Ella Dawson has genital herpes, and she wants to tell you about it.
She’s not speaking up for the shock value — she’s telling you because she wants all of us to be able to talk about STIs without shame or stigma. When we make it okay to talk about, she says, people are more likely to get tested and less likely to be afraid to share their status.
In her badass talk at TEDxConnecticut College, Ella tells the story of her diagnosis, how she overcame feeling like “human trash,” and why we need to end the stigma — now. It’s packed with information (and a shot of humor), and if you didn’t already agree with her, you will by the time she’s done.
Watch the full talk or read the transcript here.
(Full disclosure: Ella is TED’s social media manager. This post was written by her boss who is so incredibly proud of how fearlessly she speaks out.)
"I'm not here to fix you, I'm here to hold your hand when you do"
K but can we end this toxic cultural idea that if your s/o is dealing with an anxiety attack or in the down spirals of depression, that you’ve somehow failed them??? and the corresponding idea that you are solely responsible for their mental health and/or one of you is the “cure” for one or more of any mental illnesses?
like that shit is NOT healthy. You really love them? Then just be there for them. If it’s too much for you to handle, if it causes you any distress, then leave. This kind of mentality is EXTREMELY toxic, even though you may have the best intentions.
Such a great stylistic horse!
wild mustang
Music is gorgeous
Cécile Chaminade Thème varié, Op.89 (1898?)
Marc-André Hamlin, piano
[Franz von Stuck, Dancers]
I hope the answer you need finds its way to you ~
Keep reading
To help move away from summary and toward ANALYSIS, it’s important to incorporate strong verbs into your writing when discussing the writer’s rhetorical choices. Below is a list of verbs that are considered weak (imply summary) and a list of verbs that are considered strong (imply analysis). Strive to use the stronger verbs in your essays to help push yourself away from summary and toward analysis: ex “The writer flatters…” NOT “The writer says…”
Weak Verbs (Summary):
says
explains
relates
states
goes on to say
shows
tells
this quote shows
Strong Verbs (Analysis):
Argues, admonishes, analyzes, compares, contrasts, defines, demonizes, denigrates, describes, dismisses, enumerate, expounds, emphasizes, establishes, flatters, implies, lionizes, lists, minimizes, narrates, praises, processes, qualifies, questions, ridicules, suggests, supports, trivializes, vilifies, warns
Powerful and Meaningful Verbs to Use in an Analysis (Alternatives to Show):
Acknowledge, Address, Analyze, Apply, Argue, Assert, Augment
Broaden
Calculate, Capitalize, Characterize, Claim, Clarify,Compare, Complicate, Confine, Connect, Consider, Construct, Contradict, Correct, Create, Convince, Critique
Declare, Deduce, Defend, Demonstrate, Deny, Describe, Determine, Differentiate, Disagree, Discard, Discover, Discuss, Dismiss, Distinguish, Duplicate
Elaborate, Emphasize, Employ, Enable, Engage, Enhance, Establish, Evaluate, Exacerbate, Examine, Exclude, Exhibit, Expand, Explain, Exploit, Express, Extend
Facilitate, Feature, Forecast, Formulate, Fracture
Generalize, Group, Guide
Hamper, Hypothesize
Identify, Illuminate, Illustrate, Impair, Implement, Implicate, Imply, Improve, Include, Incorporate, Indicate, Induce, Initiate, Inquire, Instigate, Integrate, Interpret, Intervene, Invert, Isolate
Justify
Locate, Loosen
Maintain, Manifest, Manipulate, Measure, Merge, Minimize, Modify, Monitor
Necessitate, Negate, Nullify
Obscure, Observe, Obtain, Offer, Omit, Optimize, Organize, Outline, Overstate
Persist, Point out, Possess, Predict, Present, Probe, Produce, Promote, Propose, Prove, Provide
Qualify, Quantify, Question
Realize, Recommend, Reconstruct, Redefine, Reduce, Refer, Reference, Refine, Reflect, Refute, Regard, Reject, Relate, Rely, Remove, Repair, Report, Represent, Resolve, Retrieve, Reveal, Revise
Separate, Shape, Signify, Simulate, Solve, Specify, Structure, Suggest, Summarize, Support, Suspend, Sustain
Tailor, Terminate, Testify, Theorize, Translate
Undermine, Understand, Unify, Utilize
Validate, Vary, View, Vindicate
Yield
Cleansed ♡
The day I met my solemate
THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET by NATASHA PULLEY
g u y s
I picked this book up a couple of days ago purely because a) I was in a Game of Thrones re-read rut and b) someone whose taste I trust recommended it to me, and I am SO GLAD that those things happened at the same time because otherwise I probably never would have bothered with this WEIRD, WHIMSICAL LITTLE BOOK, AND I NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT I WAS MISSING!!!
it’s impossible to be like ‘oh, if you liked so-and-so you’ll love this!’ or ‘it’s for fans of x, y and z!’ because it’s INDEFINABLE. (but I guess if you’re into lots of weirdly niche things – like the social history of Victorian England, or watchmaking, or old-timey physics, or the Japanese civil war in 1877, or all of those things in one book, with bonus Irish Republicanism and low key mind-blowing Stuff surrounding clairvoyance – then give it a read maybe.)
but if you like CLOCKWORK OCTOPI WHO STEAL PEOPLE’S SOCKS, or UPPITY LADY SCIENTISTS, or TEA, or ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES and SOULMATES, then you should absolutely check this book out, because it will warm your heart. it will melt your heart. it will roast your heart over an open flame. it will set your heart ablaze. a blackened husk will be all that is left of you and your heart. I cannot look directly at my watch, for I am burned.