#fun fact: i actually have submitted my original work to the atlantic and the new yorker. rejected of course

[dudeshusband]

Ship: Mike x Joe Ricco

Words: 900

Description: Mike brings Ricco lunch at work.

Warnings: none!

Joe would be in his office at lunchtime. Mike had made sure of that. Ever since they'd been going out, they wanted to bring him a homemade lunch. They'd prepped some cilantro lime salad and sandwiches the night before so they could easily come to his law building from their job at the paper. 

They walked into his office and were greeted by Jamison, his secretary. They'd heard quite a bit about her but had never met her. 

Jamison was a woman about Mike's age, maybe slightly younger. She had short brown hair that was parted in the middle and surrounded her head, a bit like a long pageboy. She smiled professionally as Mike approached. 

“Hello, miss,” she said, which stung a little. “It's Mr. Ricco’s lunch hour but I can make you an appointment.” 

Mike lifted the bag they were holding. “That's exactly what I'm here for.” 

Jamison eyed Mike's flared slacks and furrowed her eyebrows. “You don't look like a delivery boy.” 

Mike chuckled. “No, I write the political commentary section of The Chronicle. Occasionally I publish short stories. I've been in a few publications. I'm hoping for The Atlantic next.” 

“Ambitious,” Jamison said. “So then-” A lightbulb went on in her head. “You're the person he's dating? You're Mike?” 

“Yep! That's me. Nice to meet you.” 

“How old are you?” she asked. 

Mike sighed. “Why does everyone ask that? I finished my English doctorate three years ago.” 

“You're my age?” she asked, then cringed. “Ricco’s old. He's probably my dad’s age.” 

“If we're done judging me, I'm going to have lunch with my boyfriend.” 

Mike attempted to walk past but Jamison stopped them. 

“Oh, I'm not judging! I'm just surprised,” Jamison said. “It's good to see him happy. He's been alone as long as I've worked for him. Maybe he'll stay out of my love life now and stop being such a busybody.” 

Mike chuckled. “He told me he was trying to get you a boyfriend. Any success?” 

“Maybe,” she said, stressing the y. “He was right about Markham anyway.” 

“What's up with old Italians and the matchmaking?” Mike joked. “We were set up by Nino and Angela. They'd been setting him up on a bunch of dates he didn't want.” 

“What a hypocrite!” Jamison exclaimed. “Doesn't like it when people do it to him but does it to everybody else.” 

“Well, see you later,” Mike said, and walked into Joe's office. 

“Hi,” Mike said. “Lunch is here. I got held up by a very confused Jamison. You didn't tell her I was coming?” 

“No, I forgot.” 

“You didn't tell her what I look like? How old I am?” 

“It didn't seem relevant.” 

Mike laughed. “She's probably still in an advanced state of shock out there. Wondering how you pulled such a pretty young thing.” 

He rolled his eyes. “You're not so young.” 

“I'm decrepit in women's years, don't you know? Dry as dust!” 

Joe busted up laughing at that. 

They added dramatically, “Like an overripe lemon!” 

He shook his head fondly. “Come here.” 

Mike set the bag down on a chair and approached his desk. They leaned in. 

Joe gave them a gentle kiss hello. 

“Not quite dry yet,” he said. 

Mike gave him a quick peck back. “You're getting there.” 

“Hm, I don't know. I sure drive you crazy.” 

There was no denying that. 

“Shut up and eat one of these sandwiches.” 

Mike grabbed out a pastrami for him and a veggie for themselves. 

“There's salad too,” Mike said. “Cilantro lime. It's really good.” 

“It probably is, if you made it,” he said. 

Mike smiled. 

“Are you busy for the rest of the day?” Mike asked. 

“Oh, there's this case and that case,” he said. “Why? Are you planning on playing hooky?” 

Mike smiled. “Oh, no. I have to get back to the paper and write my thoughts about the latest White House sex scandal. Riveting stuff.” 

“The readers like it,” he said. 

Mike looked up from their sandwich. “How would you know?” 

“Oh. People like to talk. People think you're funny. Right, but funny.” 

“Well. That's good.” 

“I found one of your short stories in one of those little literature journals,” he said. “You're good.” 

“I didn't know you read literary journals.” 

“I don't.” 

“Oh.” 

“You should try to aim higher,” he said. “Some big paper.” 

“The Atlantic and the New Yorker keep rejecting me,” Mike said. “But that's understandable because only 0.00067 percent of people get into those.” 

“You'll get in,” he said. “They'd be stupid not to at some point.” 

“Thank you.” 

After a while, both finished their lunch. Mike sipped their green tea as slowly as they could. 

“Don't you have that sex scandal to write about?” Joe asked. 

Mike sighed. “I'm trying to pretend I have all the time in the world.” They took his hand from across the table. “What if I want to stay here?” 

“I'll have to kick you out,” Joe said, lightheartedly. “I can't enable you slacking.” 

Mike did their best pleading eyes. “Just once? We could just go walk the dock together?” 

“I'll see you after work,” he said. “The dock’ll still be there. Along with the stars.” 

“Well,” Mike sighed. “I tried. Have a good rest of your day.” 

“Good luck on that commentary,” he replied. 

“I'm not leaving without a kiss goodbye,” Mike said. 

They kissed him for as long as they could. 

“You taste like pastrami and mustard,” they said with a giggle. 

“Go, go,” he said, waving them towards the door. 

“I'm going, I'm going! It's almost like you want me to leave!” 

Joe shook his head. “See you later.” 

“If you're lucky.” 

“See you later,” he repeated. 

Mike gave him one last smile, then left his office. They hurried downstairs and across the dock. They were 15 minutes over their lunch hour. 

[hvlloweens-a]

𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 …

meet the cast of 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 : 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗 ! 

first of all, thank you ALL so much for applying ! i was not expecting this much interest ! when i closed my submit, i had 25 apps which is ... completely insane ?? all of the positive messages and feedback i received made me ridiculously happy and i’m so grateful for all of you who sent little check-ins or congratulated me on the app count . i wish i could have accepted everyone ( every single app was amazing .. none of you made this easy ) and i even accepted a few more than i originally intended. if you didn’t get accepted in this first batch, i’ll be hanging onto your app and you’ll be hearing from me if a spot opens up ! for those accepted, server links will be going out later -- i can’t wait to meet and write with all of you and your muses < 3 

( vika bronova , cis woman, she/her ) congratulations to sidney evanko – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty three year old sagittarius that can be described as maverick and sybaritic . before the show, they worked as a cocktail waitress and lived in las vegas, nevada . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as ghosting someone after they’ve sufficiently stroked your ego , cerulean hues that can effortlessly unlock any social situation you want to ease into ( or out of … ), finding odd flecks of glitter on your skin, your clothing, your hair, scattered inside your luggage – all serving as a reminder of life back home that you were eager to leave behind . sidney said they auditioned for the show because she wants to be an actress in the future … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by jamie, she/they, 24, est.

( aaron liebregts , cis man , he / him ) congratulations to oliver brooks – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty - two year old sagittarius that can be described as confident and impulsive . before the show, they worked as a musician and lived in laval , quebec . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as posting intentional thirst traps on tik tok with the caption ‘ making fun of people that actually do this lol ‘ , relaxing in a recliner with a bottle of fireball in one hand and an unlit joint in the other while listing off fun facts about otters as if he is your grandfather telling you stories about the war , and confusing your sex handcuffs and the handcuffs you stole from the campus police . brooks said they auditioned for the show because his record label told him it would be good for publicity … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by anna , she/her , 26 , cst .

( genellle seldon , cis woman , she / her  ) congratulations to jourdan womack– they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty four year old taurus that can be described as opinionated and brash . before the show, they worked as a freelance columnist for a women’s magazine and lived in medina , washington . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as leaving the glossy print of your lips at the rim of a bottle , the base of a neck , smeared across a pillowcase that isn’t your own as a form of temporary ownership , visible g - strings and wrap - around shield sunglasses inside following a french martini hazed evening , and your mother’s innate wandering eye paired with her poor perception of love — entirely transactional . jourdan said they auditioned for the show because the dating pool in her home town had been dwindled to scraps … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by candice , she / her , 22 , cst.

( galanikolic , cis woman , she/her ) congratulations to thandie jovic – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty -four year old pisces that can be described as vivacious and quixotic . before the show, they worked as a owner of a small clothing brand and lived in brooklyn, new york . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as organized chaos in the name of ‘what will be, will be’, memories encapsulated in polaroid form, haphazardly glued into a keepsake journal, and sharing stories with strangers in the club toilets . thandie said they auditioned for the show because her horoscope said she was ready for a new adventure … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by kat , she/her , 22, gmt .

( delilah belle , cis female, she/her ) congratulations to rhys moreau – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty three year old pisces that can be described as humble and naive . before the show, they worked as a nursing student and lived in carolina beach . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as getting a little too drunk off just two cosmopolitans, hand-me-down designer purses, pink lipstick on the edge of starbucks cups sort of vibe . rhys said they auditioned for the show because she grew up watching the show with her sister and it’s always been a dream of hers … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by skye, she/her, 21+, est. 

( cindy kimberly, cis woman, she/her ) congratulations to aspen lestari -- they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty-three year old taurus that can be described as excitable and fanciful . before the show, they worked as a vlogger/artist and lived in seattle, washington. based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as five am drives to catch the sunset, fingers always supporting dried up paint, old video games. aspen said they auditioned for the show because it was a chance to get her out of her comfort zone and be less of her shy nature... we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by jules, she/her, 24, est.

( aron piper , cis male , he + him ) congratulations to armani banks – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty three year old virgo that can be described as lyrical and aloof . before the show, they worked as an aspiring singer/songwriter + producer and lived in manhattan , new york . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as always chasing the next best thing , scraps of song lyrics scattered across a lone mattress in an empty loft & enjoying the chase but being unsatisfied with the catch . armani said they auditioned for the show because it could possibly boost his career … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by f, she+her, 21, est.

( omar ayuso , non binary, he/they ) congratulations to damian price – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty-two year old capricorn that can be described as driven and catty . before the show, they worked as a beauty pageant coach and lived in atlantic city, nj . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as bruised knuckles covered with concealer, paris hilton’s ‘stars are blind’ blasting on repeat, and eyebrows that are so big because they’re full of secrets . damian said they auditioned for the show because he was born to be a star … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by abby, she/her, 25, est.

( pedro ortega , cis male, he/him) congratulations to lucas monteiro – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty six year old leo that can be described as trustworthy and quick-tempered . before the show, they worked as a professional football player and lived in atlanta , georgia . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as encouraging pep talks during timeouts , waves of emotions pushed back with alcohol , never truly being satisfied with your accomplishments . lucas said they auditioned for the show because he was kicked out of his team after engaging in a fight after a game and he wants people to see that's not who he is … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by barbie, she/her, 24, gmt-3.

( caio cabral , cis male, he/him ) congratulations to gustavo vidal – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty-three year old aquarius that can be described as vigorous and aloof . before the show, they worked as a professional skater and lived in california . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as grains of sand in worn out vans sneakers, freckles covered sun burnt wide shoulders & trying over and over again until you reach perfection, no matter how it hurts . gustavo said they auditioned for the show because he wants to be known as more than just an athlete who's probably past his glory days … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by ron, she/her, 25, gmt -3.

( alisha boe , cis woman, she/her ) congratulations to gemma westrum – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty four year old sagittarius that can be described as captivating and egocentric. before the show, they worked as an influencer and lived in calabasas, california  . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as checking their reflection in every window & mirror you pass — no matter how late it makes you, rambling until someone finally tells you to shut up, having more “friends” than you can count, yet somehow you’re always still alone . gem said they auditioned for the show because she was bored … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by ali, she/her, 23, ctrl

(  ryan destiny, cis woman, she/her ) congratulations to wilhelmina 'billie' ashford – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty three year old cancer that can be described as charismatic and heedless . before the show, they worked as a dancer/cheerleader and lived in los angeles, california . based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as glossy lips paired with a sharp grin, the lingering smell of fresh lavender, hushed conversations and prolonged eye contact, unpredictable bouts of mischief making. billie said they auditioned for the show to spite her parents and make a name for herself outside of their shadow … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by asha, she/her, 24, est.

( cameron valentina , cis woman, she/her ) congratulations to kaia cary – they’ve been cast on this season of the real world ! they’re currently a twenty two year old capricorn that can be described as detail oriented and aloof . before the show, they worked as a private figure skating instructor and lived in petoskey , michigan. based on their audition tape, i’d describe them as champagne and glitter stained pages of a moleskin overflowing with long-term aspirations slashed through in bright red , old figure skating dresses oozing from the sides of a poorly packed cardboard box , and a wilted floral arrangement drooling dried petals onto a vanity that hadn’t been touched since the incident . kaia said they auditioned for the show because she had been struggling to start a normal life following a career-ending injury … we’ll see how it works out for them when the show airs ! written by jess, she/her, 23, pst.

[nntodayblog]

A (Gross) Girl’s Guide To Personal Hygiene

Tallulah Pomeroy

400

I am a “gross girl,” and I’ve identified as such for as long as I can remember.

In part, I have my mother to thank. Although she dutifully applies a thick layer of lipstick before any and all activities, including bath time, she also adheres to the cardinal toilet flushing rule “If it’s yellow, let it mellow” and counts quickly flitting her wrist under a running faucet as washing her hands.

For my sisters and I, hygienic transgressions have always been badges of honor. When we were younger, we’d compete to see who could go the longest without showering, cackling together while we discussed which body parts itched the most. We built toilet paper castles in the mellow bowls our mother left behind, piling the paper like cotton clouds in the middle of a urine-filled moat.

As I got older, I remained gross.

During my freshman year of college, I wore the same leggings every day, deodorizing the crotch instead of washing them properly. My senior year, rather than walking all the way to the downstairs bathroom in my apartment, I took to peeing in a mason jar on my bedroom floor. When spillage occurred, I’d wipe it up with a rogue bit of laundry.

There are others like me, I know. I’ve seen evidence in listicles across the web. There’s BuzzFeed’s “49 Gross Things Most Girls Secretly Enjoy,” which includes “running your fingers through your pubes in a nonsexual way.” Bustle’s “19 Gross Things All Women Do in Private (Or At Least When We Think No One’s Watching)” exalts the fun of “examining your panty crust like you’re a scientist.” Cosmopolitan’s “13 Super-Gross Things Women Do That Men Don’t Know About” takes the cake with a description of cleaning yourself after a period-poop combo ― “the good ole PB&J wipe!”

The headlines make plain the fact that countless women indulge their grossest urges out of curiosity, laziness and pure fascination. Yet their bodily offenses, so counter to the image of a pristine and clean young lady reflected in etiquette books and American Girl Doll catalogues, are often kept secret ― or, at the very least, outside the purview of men.

Tallulah Pomeroy

Enter A Girl’s Guide to Personal Hygiene, a picture book illustrated by Bristol-based artist Tallulah Pomeroy that’s full of the kinds of gross girl confessions that trump even my and my sisters’ rituals.

Divided into chapters including "Picking & Squeezing," "Nooks & Crannies," "Periods," and "Tasty Snacks," Pomeroy’s book ― released on Feb. 13 by Soft Skull Press ― features anonymously submitted anecdotes detailing the nasty shit women do behind closed doors, from smelling their dirty underwear to free-bleeding in their pants.

The 112-page paperback is a celebration of everything feminine and dirty ― an homage to the women with a surplus of earwax, an abundance of gray pubes and far too many crimson-stained articles of clothing.

Pomeroy, the in-house illustrator at Catapult, started the project over two years ago. Inspiration struck after she overheard two women gossiping about a friend who’d drunkenly taken a shit in the sink. Utterly scandalized, they declared that anyone who could do such a thing was “not a girl.” This got Pomeroy, 25, thinking: Which of her own private habits would disqualify her from girlhood?

Around the same time, Pomeroy’s then-boyfriend lent her Charlotte Roche’s 2008 book Wetlands, which chronicles a sexually liberated and unabashedly grotesque 18-year-old’s hospital stint recovering from a botched ass shaving accident. No dirty details are spared as the protagonist, with time on her hands, takes stock of her sexual exploits and corporeal habits. “I love it when sperm dries on my skin, when it crusts and flakes off,” reads one relatively tame line.

Not enough for you? Here’s more (obviously NSFW):

When I jerk somebody off, I always make sure that some cum gets on my hand. I run my fingers through it and let it dry under my long nails. That way, later in the day, I can reminisce about my good fuck partner by biting my nails and getting bits of the hardened cum to play with in my mouth; I chew on it and, after tasting it and letting it slowly dissolve, I swallow it. It’s an intention I’m very proud of: the memorable sex bon-bon.

These are the sorts of passages that titillate a segment of readers and nauseate the rest. Pomeroy counts herself among the former group, enraptured by Roche’s ability to treat the body as both a site of sexual pleasure and grotesque glory. She endeavored to do the same with A Girl’s Guide to Personal Hygiene.

“She was so unashamed to the point of being proud,” Pomeroy said of the primary Wetlands character, Helen. “She loves that she’s gross. I think that’s what I identified with the most ― that I could feel positive about these things rather than ashamed of them.”

Tallulah Pomeroy

This combination of events ― reading Wetlands and overhearing the shit-in-the-sink story ― ultimately prompted Pomeroy to forge a space where women could share the nitty-gritty details of their nasty pastimes. In 2016 she created a private Facebook group cheekily titled “A Girl’s Guide to Personal Hygiene” and invited all her female friends to join. Before long, friends invited friends and the group went, as Pomeroy described, “mental.”

Right away, stories started rolling in, each woman playfully trying to out-gross the last. Pomeroy even created a submission form so some members could share their funkiest exploits anonymously if they so desired. The confessions achieved Roche-levels of nastiness. “I like to pick my nose while I masturbate. It helps,” one woman wrote. “I like to smell the contents of my Mooncup because someone once told me theirs smelled like beef,” wrote another.

Women even started using the Facebook group to seek advice about personal matters like IUD insertion and achieving multiple orgasms. It quickly became clear to Pomeroy that the space she carved out wasn’t just something women wanted ― it was something they needed.

From the beginning, Pomeroy said she had dreams of turning the confessions into a book ― an ironic etiquette guide that would “take the piss out of the idea that girls should be hygienic.” She had her doubts, though. Beyond a sense of gratification, the Facebook group had also awakened in Pomeroy a bubbling sense of humiliation she hadn’t even realized she possessed.

“A voice of shame,” she explained. “The voice you’ve heard since you were a child saying your body is dirty. Saying that women are clean and beautiful and don’t squeeze their spots.”

In an essay for The Atlantic, writer Leslie Jamison discussed a similar kind of humiliation that came with writing about matters of the flesh. “A certain shame,” she wrote, “like a faint body odor I couldn’t smell because it was mine: There was too much body, and this too-much-body risked banality and melodrama at once.”

Roche encountered it, too. Despite the fact that Wetlands became a cult obsession ― it was the best-selling book in the world in March of 2008, and was eventually translated from its native German into 27 languages ― some critics took issue with what they categorized as the novel’s cheap thrills, suggesting Roche’s work was not so much pioneering as “faux-outrageous.” In a 2009 review for The New York Times, Sallie Tisdale lambasted it, calling Roche’s descriptions “banal and repetitive,” her vocabulary “painfully limited.”

Of course, men have long been permitted to discuss their bathroom quirks and sexual secrets. “We’re very familiar with male toilet humor and the stereotype of a stinky man,” Pomeroy said. Yet when a woman wants to laugh about an ingrown hair or a particularly pungent flow she runs the risk of being perceived as “not funny, not moving, not provocative and certainly not titillating,” as The Guardian’s Nicola Barr wrote of Roche back in the day.

Pomeroy calls bullshit on this kind of literary criticism. “It’s much easier to call the book ‘clumsy’ and ‘banal’ than to call yourself a prude,” she said. She thinks Roche’s prose, written from the perspective of a teenager, feels exactly as it should ― intimate, unpretentious and imperfect.

“The language in Wetlands isn’t complicated,” she explained. “It isn’t trying to impress. The form of it is very frank and open and talkative. You feel like she’s right there with you.”

Tallulah Pomeroy

Pomeroy’s nagging voice of doubt didn’t linger for long. With the help of Soft Skull Press, she began compiling some of the standout anecdotes from Facebook into a book and illustrating them. Aside from some minor edits for typos, she preserved the original language of the Facebook group.

“These girls are often saying these things for the first time,” Pomeroy said. “They’ve thought about how they’re going to phrase it. I think it’s important to not make it sound more grand than it is. Let it be earthy.”

Deciding which anecdotes would make the cut was difficult. When it came to a story about a woman who, in advance of a threesome, whipped out her bloody tampon and stored it in a full teapot, which her boyfriend’s mother later discovered, editors assumed the anonymous story was fake. Pomeroy laughed; she actually knew all the people involved in the teapot debacle.

In the final book, juicy stories like this come to life thanks to Pomeroy’s illustrations, gangly line drawings splashed with watercolor that make a woman shitting herself look vaguely cool. Like the book’s language, its images do not attempt to sugarcoat their subject matter. Pomeroy draws clearly the most deliciously vile of moments ― poop emerging from a butt, discharge soaking panties, pus oozing from a zit.

“It’s kind of funny because it runs parallel with the book, me realizing actually I could be myself [in my drawings],” she said. “I didn’t have to clean things up. The drawings are very rough. They’re always the first drafts, that’s how I like it best. If I do multiple drafts, they lose that immediacy, and I wanted the drawings to have a real sense of freshness, in the same way the stories are honest and free. It was a real relief to realize my style is a good style, my own thing that I do is valuable, even if it’s rough and wonky.”

Because many of the book’s confessions were submitted anonymously, Pomeroy isn’t certain how many ― if any ― trans or gender-nonconforming women contributed. “My understanding of the term ‘girls’ refers to anyone who identifies as feminine, regardless of their gender,” she said. “Most of the stories relate to physically female bodies, but not all, there is still the underlying emphasis of pushing at the idea of femininity, which is relevant to trans and cis women alike.”

Pomeroy’s book has received praise from writers including Carmen Maria Machado (Her Body and Other Parties) and Alissa Nutting (Tampa, Made for Love), both of whom fearlessly write the feminine bodily experience into their work. The day it arrived in the HuffPost office, my coworkers and I swarmed around the pink paperback, pointing out which anecdotes we’ve participated in and which were completely baffling. Before long we were swapping our own stories of earwax and butt hair, tales unbeknownst to even our partners.

One of the main messages of the #MeToo movement currently sweeping our culture is that there is power in women’s stories. The subtext, however, is that to be taken seriously, these stories often revolve around personal experiences of trauma and pain, painstakingly rehashed to convince the public of a truth they should already have accepted.

“It’s really important to share these silly stories, too,” Pomeroy said. “They don’t diminish the power of the more serious ones. They still affirm that women’s bodies are our own.”

Perhaps the right to pop your own zits is not the ultimate feminist crusade of our time. But Pomeroy’s gross girl gang isn’t just stirring up shit for the fun of it. They are rebelling against long-held beliefs that women’s bodies are shameful, dirty and obscene ― at least without proper primping and powdering. They’re giving a glimpse into their hairiest, smelliest, stickiest parts in solidarity with women who just want to feel comfortable in their own skin.

“We’re not created for someone else’s pleasure,” Pomeroy said. “Our bodies aren’t for anybody else’s use. I’m not there to be groped and I’m also not there to be told that my body is disgusting or shameful. I think it’s all part of the same thing. If someone is horrified by the idea of girls picking their ingrown hairs then maybe they need to think about what they expect women to be. There might be a problem.”

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BEFORE YOU GO

PHOTO GALLERY

11 Period Illustrations That Are All Too Real

Priscilla Frank

Arts & Culture Reporter, HuffPost

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Reference source : A (Gross) Girl’s Guide To Personal Hygiene