baking lemon lavender scones!

As much as I want to be a naturally gifted baker, the universe seems to have other plans for me, sabotaging every seemingly foolproof recipe I happen upon. Today’s mishap? Lemon lavender scones. It seemed easy enough. Besides, my favorite local cafe had once served gluten-free, homemade lavender scones from a local baker and I had dreams of recreating them, minus the idyllic background with a fresh, vanilla cappuccino in the background with swirls of white smoke billowing out of the enticing froth.

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follow your heart: thanks, but that's easier in theory.

Before I decided that writing was what I felt called to do, I was terrified. Terrified that I had nothing to contribute and that I would end up in a meaningless job that didn’t play on my strengths, talents or passions. Many people are forced to do this, might I add, to support their families, so I recognize that this is a privilege that I could even stop to consider what I wanted. But before I found a therapist who specialized in CBT and actually spoke back to me (instead of nodding her head empathetically or saying “yes, I see, that is a hard dilemma…” when I asked for advice), I was told countless times to “follow my heart”, but that’s a cliché phrase that seems a little outdated and tone deaf in today’s climate. Here’s why I think so.

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the societal paradox of wanting to fit the mold yet desiring to outshine others

There seems to be a subconscious, ever-present tension existing within humans to satiate their contradictory needs of acceptance and self-actualization. Both do not always lend themselves to one another, which poses the question: which is more important and is the desire to equally satisfy both a recipe for madness? Particularly with women but overall a societal issue, this phenomenon is seen especially in consumerism — a perfume, for example, is marketed for its ability to enrapture the senses of passerby’s and solidify you as a unique, mysterious enigma, yet this tactic is what draws so many in and eventually, it becomes a repetitive, monotonous scent, the very thing it originally claimed not to be. It doesn’t take a psychological scholar to point out that we have a deep-seeded need for connection, understanding and belonging, and when we don’t receive it, it can lead to a whole slew of undesirable feelings of insecurity & isolation.

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the ultimate list of the coziest fall shows & movies

Now that fall is officially upon us (Sunday, September 22 at 8:44 AM EDT, to be exact), it is only fair to begin the tradition of bombarding my readers with all things fall the minute the first leaf turns even a smidge brown. If you’re like me, romanticizing seasons is a tried & true hobby and chai lattes, burnt orange and overalls are staples in your life from the very first of September to 11:59pm on November 30th. For those who get an indescribable rush of serotonin at the first whisper of a chilly breeze or the first sip of a pumpkin drink, this is for you. We (00’s babies, that is) all remember our childhoods being filled with special Halloween episodes & spooky Disney channel original movies, and despite all of the nostalgic posts lamenting the death of our childhoods and the magic of holidays, I think there are ways to infuse that wonder & happiness once again. So, without further ado, this is my ultimate list of the coziest fall shows & movies.

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why are people so nostalgic for the late 2000s/early 2010s?

One fateful summer day in 2014, my mom bought me the first three seasons of Pretty Little Liars on DVD and my life consequently changed. I watched them play detective in their statement necklaces and 6-inch heals, and execute it flawlessly. The show showcased true female friendship with unconditional love, support and empowerment (most of the time) and every Liar had a different personality that was highlighted & embraced beautifully. Spencer was the brains, serving J.Crew chic and witty remarks every episode, Hanna was the humorous fashion icon with impulse issues and a heart of gold, Aria was the sensitive, artsy one with eclectic outfits and an uncanny ability to keep a secret, and Emily was the sporty, fair-minded one with an unyielding moral compass and a sweet naivety. The trauma of being stalked & obsessed over affected all of their psyches and personalities over the seasons in different, interesting ways. Should I have been watching such a plot that young? Um, debatable — but the intrigue, freedom, friendship and fashion had me wishing I could fast forward to sixteen. Little did i know, with the direction the 2010’s (and technology) were heading in, a life like one of the Liars was not awaiting me — or any of us.

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pitchforks & possessiveness: the mob mentality against girlfriends of celebrities

Parasocial relationships and the widespread media coverage of celebrities (that is accessible with the click of a button) are two things that have cultivated a twisted sense of ownership between fans & their favorite people in the limelight. The devastation and uproar that occurs when a teen idol gets a girlfriend is a well-known phenomenon, and the misogyny and hatred that comes in tow has come to be expected. It is an age-old tale, and all it takes is one look at Taylor Swift & Harry Styles to know that even the most beloved are not exempt from the one, unwritten rule: don’t lock down a heartthrob.

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how kamala harris is mobilizing the most underrated political audience: gen z

Despite his success with older conservatives and more traditional minds preoccupied with preserving older traditions rather than embracing modernity & inclusivity, Donald Trump still finds himself less favored amongst arguably the most loyal & action-driven group: Gen Z. With their domination of social media, they are one of the most important demographics to target — more and more established celebrities & even news anchors are employing younger interns to help them appeal to the younger generations. Issues like college debt forgiveness and abortion rights are perhaps the most prevalent to this group as well, since their futures rest upon these issues and the trajectory of their lives could forever change based on the direction these issues go in, in the future. According to Newsweek, they reported that as Civiqs (an online opinion polling and data analytics company) polled those 18-34 over the past two weeks to see who they favored (Trump or Harris), 57% favored Harris, while only 37% backed trump. Could Gen Z be the tipping point that installs our first female, women of color president in the oval office?

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the fear mongering around antidepressants

According to the CDC, “About one in 10 Americans aged 12 and over takes antidepressant medication.” With over 300 million Americans making up the population, that means at least 30,000,000 people are on antidepressants nationwide. And yet, more and more holistic practitioners and spiritual gurus are claiming anxiety, ADHD, depression and other mental health conditions can be solved through supplements, meditation and diet. Gut health has been one of the most recent ties to mental health from both western and eastern medicine practitioners, but while traditional doctors recommend a probiotic for a balanced gut biome, eastern practitioners claim that + vitamin deficiencies can be to blame for some mental health issues.

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cyclothymia: a seldom explored explanation for treatment-resistant ups & downs

In today’s climate, the average person experiences an array of emotions throughout the day that might contradict each other. Jobs are demanding, parenthood is exhausting, connecting with others is harder than ever, and with the influx of subliminal messaging from social media about what your life should look like, our minds are overloaded with way more information than a healthy brain is likely intended to consume. This, unsurprisingly, all creates a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of mental health issues to arise. In fact, according to The National Alliance on Mental Illness, 20% of American adults (50+ million people) experience some type of mental illness annually, and that’s just what’s been reported — we all have family members who refuse to see mental health practitioners that undoubtedly suffer from some sort of mood or personality disorder. I’d say it’s more like 50%, based on the sample size I see in everyday life. With that being said, some mental illnesses remain more stigmatized than others. Bipolar disorder is one of them. It is a commonly misunderstood condition, with people casually weaponizing it in everyday life to label someone’s change in mood or feelings.

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i dyed my hair dark brown all because of a color season analysis

The importance placed on how we look & present ourselves has always played a disproportionally large role in how our lives unfold, but with the rise of social media (and especially TikTok), the pressure is greater than ever to employ all sorts of unconventional tactics to defy aging & flaws and mimic the airbrushed versions of ourselves reflected on our screens & posts. The debate on how far we should go to meet our cultural beauty standards is a long-standing & nuanced one, but the point of this post is to point out a new beautifying trend that focuses on highlighting & enhancing our natural, unique beauty, something I think everyone can agree is harmless and uplifting. The trend is color seasons, and the theory is that we all belong to one season: autumn, winter, spring or summer.

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how madeline ford is revolutionizing the conversation around mental health

Her content is reminiscent of a FaceTime call with your very best friend, whom you check in with from time to time with no awareness of the time between meetings as their authenticity and excitement to connect color every conversation in bright technicolor. Her most notable showcases of raw honesty are her journey of sharing her sexuality with her following and her well-documented experience with her mental health, along with the trials & tribulations that come with medication, depression and diagnoses.

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are oracle & tarot cards psuedo or divine guidance?

A common thread that runs throughout every form of religion or spirituality is the innate human desire to feel understood and find an anchor in an all-knowing higher power. For many devout followers subscribed to a certain theology, their experience is often paired with inexplicable, transcendent signs that point you in a particular direction or answer a question on you know you’ve been contemplating. Oracle and tarot cards are a more direct approach to getting answers from an organic, mystical source, shuffling cards and letting the “chosen” ones jump out — or following certain spreads that assign unique meanings to different cards in certain placements, such as your past, present, and future, as an example. Furthermore, this practice is paradoxically more straightforward yet also more ambiguous than a fleeting conversation that feels like a direct nudge from whatever higher power you seek guidance from.

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the tried & true guide to remedying a bad hair service

Hair is a big deal. It can be the deciding factor on whether or not we feel good that day, some of us center our social calendars around salon days and wash days, and many people spend exorbitant amounts of money on shampoos, sprays, treatments, and tools to keep their hair looking top-notch. And thankfully for people who like to get things done themselves, shampooing twice and learning how to use rollers does not require you to be a graduate from cosmetology school. The tricky part is the stuff that normally does, like highlights, haircuts, perms, Brazilian blowouts, etc., etc.

Sometimes, it’s a relief to put your hair in the care of someone with vastly more knowledge and experience. walking into the salon with a frizzy, tangled mess of hair and walking out with Selena Gomez Pantene commercial circa 2016 hair? A guaranteed dopamine boost. The problem is when it goes horribly wrong.

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the magnetism & magic of brittany broski

Fonts, intros and thumbnail themes are all synonymous with the Golden Era of Youtube, as some call it, between the years of 2011-2015. Monetization had not yet peaked, collaborations were earnest and out of genuine friendship, and the gap between creators and viewers was bridged with honest content that resembled that of a FaceTime call with a longtime friend. This era died as the original creators went off to pursue other avenues of entrepreneurship, and in their place, celebrity-like untouchables were born, lacking the relatability and connection that their forefathers offered. However, a renaissance of the “best friend” influencer is upon us, with creators like Brittany Broski paving the way.

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the power of a female audience in formula one

Everyone’s a fan of something, some in more devoted ways than others, but when you factor in gender, you’re bound to be met with the ever-present double standard that exists between men & women when it comes to being an enthusiast about something. I’m sure you’ve seen the comparisons of grown men screaming in the stands of a football game with paint-streaked cheeks and beet-red faces to young girls in costumes, holding up hand-made glitter signs and crying over their favorite teen idol. One is perfectly acceptable, with the notion that men are simply avid about sports, while the other is trivial, childish and something that will be grown out of once they “mature.” So when genders cross over in male-dominated fandoms: what happens, and is the integration seamless?

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reality shifting: the origination, the magic, the mystery and the appeal

During the height of the pandemic, teenage girls everywhere, like myself, were locked away in their rooms with the only portal for socialization being the cell phones in their hands. As we all know, especially the last generation to experience a slice of life without the boom of technology, the innately human experience of interacting face-to-face is an irreplaceable privilege (although introverts like myself might disagree to a certain degree) — especially when technology is already fundamentally changing the way we approach connecting with other. However, an upside to technology is that it offers the ability to transform your pool of possible friends into an ocean of like-minded acquaintances with the push of a button. The TikTok algorithm encourages this, leading compatible people with similar interests to find each other, and the Harry Potter side of TikTok was no exception. Exiled to the confines of their rooms, many teens and young adults re-discovered their love of the British franchise and were inspired to share it with the world. One thing led to another, and suddenly the idea of shifting was on the forefront of “For You” pages everywhere after one fateful person decided to share how she shifted her consciousness through meditation to explore the beloved world. Thus began the four-year long debate on whether or not it is all some inside joke, or perhaps something more progressive and New Age with actual proof to boot.

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the reclamation of girlhood

In an effort to fix an utterly demolished attention-span (thanks to the convenient doom-scrolling of TikTok), I decided to dive back in to my first love: YouTube. In this rediscovery, I found an interesting new genre I had yet to look into called video essays. Here, people explain polarizing or niche topics with a plethora of background research and plenty of illustrations to paint a forthright, all-encompassing narrative. This discovery came about a little over a year ago. Fast forward to present day — well, three days ago —, I came across a video by Mina Lee called “Why Is Everyone Dressing Like a Little Girl?” With a newfound affinity for bows and the “coquette” aesthetic myself, I immediately clicked on the video in hopes of discovering what this interest represents on a deeper level.

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a guide to navigating acne scars

Having acne is already an emotional, often traumatizing experience, but the cherry on top is when you finally think you’re past it all and can live your life without the constant awareness & anxiety of your skin, acne scars happen. They can show up in all sizes, colors & forms, in hues of white or purple or pink. But no matter how they manifest, there’s one truth: they can be a knife to your self-esteem.

If you’re like me and suffering with the aftermath of acne, I have some tips to share that I’ve gathered from my own personal research & experience on how to fade those pesky scars.

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what jess day would wear in 2024

The costume department for New Girl expertly nailed Jess Day’s ultra-feminine, bubbly, preppy style with a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns to capture her bright essence. Despite this, the maximalism in her outfits doesn’t quite translate to the trends of today, which got me thinking: what would Jessica Day wear in 2024?

To understand this and catch a glimpse into a modern-day version of Jess, first we must understand what her style is: twee. The exact definition of this word is “affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, quaint or cute.” Moreover, the word curiously has British origins, linking back to the 60’s/70’s “Mod” style that featured crisp lines, big lashes, bangs and patterns. These things are still relevant to today’s trends, but in more evolved, “refined” ways.

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