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A thoughtful essay from a Chicago-area writer examining the viral phrase "I'm just a girl," Gwen Stefani's influence, and what it means to embrace the contradictions, strength, and complexity of modern womanhood.

By Marissa Rotolo Hazel / @hazalbalci via Pinterest The month of March started with a brunch that unknowingly caused a ripple effect so unintentional, like a stone that keeps skipping long after you've stopped watching it. Brunch was followed by yet another flare of perioral dermatitis and a trip to Florida to celebrate my sister's 25th birthday. A case of mono that came and went. By the middle of March, I said a tearful goodbye to a job that started just as tearfully; in the

Ryan Murphy’s Love Story isn’t about romance—it’s about identity. A deep dive into Caroline Bessette Kennedy and episode 8’s shift.

By Marissa Rotolo I opened my computer, and I had seven tabs open. My iMessage was in the background, and my music was on. I haven’t cleared the cache on my phone in what feels like months. The news is always on when my family eats dinner, and sometimes my thoughts drown my pillow. The world is loud. There’s no escaping the tabs we keep open in real life, but psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner reminds us that we don’t develop in isolation; we develop within context. Bronfenbren

By Marissa Rotolo @faiezabirma via PInterest An overwhelming hole in my chest in the shape of my cellphone. A void in my brain that leaves me wondering how I once studied for exams and clung to information that truly mattered. Eyes that once relished; rest that once felt meaningful. This is the cynical cycle of thought that materializes after a doomscroll. When ten minutes turn into six hundred, and skipping one book on my shelf turns into cobwebs collecting dust. I used to

A curated November playlist featuring five songs that evoke nostalgia, fall energy, and personal reflection. Explore the music that defined November 2025.

This blog explores the emotional side of personal growth — the loneliness, healing, identity shifts, and quiet rebuilds that happen when you choose peace, boundaries, and self-worth. Through reflective essays and honest storytelling, it examines what it really looks like to outgrow old habits, relationships, and versions of yourself in your 20s. If you’re navigating burnout, rebuilding your identity, learning balance, or grieving old versions of yourself while creating a lif

By Marissa Rotolo Once upon a time, an album cover defined an era. Over the last few years, the classic album rollout has been upended in pop music. The birth (or epidemic) of album variants has crowded the face of pop music. Where there used to be one image that encapsulated an entire body of work, recently, artists have developed multiple alternative covers. While critics point to the wastefulness and tone-deaf expectation of multiple purchases, the proliferation of covers

By Marissa Rotolo The death of something perhaps beautiful, but the rise of something new. Crisp air, tricks and treats, and the world dipped in caramel. Autumn is an annual reckoning with the coldness within all of us. There’s no better way to embrace fall than by sinking into films and shows that capture its essence. Below are 5 classic, must-watch picks for the season. 𝔏𝔬𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔞 / @Lalamonee via Pinterest 1) Practical Magic (1998) How could I make a list of Fall Films

By Marissa Rotolo Like a child drawn to her babydoll, Manolo Blahnik’s reverie for Marie Antoinette has awakened a yearning that has lasted for decades, only to be revived in ultra high-definition. Blahnik has taken to giving Marie Antoinette another chance to be grasped in a whole new way: through her shoes. Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette: A Dream in Shoes The infatuation with Marie Antoinette isn’t new: Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” (2006) unfolds like a surreal dre

By Marissa Rotolo Once upon a time, the typical Hollywood man always had abs, probably a cape, and a haunting backstory that somehow just made him like totally get it! The archetype of a man has always felt more like a caricature than a truth. President. Gym rat. Brooding. These aren’t personalities as much as they are buzzwords; shorthand for what society has packaged as “masculinity.” Enter Glen Powell, who has been thrust into Hollywood at a fascinating moment in the zeitg

By Marissa Rotolo Esperanza Funk / @efunk260 via Pinterest Eyes follow the fateful click-clack of a heel across a barroom floor: the stage where Carrie Bradshaws and Alix Earles of the world come alive. Whether it’s Manolos, Jimmy Choos, or a pair splashed in funky patterns, heels are the soundtrack of their stories, each step part of a symphony. There is so much taste splashed upon a good shoe, and as I’ve grown up I’ve become so much more aware of the appeal of a good shoe

By Marissa Rotolo Khachatryan Syuzanna / @syuzann_na via Pinterest I’ve had Pinterest boards for my wedding since I was way too young. From mason jar centerpieces to old-money chic aesthetics, my boards have seen it all. But not once did I pin the words “brand deal.” That, however, seems to be the newest goal for influencers and Gen Z couples. Somewhere between the champagne toast and the bouquet toss, Gen Z found an opportunity to monetize. Forget “I do.” The real vow is to

By Marissa Rotolo Album cover for Audrey Hobert’s “Who’s The Clown?,” released in 2025 by RCA Records. When your socks don’t match, you trip in front of a crush, or laugh at a joke before the punchline, or worse, all three at once, you’re personifying the character In Who’s the Clown?, Audrey Hobert’s debut album. From a self-proclaimed “Phoebe Buffay,” this record ushers in a renaissance of weird girl music in today’s pop scene. From lines like “’Cause I’m the naked neighbor

By Marissa Rotolo 8athena8 / @8athena8 via Pinterest I feel it most when the sun starts to set, and I have to switch on the big light. Like the ending credits of a glorious film and your brain can’t help but wonder what next? A Bon Iver song, beautiful but tragic all in the same breath. Sunday blues are a feeling of nostalgia that rips at the deepest parts of the soul. Like the feeling of being in a crowded room, laughing, sulking in pleasure, only to go home alone at night

By Marissa Rotolo Pepsi Smile🙂/ @phytoplanktonH2O via Pinterest “At 22 years old, I write in this journal knowing my life right now is fleeting. Writing/editing blogs, psychology classes, team dinners, even getting annoyed over parking spots & ring cameras: in one year from now it’ll all be different. This last fall semester at Miami has been a testament to the love I have gained, the growth I have done, the idea that all you need is love. A space to cry, to laugh, to suppo

By Marissa Rotolo Allie / @allienjones333 via Pinterest Where the question of whether you were a Bratz or Barbie girl mattered most, and the combo of capri leggings under your jean skirt with a lace Justice tank top was simply untouchable. Feather hair extensions? All the rage. Now, it feels like the awkward phase has disappeared into the abyss. Dare I say it...tweens today are cooler than we ever were. With the rise of Tiktok tweens today are exposed to curated content at un

By Marissa Rotolo Instagram / @keywestcherries via Instagram It’s 2009. The era of Youtubing Karaoke versions of Ke$ha songs, babysitters and watching my mom step out in her frosted Mac lipstick and sequin tops. When nobody is looking I’ll sneak into her room and host a fashion show in her heels. Most of my priorities still lie with Disney princesses and, let’s face it, age-appropriate interests. One thing lingers in the back of my mind, and in the minds of little girls eve

By Marissa Rotolo Crusoe The Celebrity Dachshund / @CrusoeDachshund After a full day we mentally erase the to-do list of things planned. Gym? I’m too tired. Read my book? I can’t focus right now. Cook a decent meal? I’d rather do something quick. Soon your free time becomes a revenge plot to reclaim all the sleep you lost from the night before. We try our hardest to not let digital fatigue become our reality. As Supriyadi and colleagues noted in a 2025 review published in Env

By Marissa Rotolo ELLEN LONG / CurlyClicksPhotography I used to sleep in my bed at home knowing I’d soon be back in my college town. Back in my bubble and surrounded by people my age, untouched by outside opinions, holding a sense of sovereignty over my own life. I used to sleep in my college bed with the belief that when I moved home for good, I’d have a plan. A job. A budget. A few long-distance trips figured it out. A timeline for moving out. None of that turned out to be