Unhealthy relationships

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Jade Anna Hughes  I spent a lot of my teens and 20’s avoiding deep relationships because I didn’t trust another person, and I didn’t trust myself. What if I said something wrong? What if they treated me the way my stepfather treated my mother? When you’re brought up in a […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Emily DeSanctis  Covert abuse is easy to miss. If you’re the target, you won’t see any glaring warning signs—there are none. But subtlety isn’t the only danger: covert abuse tactics also masquerade as other behaviors, even healthy ones. This means that if your partner’s being abusive, you might not only […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Carrie Manner  People joke about “google stalking” their potential partners all the time but stalking is no laughing matter. Stalking is a pattern of behavior that makes you feel nervous and susceptible to attack. Each scenario with a stalker may differ (from repeated contact to unwanted gifts), but the goal remains the […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Gussie Bryan  Manipulate: verb ma·nip·u·late   mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlāt : the act of controlling or playing upon by artful, unfair or insidious means especially to one’s own advantage.  By definition, manipulation can be tricky to detect, especially in friendships that tend to progress at a slower rate over time than romantic relationships. The fact […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Carrie Manner  Pop culture has a bad habit of presenting stalking as normal dating behavior. Rom-coms and popular TV series feature lovable underdogs fumbling in their quest for love as they study their crush, join the same activities, ask around about them, and coordinate “coincidental” meetups. If the object of […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Hannah Anain    For many people, stalking is a distant thought: it happens in horror movies, we laugh about “Facebook” stalking our friends, but we couldn’t possibly imagine someone stalking us or someone we know. Unfortunately, stalking is much more common than most people believe, and it is oftentimes difficult to […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Amanda Phillips  When I started dating my abuser, I had a Master’s degree in counseling under my belt; it’s true. During our time together, I was in school for another one and even I had never heard gaslighting discussed in-depth. For a season, gaslighting was a part of my daily […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Carrie Manner  Knowing a loved one is being abused, whether it’s emotional, verbal, sexual, or physical, can be overwhelming. Anger, guilt, and feelings of helplessness are common, and though we want to help, we don’t always know how. Especially when the person being abused is a parent. When abuse is […]

 Written by Writer’s Corps member Karina Sumano  In recent years, designers like Thom Browne and Vivienne Westwood have premiered gender fluid designs that push the envelope and reflect our evolving ideas about gender and self-identity. Much like the styles we see on the runway, gender norms have undergone a major shift in the last decade. […]