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Anastasia Basil
Anastasia Basil

15.3K Followers

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Published in Human Parts

·Pinned

‘Crotch’ Is Not a Dress Length

Judging girls: the last acceptable bias — In high school, I went through a phase of wearing miniskirts with high-heeled pumps. One particularly unfabulous outfit involved a bright yellow miniskirt with shock-red heels. My mother tried to keep me from leaving the house “looking like that” and failed. At 16, I was stubborn as a corpse. What's…

Equality

3 min read

‘Crotch’ Is Not a Dress Length
‘Crotch’ Is Not a Dress Length
Equality

3 min read


Published in Human Parts

·Pinned

How Algebra Ruins Lives

80% of high school dropouts cited their inability to pass Algebra as the primary reason for leaving school — I was 32. I’d long suspected something was wrong but this was a diagnosis meant for a child, not a grown woman. After eight weeks of embarrassing testing and observation, my assessment advisor delivered my results. …

Politics

7 min read

How Algebra Ruins Lives
How Algebra Ruins Lives
Politics

7 min read


Published in Human Parts

·Pinned

Relax, Ladies. Don’t Be So Uptight. You Know You Want It

Remember the ’80s, when men preferred Hanes and could legally rape their wives? — In 1982, Donald Trump was 36 years old and he preferred Hanes pantyhose. Not because other leading brands constricted his balls, but because women belonged in dresses; it pleased the male eye. If you’re a Gen-Xer, you undoubtedly remember these ads. For nearly two decades Hanes ran television, print, and…

Feminism

11 min read

Relax, Ladies. Don’t Be So Uptight. You Know You Want It
Relax, Ladies. Don’t Be So Uptight. You Know You Want It
Feminism

11 min read


Published in Human Parts

·Pinned

Ketchup Sandwiches and Other Things Stupid Poor People Eat

“Folks of privilege don’t understand how $17 can ruin you” — I met this woman named Mae. She’s a van driver for a production company. She works 14-hour days but says she doesn’t mind, says she keeps one eye on the road and the other on the prize — a paycheck that has to last through the dead months. We’re driving…

Identity

6 min read

Ketchup Sandwiches and Other Things Stupid Poor People Eat
Ketchup Sandwiches and Other Things Stupid Poor People Eat
Identity

6 min read


Published in Human Parts

·Pinned

Alcohol + Boys Does Not = Rape

It takes a certain kind of person, not a certain amount of alcohol, to assault another human being — I knew a boy who was murdered. Late one night I was up nursing my daughter and Googling my past, like you do. I saw his name in the Saint Petersburg Times. Murdered. I marveled at the story the way I marvel at those spectacular, hard-to-believe photographs from the Hubble…

Politics

3 min read

Alcohol + Boys Does Not = Rape
Alcohol + Boys Does Not = Rape
Politics

3 min read


Jan 17, 2022

Middle School Offers Free Girdles to Girls

Kids don’t need to “smooth out bulges” — A school in Mississippi offered free “shapewear” to middle school girls, and a mom went public with the permission slip: “So this is what my 8th-grade daughter brought home from school today. I am beyond pissed…”

Life Lessons

5 min read

Middle School Offers Free Girdles to Girls
Middle School Offers Free Girdles to Girls
Life Lessons

5 min read


Aug 25, 2021

The Space of What Could Have Been

My mother is ninety-three and lives above my sister’s garage in a converted apartment, but not really. Her body is there, diapered and hunched and mostly immobile, but she is elsewhere. I guide her fingers to the soft ear of a toy rabbit. She smiles wide. This, she never would…

Mwc Space

3 min read

The Space of What Could Have Been
The Space of What Could Have Been
Mwc Space

3 min read


Jul 21, 2021

The Womb Where It Happened

When Americans are born on third base and think they hit a triple. I’m in line at the Target pharmacy watching a woman edge a baby stroller back and forth. Lena, the pharmacy tech, tilts her screen toward the woman and points. The information hits hard. The woman’s hands fly…

Politics

8 min read

The Womb Where It Happened
The Womb Where It Happened
Politics

8 min read


Published in Human Parts

·Sep 22, 2020

Middle Schoolers Are More Suicidal Than Ever. Is Too Much Privacy to Blame?

Why parents should think twice before granting kids absolute digital privacy — So, I had the talk with my 11-year-old daughter. (Not that talk, I had that talk a couple years ago.) She stared, unblinking, as I explained how sextortion works. I began with the story of Aaron Coleman. Five years ago, when Aaron was 14 years old, he tormented middle school…

Parenting

8 min read

Middle Schoolers Are More Suicidal Than Ever. Is Too Much Privacy to Blame?
Middle Schoolers Are More Suicidal Than Ever. Is Too Much Privacy to Blame?
Parenting

8 min read


Nov 15, 2019

Meet the Senator Who Blocked Gun Control While Students Lay Dying at Saugus High School

Her name is Cindy Hyde-Smith. She’s a Republican Senator from Mississippi. Her website says she’s a Jesus-loving lifetime member of The National Rifle Association. On the morning of November 14th, the Senate was on the floor debating legislation for background checks as a gunman opened fire at a high school…

Guns

4 min read

Meet the Senator Who Blocked Gun Control While Students Lay Dying at Saugus High School
Meet the Senator Who Blocked Gun Control While Students Lay Dying at Saugus High School
Guns

4 min read

Anastasia Basil

Anastasia Basil

15.3K Followers

I believe in dogs and words. Thanks for stopping by. https://www.anastasiabasil.com/

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