Author: Jessi Kneeland

When our female friends are feeling insecure, we are often quick to reassure them with statements like “You’re so beautiful,” or “You look hot.” Often, this kind of situation arises either because our friend is criticizing herself (like “Ugh, I...

In the last decade or so, our culture has maintained its long-time obsession with weight, but added obsessions with health, fitness, wellness, anti-aging, and nutrition as well. We started valuing bodies that were strong and lean over bodies that were...

When the occasional (poorly informed) person tries to tell me that sexism doesn’t exist anymore, I sometimes ask in response: So you think women can talk just as freely about bodily functions as men? Typically, the response I get is...

Personal trainers and fitness instructors have a lot of influence when it comes to matters relating to body image. As trusted authorities, they are often privy to intimate information about their clients’ bodies and experiences and have the power to...

At 16 years old, I fell madly in love. We were inseparable, dramatic romantics, and within a few months of our first kiss, everything I did was with this boy in mind. I was constantly coming up with new little...

I recently spent no less than 45 minutes scrolling through in an Instagram rabbit hole of beautiful young women who had made “amazing body transformations!” As I moved from one post to the next, I found myself wishing I was...

“Genuine self-esteem—please understand this—genuine self-esteem is not competitive or comparative. Genuine self-esteem isn’t expressed by self-glorification at the expense of others, or by trying to make yourself superior to everyone else, or diminishing others in order to elevate yourself. Arrogance,...