Published in ILLUMINATION·PinnedMember-onlyHello, I’m Danielle HestandInitially, I joined Medium because I longed to post about something quite specific — an article about the rights that pet fish deserve. I enjoy writing nonfiction, so I decided to post more about topics I care about such as animal rights, books, feminism, and sustainability. I’m passionate about reading…Self2 min readSelf2 min read
Aug 8, 2022Member-onlyMoving in TogetherAnd a brief update on my Medium activity — For the past few weeks, I’ve been preparing to move. My boyfriend and I have now moved in together. I am rather excited. I really love our new place, and it is almost right between his work and my college and work. I’ve unpacked much of my stuff but still…Moving1 min readMoving1 min read
Published in Counter Arts·Jul 30, 2022Member-only“Men Love Padding!”My experience with this statement and how it harms women — As a sixteen-year-old (when I still used Facebook), I remember seeing a post from someone stating “Men Love Padding” with a long explanation about how men want women who have more figure. That mostly translates into bigger butts, boobs, and thighs. Reading that, I thought no man would ever want…Feminism3 min readFeminism3 min read
Jul 28, 2022Member-onlyReceiving Strange Medium CommentsWhat is even the purpose behind them? — Medium always has loads of people leaving spam comments and its share of bots, but the responses left on my articles just got even stranger than before. I don’t think there’s a way to tell if this is a person or a bot, but my best guess is it’s someone…Medium1 min readMedium1 min read
Published in Medpage·Jul 27, 2022Member-onlyA Sex Strike Is PointlessIn the current political climate, I’ve noticed pleas for women who have sex with men to stop. On the surface, it looks like a good response to losing access to reproductive rights by reasserting autonomy. A major problem with this, however, is that it’s desirable to the fundamentalists yearning for…Sex3 min readSex3 min read
Jul 18, 2022Member-onlyExperimenting with Ten Word StoriesI’d heard of ten word stories before but hadn’t really thought about them in a while until Amanda Laughtland tagged me in this post: Ten Word Story Challenge Fiction or nonfiction: take your pickmedium.com In this article, Amanda shares some of her ten word stories. I strongly recommend reading it. …Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Published in Counter Arts·Jul 17, 2022Member-onlyAppalling Censorship Includes Digital Reading AppsHere’s why the war on children’s books should stop — Many American parents have been needlessly enacting a war on books for a long time, but nowadays, this even extends to the digital realm. Some libraries and schools in states such as Texas, Florida, and Ohio expanded their banning and censorship to include online apps such as Overdrive and Epic. …Culture3 min readCulture3 min read
Published in Happily Faithless·Jul 15, 2022Member-onlyAn Experience with Obligatory PrayerAnd why prayer does not belong in schools or public spaces — The separation of church and state in America already felt like a myth, and the country becomes more and more like a theocracy under the Supreme Court. They now require that prayer be allowed in public schools and won’t let states who supply money for private schools opt out of…Religion4 min readReligion4 min read
Published in Reading is a Novel Idea·Jul 12, 2022Member-onlyNine Tips for Avid Readers to Keep Books EnjoyableBooks are amazing, but I’ve noticed that some avid readers eventually get burnt out from them. They sometimes lose the motivation to read and the love of it. Based on my experiences as a voracious reader, here’s nine suggestions for keeping reading fun. Manage your expectations for books. I always…Books3 min readBooks3 min read
Published in Catness·Jul 8, 2022Member-onlyMy Handsome Cat Has a Big PersonalityPhosphorus, a sweet cat who cuddles with me often, has numerous traits that stand out immensely. For instance, I’ve noticed that if I meow at my cats, I can get their attention quickly. My boyfriend tries this as well. When I do it, Phosphorus walks toward me. If my boyfriend…Cats2 min readCats2 min read
