Woman Crush Wednesday: Everyday Feminism’s Melissa Fabello

Every hump day a Philly person shares their local picks for Woman Crush Wednesday. Today, Melissa Fabello, a managing editor of Everyday Feminism and a PhD student in Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University.

Melissa Fabello

My name is Melissa. Body acceptance and eating disorder recovery are my activist and academic jams, and sapiosexuality is what defines my local crushes for this week's WCW.

Nuala Cabral

Nuala is an on-the-grounds activist with a passion for media literacy, adolescents, and black excellence. Between co-founding FAAN Mail, her involvement with POPPYN, and her work with the BlackStar Film Festival and Temple University, she is dedicated to changing the world through media. I love Nuala because she's as brilliant as she is beautiful, and she's always got my back.

Sonalee Rashatwar

Sonalee is the kind of woman who can both hold you accountable and in compassion simultaneously, and I am constantly envious of the depth with which she addresses social justice. She is a hardworking colleague who I respect, and a friend that I treasure deeply—and a member of South Asian Progressives of Philadelphia. The fact that her dream is to someday contribute to the budding of a Philadelphian Subcontinental Drift, an open-mic space created to celebrate South Asian talent, says all you need to know about Sonalee, and our ramen dates are what get me through the week.

Jessie Andre

It's hard to intimidate me. I surround myself with brilliant women constantly, so it's rare that I come across someone who makes me second-guess myself in a way that helps me grow. Jessie is that kind of person. The first time I had a class with her, I desperately wanted to be her friend, but fancied myself unworthy of her presence. Between her work with GALAEI and Intercultural Family Services, Inc. and her no-nonsense, no-bullshit attitude, I am proud to have her as an ally, breaking down white supremacist heteropatriarchal capitalism inside and outside of the classroom.

Kelly Kroehle

I'm not sure what Kelly loves more—breaking down kyriarchal structures or her dog, Tum Tum. But I think that's why I love her so much. I first met Kelly when she was doing a presentation on intimate partner violence in queer and trans communities, as per her work at The Attic, and I immediately wanted to be her best friend (uh, and snag her as a writer for Everyday Feminism). I feel more grounded and connected to the universe when I talk to Kelly, and I cherish that.

Monique Perry

Monique looks really great in all of the same lipstick colors that I look really great in, and we're not sure why that is, but we're pretty sure it connects us in a way that goes beyond any other friendship. She's a community educator at Women Against Abuse and a member of the DVLF Wonder Women committee, and she's the kind of friend who can tell you like it is, sit there while you cry through it, make you laugh to cheer you.

Share your Woman Crush Wednesday!

Here are the rules: (1) Name five to 10 ladies you’re crushing on (2) You and all women involved must be from Philadelphia (3) Email your crushes to ferrazchristina@gmail.com.

Our Last Five Woman Crush Wednesdays:

• Jaclyn Jennings
• Tara Lessard
• Angela Giampolo
• Bethany Gregory
• Tara Beth Robertson