YouTube video by Senator Chris Murphy

Friendship, chosen family, and community love are just as meaningful—if not more so—than any whirlwind romance. Yet, society tends to place romantic relationships on a pedestal, treating them as the pinnacle of human connection.

There’s this word I keep coming back to lately: capacity. I keep thinking about what you can give to others and to yourself when your own needs are met. When you’re in a good place—mentally, emotionally, physically—it opens up so much space for connection, creativity, and growth. For a long time, I didn’t fully understand what it felt like to have true capacity. Life was always a balancing act: trying to meet deadlines, show up for people, and keep up with my own personal goals while juggling everything else. I thought giving my all meant stretching myself thin, but I’ve learned that’s the quickest way to burn out.

Fashion has always been my life source. Through all the chaos of life, it’s been the one thing I could control, the one thing that was wholly mine. If nothing else could go my way, I’d at least hav…

YouTube video by When In Doubt, Pink

As we move forward, let’s challenge the societal obsession with labeling women as "good" or "bad." Let’s instead focus on dismantling the systems—like purity culture—that enforce these restrictive binaries.