The word "crushing” takes me back to the raw experience of writing in my journal. Since grade school, I have exposed my inner world on paper, tackling crises of conscience and character. The intention behind this Substack is to expose raw and nuanced feelings as a Gen-Z woman at the forefront of feminism, politics, and relationships. Crushing encapsulates both the outward and inward action. Loving, wanting, yearning and also fearing, crumbling. The contradictions inherent in the word ‘crushing’ epitomize what it means to be a woman in the world: being my most authentic self—someone who has a lust for life—and fearing embarrassment; loving the people around me, and feeling crushed when I’m not up to par. By deconstructing the psychology of my inner world and misconceptions in feminism and politics, I construct a new archetype of womanhood in the 21st century, a fresh and new Gen-z feminist perspective, which my younger self was lacking as a model. Subscribe to support my work and receive an essay in your inbox.