With everything going on in the world, it’s easy to lose control and get hurt while being on social media. Each minute we update our phones only to see more heart-wrenching news and more ruthless discussions. As a Russian journalist, who writes primarily for the Western public, I have the…

I wonder how far does it have to go for everyone to finally uncover the ugly reality of Putin’s regime and find enough strength to resist it? — Today, a young woman got arrested and sentenced to 8 days for holding a blank poster in the middle of Rostov-on-Don, Russia. However, as unfair and ridiculous as it sounds, this is not a precedent in my country. While we have our own kind of nightmare here in Russia, I…

But You’ll Probably Still Do — No matter how many times men ghosted me, it still sucks. There’s no cure to that, I’m sorry. You just have to suck it up and go through it gracefully (or not so much) The good news is — by this time, you probably went through at least one harsh…

Well, you’re a normal kind of feminist, you look like a girl and are not yelling at everyone. — Ever since I started writing about feminism and openly talking about it offline, I realized how many prejudices and stereotypes about feminism people have. In my country, it often gets to the point where you want to think twice before calling yourself a feminist depending on the situation you’re put…

So why care about your instincts when you can get yourself a bunch of high-tech sex toys and get multiple orgasms without worrying about your boring dates? — A few years ago, I wrote an article about the first Satisfyer I got myself in the States. Back then, I tried to compare it with the real sex and, despite all the features and perks, I realized that it still can’t replace the experience and sensations we get from…

Women get enough blame and judgment from patriarchal remnants, knowing and experiencing that yourself, why would you want to add to it? — Have you ever noticed how the majority of negative comments under a woman’s picture or a video online are often written by other women? They blame each other for not looking good enough, for not having the right body, nails, or clothes. If you start paying attention, you’d be surprised…

Even though we’re making progress in terms of gender equality, there’s still a lot of prejudice out there. — Studies show that approximately 80%-90% of women reporting sexual assaults knew their assailants. However, our society has a tendency to divide rape into multiple categories wheres rape by a friend or someone you know isn’t considered as serious as if happened with a stranger in the bush. People think that…

Even if your intentions are good — Have you ever thought about how much impact the words we’re saying to other people can affect their mood — even if our intentions were good? When we don’t realize that our “compliment” might stick with that person for the rest of the day or even a week, or bring…

Sometimes it’s hard to accept that our bodies change. Especially when you feel like you have no control over it. — Being 5'2 tall, my weight never went over 44 kg (97 lb) no matter how much I ate or moved. I had a flat stomach I didn’t have to work for, perfect legs everyone at school was jealous of, and quite small breasts. I was happy with my genetics. …