Chaya - xoJane

Chassidic Women Aren't Using Sharpie As Eyeliner, But We Are Under a Lot of Pressure to Look Hot

Chaya — Tue, 28 May 2013 12:30:00 -0400

The reporter did get one thing right: There is pressure to look hot. Hot but modest.

I Need To Loosen Up My Conservative Jewish Style: Where Should I Start?

Chaya — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:00:00 -0400

Recently, for an important meeting, I wore what I thought looked professional: a beige sweater set, a black straight skirt, and pearls. But I felt like a douchebag.

Why I Had to Give Up Farting In Public Since Becoming A Married Chassidic Woman

Chaya — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:30:00 -0400

Whatever people see me doing, they assume that it is representative of all Chassidic Jews, of all sects, now and forever.

Can We Talk About How Much I Suck At Doing Dishes?

Chaya — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:30:00 -0500

Why it is possible for drones to do dirty work in battle, but there is not a machine that can clean the whole house yet?

Dressing Modestly Changed My Body Image for the Better

Chaya — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:00:00 -0500

I don't have to worry if my clavicles gleam like Kate Moss's, because the collar of my shirt covers them. I don't have to compare my thighs to Gwyneth Paltrow's, since I cover them with a properly fitting skirt that covers my knees.

Simple Carbs and Dairy Hurl Me into a Pit of Despair

Chaya — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:00:00 -0400

Before I ate the pizza, I was content and generally rocking out at life. By pizza meal number three, I was convinced that I was the biggest professional failure to ever grace the blog-o-sphere.

Cures For When Your Breath Smells Like A Moldy Glove And You Are Nowhere Near A Toothbrush

Chaya — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:00:00 -0400

Keeping the Sabbath means that there is one day a week during which I cannot brush my teeth.

I Didn't Touch My Husband Before I Married Him

Chaya — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:00:00 -0400

How is it possible to marry someone without a test drive of ye olde chemistry? What if he turned out to be a slobbery kisser and a dead fish, and I was stuck with him for life?

Should I Get a Kitchen Bin to Compost in My Apartment?

Chaya — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:30:00 -0400

I feel like a bit of a tool shed, you know, not caring how much solid waste I am piling into landfills.

Weird Health Ish: I Have an Extreme Phobia of Puking

Chaya — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:00:18 -0400

I won't eat pizza slices with toppings other than plain cheese because I think that the vegetables could harbor more pathogens than plain cheese pizza. I know. It's kind of bonkers.

"Isn't It Hot?" -- One Chassidic Lady Answers All Your Questions About Her Wig

Chaya — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 15:00:23 -0400

When I was starting to become religious, the most common question I got was, "So does that mean you are going to wear a wig?"

What Women's Media Needs to Know About Chassidic Women

Chaya — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:00:38 -0400

When you slam Orthodox Jews because you think you're defending or somehow liberating the women of our communities, you're actually doing us a huge disservice.

I'll Try Anything Once: DIY Deodorant

Chaya — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:00:07 -0400

Chemical deodorant allows us to feel like superior beings -- like people who have the power to transcend our grody natures. It's a smidge of enlightenment packaged in a plastic tube.