personal essays
I Spent Two Years Pretending to Be a Model on a Social Network
As an angsty middle schooler, the site Habbo Hotel offered solace. I became one of the social network's "It Girls."
My Time as a Professional Debt Collector Made Me Lose Faith in Humanity
It's hard to be depressed yourself when you're confronted with the most depressing stuff imaginable.
Love, Lies, and the Long Aftermath of My Parents' Divorce
My parents divorced before I was one, and when I look back at my life I wonder if that's why I've been a shitty person to every woman I've ever dated.
My Time as a 'Cool' Substitute Teacher and a Complete Trainwreck
I showed up hungover, sent kids to Starbucks for coffee, and let my students do whatever they wanted. They loved me.
And Now This: Author Elizabeth Wurtzel Reckons with Breast Cancer
"So I have breast cancer, which like many things that happen to women is mostly a pain in the ass."
My Impossible Quest to Teach My Mom the Language of the iPhone
Sooner or later you have to start parenting your parents.
My Cat's Brush With Life-Saving Gender Reassignment Surgery
The doctors said that in order to save my cat's life, they would have to give him a vagina.
I'm Finally Coming to Terms With the Horror of My Divorce
I married someone to fill a void in my life, and he just made that void larger until I was finally strong enough to leave.
I Was a Feminist Victim of Domestic Violence
I always fancied myself a strong, independent woman, but after I wound up in an unhealthy, violent relationship that lasted years, I realised abuse can happen to anyone.
My Neverending Struggle to Accept My Weight
After more than a decade of struggling to come to terms with my body, I finally feel OK.
Christmas Is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year to Be a Stripper
Strip clubs are an ideal place to spend the Christmas holidays, if you like the holidays enough to be around other people but not enough for a typical celebration.