The View From Venus

Beyond spanx and stilettos.

by Anastasia Harrell

My Inconvenient Truth

In most cases, a good friend is one who tells the truth. Read More

Crikey! It's a Boomerang, Mum!

Moving day! After a sleepless night full of packing up the last four years of my life, I drive off to my new apartment. I settle in and think to myself, Well, this looks familiar. This is because I am a "boomerang kid" and my "new apartment" is the room in which I spent the first 18 years of my life. Read More

Handsome in Pink

"Playing beauty parlor" is one of my most beloved past times. I would either play with my mother or with a small group of girlfriends, and we would take turns painting each other's nails, experimenting with Mimi Bobeck Carey's makeup, and burning each other's ears with a curling iron. Read More

The Miracle of Whip

Miracle Whip is arguably the most controversial food of all time. Some argue that a sandwich without the moistness of the spread is simply a sandwich not worth consuming, while others cannot stand to be in the same room as the infamous condiment. Whatever your opinion, one thing is certain: you have an opinion. Read More

Fiorina's Folly

Has the world of political campaigning turned into the movie Mean Girls? I recall an article I wrote in June that discusses the issue of women in power and the tactics other women use to bring them down. Read More

Glee: Uncensored

Racy images of "Glee" cast members, featured in this month's issue of GQ, are stirring up major controversy. Do photos like these lead to the hypersexualization and thus objectification of women, or are we so desensitized at this point that we are no longer shocked by vulgarity? Read More

Marketing with Mozart

The grocery store is the epicenter of all cheesy pop songs. It is the place where the soft rock hits of the 80's, 90's and today go to die. As soon as you set foot in any Ralphs or Albertsons, you enter a world where it is socially acceptable to listen to Michael Bolton and Gloria Estefan without facing public scrutiny. Read More

Study Break

When my roommate informed me that with a particularly dense midterm week on the horizon, she had no time to spare for a sleepover, I was crushed. Not only did this mean no Drew Barrymore marathons, no Ouija board querries, and no TP assaults on the neighbors, but it also squashed all hopes of reconnecting with my ever-increasingly busy friends. Read More

The Demise of the USC Family

USC prides itself on taking care of its alumni through what the school calls, the "USC family." However, in light of the Reggie Bush scandal, particularly USC's response to the upset, the word "family" seems to have lost its meaning. Read More

Second Chances for the Undatable

If you find yourself wondering, "Where are all the good guys?" you are not alone, but it may be that there are plenty of good guys out there, we just can't see them. Vh1's special Undatable unveiled the 100 qualities that render a man unworthy of a date, or anything more. We all have these qualifications that a potential partner must meet, as well as a list of qualities that are automatic deal-breakers. Adhering to these stringent rules, however, is what leaves us wondering why we didn't find anyone at that party last night. Instead, I argue for the importance of a minor shift in attitude that could mean the difference between lonely nights with a teddy bear and happy mornings with, well, not a teddy bear. Read More

Naturally Beautiful?

It has become very posh to live on a diet resembling that of our ancient ancestors, consisting of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. By adhering to the diet, one can lose weight, enhance one's skin and hair, and ultimately achieve better physical health. However, our efforts to live a healthy lifestyle by going back to our roots are essentially sabotaged by many of our other, less organic beauty regimens, begging the question, which is really more important: the appearance of health or true health from the inside out? Read More

Trading Roses for Weeds

Figuring out what women really want may require ignoring what they actually say. Why, when women claim to want a sensitive man, are so many sweet, caring men who genuinely enjoy long walks on the beach still without a girl? Read More

Eat, Pray, Love Like a Girl

We have spent decades poking fun at thirteen year old girls and their obsession with their equally awkward and gawky male counterparts. However, with the arrival of the new film, Eat Pray Love, quickly approaching, we may have been too quick to dismiss the interests of the stereotypical teenaged girl. Read More