By Bridget Killian
Her Campus DePaul, 2021
A couple of weeks ago, I made the bold move of hitting the little gray ‘X’ on the top left corner of my social media apps, deleting them from my phone. I know what you are thinking: I’m crazy. But I have to disagree. Making the decision to remove social media apps from my phone may have been the best decision I’ve made thus far this year.
Social media is something that gives people a lot of joy but also can just as easily give people a lot of stress. For me, it was the latter — my stress levels were off the charts. There is so much pressure on people today to have a social media following, an aesthetic feed, and maintain a constant presence. I was beginning to fall into the trap of placing too much value on the performance of my posts.
Let’s talk about Tik Tok. When Tik Tok first came on the scene, I basically vowed never to download it. I didn’t really see the appeal or find any of the trends at the time funny. Of course, once quarantine hit in March of 2020 I gave in and downloaded it. Initially, I only wanted to post original dances that I choreographed to highlight my dance abilities, but I quickly forgot about that idea and just fell in line. I posted so many videos just doing random trends or doing “Tik Tok dances” rather than setting out to create a platform just for my creations...continue reading
By Bridget Killian
Her Campus DePaul, 2021
I am a flat-chested woman. And let me tell you, that took me a long time to be comfortable with. Growing up I always thought, hmm maybe I’m just a late bloomer. I’ll get boobs in college. I’ll finally get my boobs in my twenties. Well, I turned twenty in February and I’m almost halfway done with college so I think it’s safe to say I’m stuck in the Itty Bitty Committee.
Typically the conversation around chest size is geared more towards women with larger breasts, but I don’t think the Itty Bitty Committee gets enough love and attention. I will say, the Itty Bitty Committee has been gaining more support when it comes to body types that are considered “beautiful” by the media or society, but while I was growing up that was not always the case.
For me, especially in middle school and early high school, the media and television shows I was surrounded with were full of beautiful women with full breasts and amazing, curvy figures. I, being the piece of plywood that I am, was honestly jealous. All I wanted was to wear a homecoming dress with a low-cut neckline and show off cleavage like all my friends...continue reading
By Bridget Killian
Her Campus DePaul, 2021
It is typically frowned upon today to spend too much time stressing over pop culture drama and gossip, especially for women. As a woman obsessed with pop culture, I have been told not to care about the goings-on with various celebrities, watch so much television that I can quote full seasons of shows or constantly be keeping up with the latest trends on social media.
While I agree that those pastimes should be just that, pastimes, I don’t understand why there is a weird stigma around enjoying pop culture. Women in media are typically demonized for engaging in drama or gossip, and it is about time this stereotype is broken down and turned into a positive force. That is where “Be There in Five” comes in.
“Be There in Five” is a longform, pop culture commentary podcast hosted by Kate Kennedy. Kennedy is a Chicago-based entrepreneur who got her start through selling doormats with reminders on them such as “turn off your curling iron,” which she cleverly calls “Remindoormats.” Her business, also called Be There in Five, took off which led her to start her podcast...continue reading