves from using it firsthand. There are some common side-effects we know to…
By Gina M. Florio

Muslim Women You Should Be Following On Twitter

There's been a widespread sense of chaos and exasperation since President Trump signed an executive order on Friday to instill "a temporary ban on most refugees," which includes a suspension of visas for seven different Muslim-majority countries.…
By Gina M. Florio

Normal Ways Your Relationship Changes Over Time

When you first get together with your partner, it's like everything is out of a dream. You get excited when they call you in the middle of the day, you plan elaborate dates, and you imagine all the ways you could get freaky. But once the whole…
By Gina M. Florio

I Stopped Saying Sorry As My New Year's Resolution

When I made my New Year's resolutions for 2017, I tried my best to come up with a tangible plan so I could manage them and keep track of my progress. For example, I wanted to increase my intake of water every day, so I resolved to drink eight…
By Gina M. Florio

Why You Need To Be Following A WOC Activist

The worldwide protest that took place on January 21 has gone down in history as one of the largest demonstrations ever. Over 3.3 million people participated in the Women's Marches in 500 different cities across the country, protesting against all…
By Gina M. Florio

Signs Birth Control Is Hurting Your Mental Health

There are so many things to consider when you're choosing which birth control to jump into bed with. You have to think about the convenience, the cost, what the side effects will be, and so much more. But have you considered how hormonal birth…
By Gina M. Florio

The Best Plant-Based Sources Of Calcium

We've been fed the same calcium myth since we were little kids waiting in the lunch line at our school cafeteria: Milk is the best way to get your daily fill of calcium, the mineral that strengthens bones and teeth, regulates our heartbeat, and…
By Gina M. Florio

How To Be Ambitious When You Have Anxiety

I was an overly ambitious little kid. I wanted to be the first one done with all my tests, and I wanted to have the highest score in the class. I was so concerned with succeeding that my parents didn't even need to give me a curfew — I was much more…
By Gina M. Florio

To The People Who Think My Social Anxiety Is Rude

One of my friends recently told me that she thought I hated her when we first met. Hate?! That's a strong word, I thought to myself. I laughed it off with her in the moment, but later that evening, I anxiously thought her comment over. I know I…
By Gina M. Florio

How Sex Will Be Different In 2017

We learned a lot of interesting things about sex in 2016. Some of it was surprising, like the fact that millennials aren't getting laid nearly as much as we thought we were. A study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior showed that the number of…
By Gina M. Florio

How People Treat Me Differently As A Blonde WOC

When I was a church-going kid, I used to kneel at the foot of my bed every night and pray that God would bless me with blonde hair overnight. It was the only thing I consistently asked for. There wasn't any particular celebrity or person that…
By Gina M. Florio

How Weight Loss Journey Posts Affect Us

I don't even know what a holiday season looks like anymore without the talk of weight loss that inevitably follows the gift-giving, wine-guzzling festivities. Just as Christmas is sure to come every year, so are the subsequent advertisements…
By Gina M. Florio

How My Partner Helped Me Manage My Anxiety

The first memory I have of my boyfriend soothing my anxiety is simple. He gave me a tall glass of water and rubbed my back as I drank it. Then he sat across from me at the table, looked at me, and took a deep breath. Our eyes locked. Like a reflex,…
By Gina M. Florio

Physical Signs Of Anxiety You Shouldn't Ignore

Our culture's greater understanding of anxiety is pretty narrow. We think of someone anxious, and we conjure up an image in our head of a twitchy-yet-endearing person who says awkward things at weddings and spills wine at dinner parties. But living…
By Gina M. Florio

Little Ways To Give Yourself A Fresh Start

Even if your inner cynic rolls her eyes at the idea, the New Year is a useful time to give yourself a fresh start. A clean slate, if you will. You can think about all the things that didn't work out for you in the last year, shed them, and start…
By Gina M. Florio