By: Jessica R. Gera

My mother and grandmother gupshup in front of the television while watching an old Hema Malini film. I hear them chatting about this ‘dream girl’—her beauty, her stunning features, her captivating physique. I soon realize, they’re not mesmerized by an old Hema Malini film, they’re mesmerized by Hema Malini! I glance at the screen and am taken aback by the young Malini’s hefty hips, chubby cheeks, and what appears to be a double chin. I stare at my mother in utter bewilderment as I ask, “Dream girl? You have got to be kidding me.”
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BLACK AND WHITE

White glistened at Donna Karan and Missoni, a sharp contrast to Miu Miu and Karl Lagerfeld where models lived dangerously with blackened lids. White highlights open up the eyes while the revved up black eye is flirty and funky at the same time.More...

By: Jessica R. Gera

The entire purpose of mental health therapy is to speak with a qualified professional who is trained to help you interpret your thoughts, your woes, and assist you in finding your way on the right path toward clarity. Sounds logical enough, doesn’t it? While most individuals I asked responded with ‘true’ or a shoulder shrug ‘guess so’ retort, I am going to insist on the contrary. The above statement is absolutely, positively and no doubt about it — false.More...

Spring is one of my favourite seasons because the energy in the world shifts to embrace the bloom of life. I love the fact that we get to shed the extra layers that the winter breeze demands and dust off our cottons and strappys. But most of all, I revel in breathing in the dewy scent of fresh flowers and the thaw of the woodlands. It’s these simple pleasures that remind me of how wonderful our natural world really is.

Yet the beauty of nature is far more than what’s around us; it’s also the multi layered, multi faceted aspects within each of us that make the nature of who we are as individuals, a truly beautiful notion. More...

Right now as I cast my gaze towards the Indian Ocean, I can sense a certain level of readiness that has enraptured the Maximum City, my second home, Mumbai. During my brief escape from the snow-capped streets of Toronto, I gladly realize that regardless of the temperature, that feeling of spring exists in all parts of the world. With the markets fluctuating and the doom and gloom scenario that has engulfed our psyche, it’s amazing to see that such positivity can still be mustered up.More...