One of my favorite non-profits in San Francisco, About-Face, is on a mission to make a difference in how women see themselves. It’s no secret that pages of glossies, gossip mags, blogs and tabloids are overridden with airbrushed photos and images of women who were already too thin to begin with. And yet what are we doing about it? Nothing. Or, well, barely anything. (The April issue of French Elle is an astonishing exception.) Even the efforts to impose minimum weight requirements on (runway) models seems to be going nowhere, and we continue to see the same manipulated images — the most...

Having spent the bulk of the day in South Kensington and experiencing overwhelming nostalgia, I feel like I’m falling in love with this city all over again. Liz and I got to the V&A not long after it opened. She went upstairs to textiles, and I made a b-line for the fashion collection. I think my neck is still sore from looking down at all the placards explaining the significant of each piece. *sigh* 1988 Moschino Bra Dress 1959 Jacques Heim Gown Not knowing exactly what to explore after 45 minutes of making a slow circle around cases of enclosed dressing and evening gowns, vintage wedding...

Liz and I took the day to embrace our picture-taking skills, put some wear on our sneakers and enjoy London’s mid-May intermittently blue sky. We ended up at a smattering of typical tourist spots to supply proof that, yes, we saw the things one sees when you visit London. Such as … … Big Ben and … … a body of water within a huge, green park leading to another something rather notable and crowded (this is the case for just about every London park, am I wrong?) — this one so happens to be St. James’ Park. Yes, we took a brief stop at Buckingham Palace,...

After less than twelve hours on the ground, London already feels like home again. The streets, the trees, the double-ring on the other line when you make a call. Narrow staircases and sidewalks, the circus-esque patterned and colored velour lining the tube’s seats. Walking through M&S carrying a wire basket — knowing you can only buy what you can actually carry home. How quickly it’s all coming back. Liz and I had a safe — and what felt relatively quick — flight over, more comfortable and able to sleep thanks to a last-minute seat upgrade (from middle-middle to...

My 5 minutes of eFame Six weeks ago, a small CBS production crew (all of three guys) showed up to my humble abode for an all-day shoot that eventually became this video. They were 30 minutes early. I literally opened the door in wet hair and my purple fuzzy bathrobe. After replying to an inquiry on Help a Reporter Out, and emailing back and forth with Kate Ashford, the freelance writer, the producer, and the financial planner, this video (as well as two print pieces still to come) started to come together. An Insider’s Look to the Whole Process At first, they weren’t sure what angle...

After the let down of California actually passing Prop 8, it’s nice to finally have equality and gay rights represented in the dictionary. Yup, that’s right. Merriam-Webster officially included a secondary definition of the term “marriage” to recognize homosexual relationships. While they officially defined it back in 2003, and other dictionaries even earlier, the news is only now receiving hype thanks to a post on (uber conservative) World Net Daily on Tuesday. While the redefinition doesn’t provide homosexuals with the rights they need to actually get married in...

So instead of attending San Francisco’s Twestival, on Thursday night I spent about $90 and came out ahead with one pair of leather boots, patent peep toes and a delicious meal of Mexican food with close friends. It may not have been exactly what Twestival promised—a $20 charitable donation for a night of networking, social schmoozing and an opportunity to match actual faces with people’s Twitter avatars—but my shopping excursion was well worth it and gave my morale a hefty boost. Sadly, this San Francisco-based handbag & shoe company known for its delicious leathers,...

Also published on BitchBuzz.com Today was a momentous day in history for many reasons, but after watching the Obamas dazzle everyone at their inaugural ball, it made me think: Today marks a victory for America. For Democrats. For the world, even. But with Michelle Obama officially the First Lady, today is also a huge day for tall women everywhere! Finally, we have a tall, elegant, fashion-forward woman to look up to who’s not a supermodel, but rather, a role model. What I love about Michelle Obama is the fact that she doesn’t shy away from fashion risk — from clothes or from heels,...

Originally published on BitchBuzz.com No. Shorts do not crack the code. They break them. The dress code, that is. The New York Times Style section – a place I usually consider a trustworthy Style Bible of sorts – recently revealed a shocking menswear solution to uncomfortable heat, a climate that San Francisco is experiencing now – the Indian Summer, our brief relief from the fog. This latest trend? Wearing shorts, and short suits, to work. My first inclination? If women are not allowed, not encouraged, or get scorned for wearing shorts or anything too-above-the-knee to work, why should men...

After reading this article in Dame Magazine about the entitled generation (my generation), I found myself annoyed, and admittedly, a bit defensive. And perhaps a bit guilty for having such high expectations of the “real world.” As a twenty-something one year out of college, and one year into my first “real world” job, I am still always trying to gain that extra tidbit of experience. I accept tedious proofreading assignments with a smile, because I know that I need to prove myself worthy of the little stuff before being trusted with the more thought-stimulating projects....