Shira Hirschman Weiss

As a child in the 1980s, the "feminists" who I was exposed to made me cringe. I'm embarrassed to say it, but it's true. I was just a kid and these women were extremely vocal members of my community. They held protests and formed special groups, making their agenda clear...

This past winter, an article in the New York Times ("It's Not Me, It's You" by Alex Williams, January 28, 2012) shed light on how the Facebook act of "defriending" mirrors what happens in our real, offline lives. Not all friendships are meant to last a lifetime and some should...

I don't think I can use this computer to write a proper piece. I see traces of fingertip prints and speckles of the kids' cookie crumbs, but then again, this is not the computer that was dropped and has a bump on its left side. No. That's the other laptop,...

As my nine-year-old catches a glimpse of just the title (fear not readers, he sees no more than that), he mutters, "What a dumb name for a book!" The title, however, turns out to be the best part. As I read the first 50 pages of 50 Shades of Grey,...

"Guilt is a wasted emotion," said my rabbi from his pulpit, "You can't sit and mull over everything you've done wrong and have it bring you into a state of inaction due to your debilitating depression. You need to your live your life 'right' going forward."

Live life right...

I initially met up with Maria because I'm in the midst of a job search. Maria is a well-connected writer and I am a less connected but experienced publicist looking for a position where I can mainly write (if such positions exist out there, consider this my informal want ad)....

I am hardly the paragon of religious piety and far from a moral messiah. There are parts of my life that are less than exemplary and things I am ashamed of on a daily basis -- from gossip to judgements of others to white lies I've told. I am quite...

"No wire hangers!" yelled Faye Dunaway while starring as Joan Crawford in the most epic performance of her career. "No wire hangers EVER!" The 1981 classic was Mommie Dearest, a film based on the autobiography of Christina Crawford, Joan's adopted daughter. In the cinematic depiction, Little Christina is the object...

Tact is not something entirely inherent, while I do believe there are genetic components and emotional intellect quotients that make it a part of one's being.

It is a learned response, a form of politeness that can be honed in early childhood and is highly dependent on parental teachings and...

I'm a 37 year old mom of 4, a writer and I have a whole other job - yes, a whole other job. And that doesn't include countless hours of volunteer work and nighttime meetings. There are times when I just can't get enough sleep. For me, it tends to...

Someone is paying $695 for my high school uniform as I write this. Yes, right there in Saks Fifth Avenue -- do you see it? The concept is beyond my ken, but there in the window is the very skirt, front and center as part of the window display.

Growing up, I couldn't help mixing the notion of being more religious with being a better person. Every Rosh Hashanah, I prayed that God would forgive me for the skirt that was too short, the gum that I probably should not have chewed and the gelatinous marshmallow I once snuck,...

As a makeup lover, product junkie and eye-health blogger, I've become a bit obsessed with waterproof liners. I find that with highly sensitive dry eyes prone to irritation, it is so important that any makeup applied around the eye area stays put, and the waterproof variety seems my...

It took only three words for my friend Karen to lose her breath, plunging into serious hyperventilation mode.

"I don't know," said Jeff.

Her extremities began to tingle. "What ... do ... you ... mean ... YOU ... DON'T ... KNOW?"

...

There once was a girl who played with an imaginary rope. Her first grade teachers thought it odd and did not know what to do. The girl had been singled out the year before, in kindergarten, when she was sent first for testing. The tests involved pictures and mazes. The...

Facebook has redefined the word "Friend." According to the site, I have 531 such individuals and that number keeps changing. Should I believe the site when I only speak to three people per week other than family? Don't get me wrong, I am thankful to be connected with so many...

We all know the saying "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" But sometimes life and trashy reality shows indicate the opposite when the fun, flirty and sexually adventurous female wins out over Sweet Stacey (Actually, on MTV's The Hills, Stacey was anything but sweet,...

I'm no expert on the elementary school system, just a product of the classroom.

Michele leaned over in her chair, hunched her shoulders and gave me a quizzical raised-eyebrow look.

"What are you doing in this class?" she asked. "You know more Hebrew than anyone else here."

This was a...

I've been told by friends and family members that there is a way to do it all. This happens when I complain that there aren't enough hours in my day to do all of my PR work plus the necessary house tidying before 3. That fine hour is when I...

"Getting picked on in school sticks with you for life."

Those were Lady Gaga's words during a May 23rd appearance on The View, but they could have been mine. They could have been yours. Heartbreakingly, they could be your child's, which is why, says Jill Zarin of Bravo's Real Housewives...