Critical Thinking, Critical Consumption, Cultural Humility, Cultural Competency - Why We Need It All.
All I think about is how much of a critical thinker I am, how much of a critical consumer I am. I question basically everything, especially because I never really used to at a young age.
Fair warning: this may sound more academic-like. I miss writing academically lowkey, but that’s only because I be missing learning. Okay, now, will start this academic writing.
Algorithm bias* is just so blatantly obvious. The media that we consume favors the dominant, white community. Well, how do you know that? It’S jUsT aN aLgoRitHm. But someone has to create the algorithm, right? Exactly. It was just in 2018, when Noble (2018) made findings that Google is perpetuating narratives and giving power to dominant groups through their algorithms. Since there is a lack of representation and lack of racial knowledge in who is creating these technologies and algorithms, marginalized groups become so negatively impacted. This trickles down into every aspect of the internet that we consume.
The more I consume media, the more aware I become of the biases that occur just within the internet. It’s just so in your face. For example, if you look up sh*t like “casual outfits”, do you notice the demographic? Or just when you look up anything, period. This can be on any search engine, like Google TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.
When you have to specify who you’re looking up - for example: Asian light brown hairstyle - it just implies that looking up “light brown hairstyle” doesn’t include Asian people. If you look up “light brown hairstyle”, what’s the demographic?
I didn’t have to type “White girl light brown hairstyle”, it’s the implication and non-inclusive way of reinforcing that the status quo is white. It may seem so minor, but in the long run, it just reinforces white dominance. Furthermore, the algorithms themselves have shown and proven to disproportionately impact underrepresented and marginalized communities, as shown in Noble’s (2018) research.
This is why inclusivity and representation is SO important. If you don’t question what you look up on the internet or just what you consume on the internet, it can lead to a lack of critical thinking skills.
The thing is, we can’t just put this all on the consumers. What about the creators of these technologies? There needs to be some accountability within that realm, too. There needs to be a real change, there needs to be true representation and inclusion within these tech companies, as to prevent instances in which underrepresented communities become disproportionately affected by biased algorithms.
I, obviously, don’t want to disregard performative actions that occur within society. It takes more than just having someone as a “face of diversity and inclusion”, it’s not the flex you think it is, mr. institution. Listening, learning, and seeking different experiences and stories from all different kinds of people is what’s going to really help you with learning and understanding what inclusivity and representation really means. You have to really step outside of your own circle to learn from and listen to others, to create true change within society.
With that important tangent, let’s circle back to being critical consumers of the media. As mentioned, it shouldn’t be put solely on us to seek and question the media that we consume; there should definitely be change created within these tech spaces, which is also part of an even longer conversation that I am so glad to talk about, too. But, that’s not necessarily what we’re talking about now.
With being a critical consumer, comes being a critical thinker. This helps to understand and dig deep into what the media is trying to say and make you think about the ways you consume media.
Always do your own research before believing what one thing said.
That just felt necessary to say. You can’t just believe everything that is handed to you. Question it. It’s okay to. I get it, that’s not what you’re taught in school growing up. You’re not taught how to think or how to learn. You just “learn” random “facts” and sh*t. That can be part of a larger conversation and to get a glimpse into it, read more here!
We are taught to basically memorize and regurgitate facts. It was rare that someone wanted to learn, because no one really taught us how to actually learn or really have fun with learning. No one truly connected with material that was presented to us. You’re basically just taught how to memorize things, how to take information as it is - and barely on how to critically think, be problem solvers, be culturally competent, and exhibit cultural humility.
That’s just a small snippet into what the education system should be implementing into their curriculum, especially in schools who have large populations of underrepresented communities.
I just think that implementing all of this into the education system, granting more money and resources to the education system, would be a proactive approach to social justice.
It’s - UGH- an institution so it makes it a lot harder to try to get things like this implemented - like cultural competency, cultural humility, and all that. We’d be teaching children to question what’s presented to them, as they should, and, unfortunately, there’s a lot of places that would definitely oppose this. It’s definitely a more progressive approach, which would, unfortunately, create a lot of chaos and backlash. That is also part of a larger conversation.
With all that said, be aware of what’s being put out on the internet, in whatever capacity. Understand that representation and inclusion is important in all aspects of media consumption. Representation and inclusion is important for communities and individuals. Representation helps with connection, and inclusion helps with cultural competency and cultural humility. All of this, in turn, helps build empathy and helps us strive towards social justice.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
Maybe I’m an overthinker, maybe this was just a tangent, but I do think everything I said holds truth.
*I learned about this in a class I took - Tech Inequality in the Silicon Valley. Keep an eye out for a blog post regarding everything related to this, that way you can fact check me and my sources (;
Noble, S. U. (2018). Searching for black girls. In Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (pp. 64–109). NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1pwt9w5.6
Investing in Me: How I'm Prioritizing Self-Care and Personal Growth in My 20s
mood. and that’s on self-love.
I could and would definitely make “dating” a topic of this series, however, I am not dating - or, actually, I’m dating myself.
It seems obvious that “dating” would be a topic in a series regarding living life in your 20s, but we gotta keep you on ya toes. JK, it’s really just that, at this moment, dating is not for me.
Between being a content creator, while actively being a full-time corporate baddie, it’s a lot. I’d lowkey be at a gamble with my time: how do I make time for myself, time for someone else, all on top of my work and passions? I’m not even opposed to dating - I definitely think meeting new people, flirting, getting dined out, and all of that sh*t, is super fun and holds a lot of value, but that sh*t lowkey be a lot of work, ya know? I feel like I’m at a point in my life where I want to be single and want to basically date myself.
What I’m learning about myself
Learning about myself means investing time in my own work and my own passions.
The thing is, I wouldn’t be opposed to going on a date - I’d be more opposed to like… continually talking to someone… and them having my number. I just want to be #unbothered. I can’t give ample time or energy to someone else right now, so why put myself out there like that?
I’m tapping into a lot of self-reflection and healing at this time, which is helping with self-discovery. This, in itself, requires a lot of time and energy.
I’ve come to learn that I love learning. I have honestly been missing classes - I like having open dialogue that deepens critical thinking and opens your mind to different perspectives - not only does it help you learn about different topics in general, but it helps you understand where your perspectives/values lie. It also helps you to have an open-mind and just constantly think about the world around you. It helps with your critical thinking.
See, b!tch, merely speaking of being critical and deep thinkers allows the scholarly writing to pour out.
But, back to self-reflection: I’m realizing all of these things about myself where I just want to continue to go down that rabbit hole for the time being.
“yeAh, bUt wHat iF yOu mEeT SomEoNe?”
Well, b!tch, that’s a big “what if” and something that we’ll figure out if that were to happen - bottom line is, i’m just not actively participating in the dating.
Further lonesome thoughts
It’s not even that I don’t want to date LMAO, I just want to shift my focus to myself right now because 1) I love learning more about myself and 2) I got sh*t to work on. Like I said, being a full-time corporate baddie while being a content creator, girrrrllll, there’s only so much time in a day. With my down time, I’d rather spend it on taking myself out, reading, writing, etc. I like being single right now and having the full capability to learn and heal myself. Circling back, it’s just not feasible to give someone else time and energy when I’m this invested in myself.
So I just think that right now, I’m dating myself and loving my life. Thank you.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
Lowkey epiphany: every new period of my life, I feel as if I go through some sort of phase of self-love and self-reflection before everything else falls into place.
I’m saying this because when I started at a new middle school, I found my style, my vibe, my friends, from mostly being to myself at first, learning more about what I like, exploring new things, before “dating” people. (“dating” because it’s middle school, b!tch, like be so fr). And then same with high school and college. It was all at the beginning - the transition period - where I did that self-love and self-reflection work before investing time in the dating world. I need to be aware of where I am at this point of my life before allowing others deeply in.
I guess I'm just subconsciously aware of what it means to start a new period of your life: there’s a lot of changes ahead, but first and foremost, a lot of individual changes within these transitions. That means, you’re re-learning and re-discovering who you are at this new point in your life with new life lessons and possible new perspectives of how you view yourself and the world around you. Life changes and life transitions are important and necessary, but so is the self-reflection that comes from within.
Wow, look at that: knowledge. #KnowledgeIsPower
Listen to Your Inner Goddess: Trusting Yourself in Your 20s
The best thing you can do is learn how to trust yourself and listen when your gut is telling you something.
I cannot emphasize how many times I’ve doubted myself and my initial instincts, to come to realize that I was right in the first place.
When your gut is saying something, please listen - in any scenario that you are in.
If you’re getting any sort of feeling regarding anything, then, b!tch, you better listen! That feeling was there for a reason. This can be good, bad, and anything in between - just f*cking listen to your gut.
I, like many others, trust other people’s opinions and what they have to say. But at one point or another, you gotta just put full trust in yourself. It’s not the easiest thing, at all, I literally am currently still struggling with it, but do you, trust yourself.
You really gotta listen and allow your intuition to do its thing.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
Entrepreneurial Queens vs. Corporate Baddies: The Battle for Time
Do you ever realize how much of our lives are surrounded by time?
We are literally constrained by the clock. We think about it constantly, especially in a capitalist country, where time and money are damn near synonymous. We are obsessed with making money, which directly correlates to time.
Everyone is constantly moving, trying to figure out their next move.
I don’t want to live like that LMAO where the clock runs my life.
Me and the clock
I’m having a taste of what it’s like to have the clock run your life, and holy sh*t, y’all really just settled for this? (A corporate lifestyle btw, if that wasn’t clear) Working constantly, stuck in the same f*cking cycle - day after f*cking day.
Don’t get me wrong, I really love my job, I just don’t get how people don’t get tired of this sh*t. Like wtf do you MEAN we only have a TWO DAY break in between five whole ass work days.
That’s some f*cking bullsh*t.
Inner conflict with time
Bouncing back off of how this generation is changing the workplace, we’re desiring for more freedom financially, personally, and socially. I still want to work and hustle, but as an entrepreneur, not as an entity in a corporation. In a corporation, you’re running on their time instead of your own time. As much as I love my job, idk how much longer I can run on this kind of never-ending corporate clock.
I’m really struggling to find time and balance between corporate work and my own passions. I want to give all of my time to my business, obviously, but it’s f*cking exhausting, b!tch - trying to balance being a corporate baddie, but also an entrepreneur.
Being a corporate baddie isn’t all that bad. I am definitely learning so much, and think it’s a necessary step for me in my own personal growth, but it’s like, at what cost? Freedom?
The true struggle
The real struggle is being on a strict schedule.
Listen, if I get a minute off of schedule, everything is f*cking ruined. And this is what I mean by running by clock time. The clock/time is literally running my life rather than the other way around. Do I want that? I mean, who tf wants that? Where every minute of your life is worth, essentially, more than money. Where you’re literally racing the f*cking clock. Like, bro, that’s stressful as f*ck.
But, hey, #GrindDontStop.
Even though it f*cking should. Lol like slow tf down, let me catch a f*cking breath!!!
Part of me is like, why don’t we just live off natural time, like the natural human beings that we are? Then the other part of me is like “WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK”, I mean, Riri said it best, amirite.
So many struggles, feel me? LMAO
What y’all think?
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
20s, Energies, and Boundaries: A Young Woman's Take on Self-Care
Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not going to allow my own energy to be disturbed by anyone.
Protecting Your Energy
I think more people need to understand and realize that there’s no issue in wanting to protect your own energy and maintain your peace. Personally, I don’t see any value or advantage in allowing your peace to be interfered with for the sake of someone else.
Why it Matters
It may sound selfish and even a little harsh, but what do you gain by allowing someone else to walk all over your aura? Yes, you are protecting them, but what about ourselves?
Once you realize what’s serving you versus what’s not and you block out anything that disrupts your peace, life is just so much more fun and it feels so much easier.
Finding Inner Peace
I have to be honest, I’m still working on maintaining my peace. With the small changes that I’ve made, I’ve noticed that I feel less worried. It’s my life, and I’m not going to let anyone try and drain my own energy.
This honestly requires a lot of inner work where you unlearn old habits and become aware of what you bring into your life. This self-awareness can allow you to find true peace because you truly understand what’s positively impacting your life - you understand what you need/want in your life versus what you don’t.
We shouldn’t allow anyone or anything to f*ck with us.
Like how are you going to be disturbing me on my phone? Bye, immediately blocked!
I’m not going to allow anyone to disrespect or belittle me. Everything is a two-way street, and sometimes, silence is the best answer.
Learning when to speak up and when to stay quiet is a huge lesson that we all need to learn. We’ll have to choose between protecting our peace or pushing our boundaries. There are some things that just aren’t worth our energy - I want us all to be mindful of this. It’s so easy to react without thought, but I want us to at least be aware of this. Be aware of what may be disrupting your peace.
There’s no reason to put your energy into something that’s ultimately going to drain your own. Here’s to being bad b!tches with self-awareness, self-care, and self-love! Protect that energy, b!tch.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me <3
Self-Love: The Ultimate Act of Rebellion in Your 20s
Listen, b!tch, I love myself. I can’t emphasize this enough. I’ve reached a point where loving and understanding myself has gone beyond anything I could ever imagine, it’s as if I’m dating myself. I mean, I basically am dating myself. I’ve learned the value of my own time and I’m continuing to learn more about myself and the world around me every day.
We are all multifaceted people. There’s so many layers to each of us, and, let’s be real, sometimes, we don’t even understand our own layers.
Using Self-Reflection to reach ultimate self-love
Learning how to love yourself and learning how to value your own time is not only about a bath, a face mask, buying yourself whatever you want, etc. Don’t get me wrong, that’s definitely part of self-care and self-love, but what about self-reflection.
When you self-reflect, you learn and understand more about who you are. You become more self-aware of your thoughts, your actions, and your values. Doing inner work can have the ability to boost your self-confidence and self-love because you have that internal rather external validation. You begin to understand your own self-worth and it’s just a beautiful thing to see and a beautiful thing to obtain because you can then grow your higher self, your full potential.
Obviously, this is easier said than done, and can definitely be more beneficial with professional help, but simply understanding what internal/inner work could be potentially done, is already one step closer to your higher self.
Do it for you
There’s always a reason as to why we do the things we do - it’s just a matter of understanding them and using them for your own advantage through self-reflective work. We can continue in old, negative patterns, or we can learn and grow from them.
If you can give love to others, you definitely should put yourself on the receiving end, too. Learn how to give yourself that same love and learn what you need for yourself. It’s not selfish to want to spend time with yourself or to want more for yourself. It’s your f*cking life, bro. It shouldn’t be seen as so negative to want to spend time with yourself, or to achieve high levels of self-love. Self-love comes with self-reflection. The self-reflection work is definitely a long process, but when you achieve that high level of self-love, it will be so worth the wait. You’ll realize just how worth it you are, that you are a priceless human<3
I just want all of us to be our higher selves and to have the utmost love for themselves.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me <3
Dive into Fearlessness: How Conquering the Unknown Leads to Life-Changing Experiences
Now is the time to take risks.
I want you to really live your f*cking life to its fullest, with zero regrets.
This is why we need to be doing things that scare us, because how else can we learn, grow, and have real experiences? If we remain stable and comfortable, I believe it can be much harder to reach our full potential.
Using failure as a value
There’s a lot of value in failure, honestly. I know that may have a negative connotation to it, but it really shouldn’t. You are only doing yourself a disservice when you don’t take risks solely because you are afraid of failure. This is for multiple reasons:
Everything always works in your favor
There was definitely a reason why things took an unexpected direction since everything always works in your favor
That just means there was a detour to your destination. We can’t really think of it as a failure, just a setback.
Taking advantage of the words you say to yourself
You really have to rewire your brain, take advantage of your self-talk, and understand that these setbacks don’t define you. It’s all about your reaction to it and how you further navigate it.
You can use it as a learning experience or you can stop and be negative about it. There’s always more than one way to have a reaction to anything. I encourage you to use the one that ends in: things always working in your favor.
This is all about how you speak to yourself. Unfortunately, it can be easier to feed into your negative thoughts, especially automatic negative thoughts or ANTs. Try to take a step back and ask yourself why you’re feeding into your negative thoughts. It’s just negative self talk, that ultimately doesn’t serve you.
Instead, try telling yourself every day: “everything always works in my favor” or “everything always works out for me”, you can even add “I’m so lucky, everything always works out for me”, because it truly works. Your subconscious repeats itself and that’s just exactly what’s going to happen.
You know how your negative thoughts can begin to manifest? We do it subconsciously, which is why we need to change it to positive talk. Take advantage of your subconscious and rewire it to believe that you can achieve anything you want, despite setbacks.
IN CONCLUSION:
TAKE THOSE RISKS, step outside of your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to fail. We have to really live and experience our lives, y’all! There’s value in everything that you do, and that goes with your reactions to your downfalls. We gotta have the downs to have the ups, let’s be real.
Elsa said it best: into the unknown.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
How the Next Generation is Prioritizing Creativity over Conformity and Changing the Workforce
I love how we all know our worth and won’t let something like corporate America get in the way of that. We all will do what we need to do, to get to where we need to be, but we will not be treated less than human.
We will not allow anyone to talk to us with any level of disrespect and we won’t be treated robotically either.
There was just such a lack of empathy and knowledge before (I mean, we can def argue that that’s still a problem, because I mean, hello - but that’s a different story for a different time) that now, we are just feeling as if enough is enough. We want things to change for the better.
I feel like there's more of a grasp to be our own entrepreneurs - we still want our creativity and energy to continue to flow into projects, just without constraint. We mainly just want to do something we love, while making money, and without feeling so exhausted all the time. There needs to be a good balance when it comes to working and living.
We want the freedom to live, not just survive.
With rapid advancements in technology, there’s so much more exposure to things that we wouldn’t have seen before. There’s so much more widespread knowledge to be gained. With that comes responsibility, obviously, but it’s just so available, so why wouldn’t we want more for ourselves? Why would we want to be stuck in a cycle? Feel me?
I want to hear what y’all think about this. Or if you even think about this? Thoughts? Questions? Additions? Let me know, I’m so curious.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
Fake it Til You Slay it: The Power of Confidence and Self-Belief
Live how you see your future self, that way you turn into exactly that. I can tell you that when you start to simply act confident, you’ll soon just naturally become confident. And everything just works out in your favor. Believe that.
Building Confidence
Walk around as if you own everything and as if the world revolves around you. Because, it does.
Power isn’t given to you, you always have it. You are so f*cking powerful, use that.
The universe always has your back.
Tell yourself this, every day.
You have to believe it yourself in order for things to happen, for things to align.
Your words are more powerful than you think. Whatever you say in your mind, whatever you say out loud, your mind is trained to believe whatever you say or whatever you put out there.
For you boss b!tches
I truly just want you to understand how powerful you are - you’re a bad b!tch. Don’t ever forget that.
When you start being the person you see yourself to be, everything will fall into place. You have to believe that you’re exactly where you need to be and that you are going to end up exactly where you are meant to because the universe knows that.
I know what you’re thinking, like “this f*cking b!tch” and YES, this f*cking b!tch LMAO. Show up for yourself. MAKE the change. Visualize your higher self and show up and act accordingly.
You have the dreams and visualizations for a f*cking reason. Now act on it. Just let it be, show up, and be that b!tch. Trust the universe!! It always has your back.
Let’s get it!
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
Unleashing My True Self: A 20-Something's Fight Against Inauthenticity
B!tch, I’ve had a whole a$$ epiphany: I’ve been struggling to be myself.
Like do I know who I am? Yes, but very much no. The social aspect of college got me all the way f*cked up.
B!tch, I just feel like the culture difference was a lot on me. I grew up always being around people of color, so I was shocked when I entered college. I completely understand why this girl I was super close with in the beginning of college, dropped out. I do be questioning if I should’ve, too, but, hey, can’t change the past.
I deada$$ just feel like I don’t know how to act because of my previous inability to show who I was throughout my college experience at a PWI. And listen, you can tell me, statistically, that it wasn’t even half white (I checked out this website, too, for fun) - that statistic HIGH KEY surprised me, I’m not going to lie - but I feel like the difference was with socioeconomic class, to be f*cking honest (I couldn’t find stats for this, so this was just mere observation and judgment). Also, most, if not all, other people of color -whom I’ve met- grew up in places that were predominantly white anyways, so our experiences and backgrounds varied significantly, which made it a little harder to connect. Growing up, I never felt like I had to be anyone else because I was comfortable with who I was - I didn’t feel as if I was singled out as different, whereas in college, I felt hella different, bruh. It was hard to feel comfortable with who I was because it was a struggle to connect with others on a deeper level.
Now, I feel like I’m only “myself” around my family and a handful of other people - I don’t express that authentic side of me enough anymore, so most of my brain is stuck in this “try to conform to the culture around me” survivor mode (ew). Kinda deep, kinda dark. Yeah that place got me more f*cked up then I thought LMAO.
I’m f*cking glad I had this epiphany, though, cause what the f*ck, how dare I let that place dictate my life in a negative way. LOL well, here’s to a year of more self-discovery, being more comfortable with who I am, and not giving a F*CK.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
Read more about my college experience here!
Finding Balance in a World of Uncertainty: A 20-Something's Reflections on Creating Change and Living Freely
Updated: January 2024
NOTE: I do apologize in advance if there are some parts that don’t flow as easily as they should, but I wanted to update this blog post because I felt it was very relevant to the current events in Gaza. All I urge is that we continue to push to #FreePalestine and find ways to support Palestine.
Does anyone else feel stuck between “the world is ending, stop giving a f*ck” and “we gotta make changes to save the world”? Or simply “what in the actual f*ck is going on?”
Honestly, this has been what I’ve been going back & forth on for awhile because how tf can we continue just acting as if nothing is wrong?
This is especially true now, especially with the genocide that is occurring to Palestinians. This is something that we especially cannot turn a blind eye to. We have to continue to talk about Palestine and urge a cease fire, we have to continue to push for a Palestine that is free. #FreePalestine
Not to sound morbid, but it’s honestly hard to think farther down the line when everything feels so uncertain. It’s not even that I’m unsure about my own future, I’m unsure about the world’s future tbh.
I don’t like doing things and moving through the world as if everything around me isn’t basically in flames, turning into sh*t.
I say this because, personally, I sometimes feel bad for posting about my own life and me just having fun, knowing that there is so much sh*t going on around me. I definitely feel like a hypocrite, continuing to go on with my own life, knowing in the back of my head that Palestine isn’t free. It feels as if all I can do is continue to post/repost and write letters to urge a ceasefire and push to help Palestine be free.
Thoughts about the future
I always feel as if I have a responsibility to create a better future for future generations, especially with my Child Studies degree, but I cannot fathom even thinking beyond a few years from now - it’s so hard because everything actually feels like sh*t. Obviously, things are continually evolving, but with this rate, how can we even be sure that it is evolving in the right place?
Especially now. There is a whole population of Palestinians who need our help, who just want to be free, free of genocide, free of the murders that are nonstop. Like many people are saying, history is repeating itself. The thing is, though, that it doesn’t seem like much is happening to stop this. We’re really pushing, but what do we need to do in order for it to stop? In order for these other people to see that they are taking lives away.
It’s not even supposed to sound so morbid, lol, but when so many things are plummeting at once, how can we even possibly think the future is bright? LOL see, that sounds so morbid - the thing is it kinda is, but it’s not supposed to sound so dark. But, I mean, how else is it supposed to sound?
Here’s why this comes up - it’s mainly because when I think about procreating (lmfao not really, but you know what I mean), it’s like, why would I want to bring a future generation into this — that’s assuming my own issues/traumas are solved & whatnot, but that’s a story for a dif. time — , when so many things are so unsolved, when it’s so hard to find peace, when there’s always so much conflict that goes beyond our own scope. I’ve lived in a drought damn near my whole life, and then there was nonstop rain, flooding rain, for a hot minute, and no one knew how to act. No one was really prepared for what was going to happen. But we’re somehow prepared to be on fire, as if that’s normal? (I reside in California btw). It’s like why would I want someone else to endure the vast uncertainty that we live in right now.
More thoughts and questions that develop
The more that I consume media, the more obvious it is that the newer generation seems to have a better understanding of empathy and critical thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I know our algorithms are working to show us what we want to see, but it does seem more apparent that the newer generation just wants humans to be treated as humans. It is so hard to fathom just how controversial that statement is because it shouldn’t be controversial that humans want to be treated like such, yet here we are.
When it comes to how we consume media, we should continue to question what we come across and take the time to think before forming opinions, especially since media is far more in our faces now than it ever has been before. Personally, I wish that I was taught to be a critical thinker at a younger age, because it becomes harder to unlearn things at a later age. Everything lives on a spectrum and we should continue to question things and try to understand different perspectives. I honestly find it beneficial to look at things through multiple different lenses because you never really know what solution can arise.
CONCLUSION
With that, I just want to know what your thoughts are on trying to change the world and salvage it or just letting it be and continuing to live your life as is? Are our new use of critical thinking skills propelling us forward? Are we just thinking about the issues without trying to find any real solutions? It seems to be the direction we’re headed: understanding the issue, but not having real hard solutions, which brings me back to my initial thought of “what in the actual f*ck is going on?”
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
The Second Coming: Is Second Puberty a Real Thing?
Being a woman in your early 20s
I saw this on TikTok LMAO but someone was discussing how women in their early 20s, around twenty-three years-old, go through a huge ‘rebirth’, some people were even going around saying that it’s a “second puberty”.
Let me tell you, I feel like I’m in the process of that happening and it feels like and, I cannot emphasize this enough, what the f*ck.
In our early 20s, most of us are going through a whole new chapter in our lives. Some of us may have just graduated from college, some of us may have just started college, some of us are entering the workforce, and some of us are just cruisin’ along the way. Whatever it may be, it’s a time for a lot of change and maturity. We’re starting to navigate so many different new places with a new perspective of the world. Honestly, it’s just stepping into adulthood fr - that’s so cringy lmfao, but it’s the hard truth. I’m not sure about you, but I can feel the maturity, it hurts. Like a whole ass adult, bro. A whole ass woman.
On TikTok (lol not the TikTok references), I heard someone else mention that if you’re twenty-three, you’re technically a “three-year-old adult”. When placed into that perspective, it changes a lot. We are new adults and just expected to figure all this sh*t out on our own - I mean, as we probably should: we’re young, having fun, and getting to know ourselves even better. It’s just one of those “what the f*ck” moments, feel me? Personally, I’m just figuring this sh*t out as we go. I feel stuck between wanting to figure it out myself and wanting some guidance, but not knowing which one I want for myself because I find joy & satisfaction in doing and learning myself, but it definitely feels as if this is something where I need more support and guidance.
Where we find support & guidance
As we’re entering the adult world, we’re really trying to see who we align with and who we seek to learn from, whether that be mentors, professors, or any other figure. However, it may be hard to find just who we’re looking for, especially if we don’t know where to begin. For me, I want to be able to talk to someone who shares the same values as me and is in a place where I see myself in the future. I want to align with people who are where I see my higher self to be.
Honestly, this is why the internet is so helpful. One upside to it is that it’s a great platform and space for people to connect and learn from one another - you can seek exactly what you’re looking for and the algorithms will be algorithming, if you know what I mean. Most recently, TikTok has created so many different communities for basically, everyone - it doesn’t matter your interests because there is someone out there who you can connect with. You can align your consumption of media to be exactly what you seek.
That’s what I want here. I want to bring together young adults who want the absolute best for themselves; who want to continue to learn and grow; who want to be their higher selves; who sees their future beyond what it is now. We can make a difference from being bad b!tches.
Either way, this is where I want all the random ass thoughts to go. You know the list? On TikTok? The pregnancy list? That is bringing together so many women/people able to reproduce because GIRLLLL, I know we’re all learning from that. We have so much to learn from each other to reach our full potentials, I’ll tell you that much.
Life now
Whenever I’m going through a huge shift or new chapter of my life, I go through drastic levels of self reflection and self evaluation. I really need to just check on myself and visualize where I want this next chapter of my life heading and what the ultimate goal of this next chapter is.
Okay, honestly, it’s not even the next chapter - it’s the next book of my life series - that’s what we’re going to be calling it now.
Because of this self-reflection and deep thought, I’ve noticed that my style is starting to pivot… a lot. It’s really me still, don’t get me wrong, just older, a little more evolved and mature. There’s only a handful of items that I actually like to wear from my closet, however, it’s mostly my basics LOL - which is why basics are so important in your closet btw (you can read more here for tips on how to elevate your closet)!!! I literally want a whole new wardrobe because I don’t wear half the sh*t I own anymore, like… STRESS. I remember this same exact thing happening from high school to college, so this can only mean: new beginnings are here!!!
I’ve cleared out my closet of stuff I don’t wear anymore and bought some items that I think are necessary for every woman in their early 20s - lmk if you want a haul(; I’ll probably do it anyways.
So, is “second puberty” a real thing?
Scientifically, no, but socially, definitely yes. Things are a lil awkward, we’re learning more about ourselves, we’re wanting new clothes - c’mon, that’s a little like puberty.
Anyways, it’s happening, and it’s hard, but with self-love and self-reflection practices, it’s a little easier to get through. Oh, need help with these practices? Shop my digital self-love planner, hehe.
Don’t forget, this time is ours- have fun, play around with your style, get to know yourself, take yourself on dates, meet new people, try new things, put yourself out there, do it all! This is truly prime time, our time, so let’s f*cking get it! But also, remember, it’s okay to have both ups and downs because in order to have ups, you gotta have the downs. It’s only up from here!!!
Here’s to always being bad b!tches, practicing self-love, and proving haters wrong.
xoxo,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3