Op-Eds

Setting the Record Straight: Cultural Appropriation

Let’s be honest: deeming other cultures “exotic” is frankly outdated. But with these mindless performances of gatekeeping, the discouraging sentiment surrounding the integration and possibility of approaching various cultures evokes the imagery of the past, of segregation, of exoticism, and of discrimination.

Let There Be Light: Diwali amid COVID-19

Just as Diwali celebrates finding light among darkness, perhaps the way to survive this uncertain time is to find a spark of hope and optimism in the bleak isolation.

Embracing Our Body Hair

Having more or less body hair does not make one more or less feminine. Our body hair does not define who we are.

The Caricature of Feminine Irrationality

When a society overemphasizes gender, it must grapple with the consequences. Unfortunately, those consequences manifest themselves in the form of destructive and unaccommodating gender stereotypes.

Blood Type: Queer

Institutionally tying queer sex to medical contamination is one of many ways that queer people have been systemically portrayed as sexually dangerous, prompting discriminatory policies in the name of ‘protecting’ the rest of society.

Why We Dislike the Idea of Being Girly

The breakdown of female characters into rigid categories, and the glorification of some of these as “ideal” stems from generations of misogyny.

LGBTQ+ Themes in Hindu Mythology and Indian History

Many Indians, mostly middle-aged and elderly Hindus, believe in a fundamentalist interpretation of Hinduism that portrays homosexuality as a Western “invention.” But on exploring some great Hindu mythological epics, it is quite clear that Hinduism is more liberal than the “western” (or Victorian) beliefs.

Why is London’s New Mary Wollstonecraft Statue so Divisive?

One might think that erecting a new statue dedicated to philosopher, writer, and women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft in a London park could only be a good thing. Unfortunately, for many feminists, artist Maggi Hambling’s work was not the emblem of empowerment they were hoping for.

The Illusion of the American Election

Why are we always stuck choosing between the lesser of two evils and two parties only? Why does the electoral college still exist? While all our votes do matter, we have to get real and wonder how much they actually matter and whether it is fair that things are the way they are.

American Complicity

Only a political system less reliant on money for electoral success would be able to mitigate this capitalist disaster. A capitalist disaster that enables American politicians to profit from Isralei crimes against Palestinans.

An Abortion of Rights: The Problem with Poland’s Newest Ruling

The most common argument besides religious beliefs against the termination of pregnancy in the case of fetal defects is that it’s cruel to tamper with potential life simply because of disability. However, this sentiment projects blame entirely onto the parent without looking at the situation that led to them making their choice.

The Dangers of The Model Minority Myth During The BLM Movement

The problem with the model minority myth is that it assumes that all minority groups in America share the same experiences. What the model minority myth actually does: perpetuate tension among the various minority groups and ignite a sense of competition, comparison, and antagonism within their dynamics when in actuality, there is nothing to be compared.

Harry Potter and the Fan’s Revolution

JK Rowling has become the villain of her story. She is supporting the oppressive government that her characters would die trying to fight. She wrote a way for LGBTQIA+ kids to escape and is now bringing more into the world they feel the need to escape. JK Rowling has hurt her fanbase in a way that will not damage them permanently but will damage her permanently.

Donald Trump Solves the Healthcare Crisis!

Unlike the Americans spending months in crowded hospitals recovering from Corona or the 200,000 people who have died in the United States, Trump managed to recover within days. Some insist that he was only able to do so because of his access to free, top-notch healthcare and a personal team of the nation’s top doctors. However, the president put those rumours to rest.

The Truth Behind Instagram Account @feminist

@Feminist is at the forefront of social media activism accounts, but it truly does the bare minimum. The page uses works of marginalized folk for their Instagram content, reposts them verbatim and then makes a profit (both influential and monetary) from its huge following and engagement.

So, We Have VR, but Queer Representation is too Far-Fetched for Gaming?

While we can enjoy the media we consume, we have a duty to not turn a blind eye to its failings. Criticism of the things we enjoy sparks conversations about how they could improve and incentivizes producers to do better in the future. Gaming is, for most, a recreational activity, and people deserve to find comfort and camaraderie within the games they play. Perhaps it seems silly to some, but finding a character to relate to can shift people’s perspectives on their life and give them hope. And who are any of we to deprive someone that?

Classically Promoting Anti Feminism

Feminism is always necessary. It’s important that we don’t go back to believing we should shame women for problems that are “provoked”. (Intersectional) Feminism has the clear intention of advancing the voices of all women, and it’s not something anyone of us should try to speak (or make a YouTube channel) against.

On Being Honest About Being Fat

I wish that even if people had noticed and judged me, I could have had the strength to choose my health over their fatphobia.

Body Neutrality: Separation of Body and Worth

True body neutrality can’t be achieved without dismantling power structures like white supremacy or cissexism. My experience with mental illness has forced me to relearn how to care for myself, and refusing to place value in physical beauty has made this process much easier.

The “B” Word: Why You Shouldn’t Bark Bitch

As long as other men do not hold accountability within their social groups, and as long as women stay silent and remiss about these verbal accostings, we are tackling another barrier that exists to divide gender equality.

Don’t Be A Bootlicker

Given the staggering 79% nosedive in billionaire taxes in the last four decades, it is questionable if plutocrats’ entirely predictable declarations on economic issues are even news at all. Nonetheless, the jump in the sum total of U.S billionaire wealth from $240 billion in 1990 to nearly $3 trillion today demands further examination as it brings attention to the failure of American capitalism. Simply put, capitalism is dependent upon a foundation of economic subordination rooted in class inequality and social discrimination along the lines of gender, race, and citizenship status.

An Ongoing Reflection on COVID-19 from Six Feet Away

If anything, the resurgence of these topics is a sign that tells us what values and mistakes society has built up so far, and these are now exacerbated by the virus. Domestic violence, discrimination, or inequality isn’t something that just happens within a day; these are all results of systemic, habitual, and ongoing sociocultural shortcomings that always need consideration, regardless of whether we are in a pandemic or not.

Domestic Violence Statistics Under Lockdown

Now is the time for an open conversation about our approach to domestic violence in America. Has it been our goal to protect women, or has it been to keep families together?

Positives of the Pandemic

The shelter-in-place mandates have pushed people around the globe to take up valuable hobbies and activities that they may not have gotten the opportunity to do otherwise. And, just like all other calamities, this too will pass and hopefully leave the world with valuable insights and ways to mitigate the damage of future outbreaks.

Shattered Hegemonies: Queerness in Precolonial India

The cultural vilification of queerness in India is a product of colonial occupation, and denying the material impact of the British Raj on queer people in India falls into the same branch of imperialist ideology that Britain utilized to enact violence in the first place.

COVID-19 Pandemic Disproportionately Affecting Women and People of Color

We all know that during the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers are shouldering more than their share of the burden to protect our people and keep our country running. What we often neglect to discuss, however, is that women, immigrants, and minorities make up the majority of workers on the frontlines.

Why Feminism is Inherently Intersectional

Feminism is inherently intersectional. It is connected to all issues of inequality. If white women want to fight for equity for themselves, they must also fight for equity for racial minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, the differently-abled, and all other marginalized groups.

The Societal Pressure to Look Young and Negate Age

When seeing how often women are congratulated on retaining a youthful look, one starts to question where this mindset came from and why is it that for women, looking young is more celebrated than age itself?

The Mythology of Black Criminality

Nonetheless, many disparage mass incarceration as a byproduct of Black criminality and therefore justify their dismissal of the other injustices at play within American carcerality. After all, the Black community is subjugated by the very systems in place sworn to protect them.

Why are People Talking About Repealing the 19th Amendment?

By noting that a greater majority of women tend to vote liberal and thus attempting to shove them out of the voting pool to ensure one’s preferred candidate wins, these voters are essentially claiming that they are OK with rigged elections and an undemocratic governmental and political system. Doesn’t that seem to contradict the American standards these voters go on boasting about every day?

Beyond the Binary

California Senate Bill 201 was rejected by the California Senate. This loss demonstrates how little the general public knows about intersex issues, health, and experiences; as bodily autonomy continues to be politicized and argued, intersex health must be advocated for just as much as womxn’s health and reproductive rights.

Oh, The Irony

You, as a white privileged person, don’t suffer for just being a minority. That whiteness grants you the privilege to not suffer when you approach police armed with an automatic weapon all in the name of protesting shelter in place. That whiteness grants you tear gas-free, brutality free, and most of all, a murder free time when expressing your 1st amendment right.

Dear Andrew Yang: I Voted. Why Are People Still Racist?

Let’s not let our fear make judgments for us. Let’s not give up our identity and roots to make others feel more comfortable with their ignorance. Let’s not allow ourselves to think that we are the problem, that we must accommodate. Fear is a powerful thing, but what’s even more powerful is that we can control it.

Natalie Portman’s Oscars Cape: Supportive or Virtue Signaling?

It’s likely that for Portman, her public shaming at the hands of Rose McGowan was a bit of a wake-up call, a reminder that although she wears the names of women on her sleeves, she may still be complicit in that culture of silence. Hopefully, this conversation will cause more members of the film industry to consider how they, too, can support female filmmakers, so maybe at next year’s Oscars, we will see a woman’s name inside the Best Director envelope.

A World for Humanity

Humans profit off the exploitation of natural resources and animals, telling ourselves that it’s okay because we’re an intelligent species. But is that truly the case if we express jubilation at our home falling apart before our eyes? If we make a spectacle of the land as it bleeds out?

What America Can Learn

If accurate information about the spread of the virus, the severity of the outbreak, and how to protect oneself is not effectively distributed by government officials, then it will be difficult for Americans to trust that safety measures are adequate and necessary. Until the most vulnerable members of our communities are being protected, the under-preparedness of the United States will continue to cause the deaths of thousands of people.

On the Basis of Sex Testing

Because of the way that history and geopolitics has constructed the sex binary and sex discrimination, it is clear how discriminatory and dehumanizing sex testing is on the basis of race, gender, and queerness. Until the IAAF can find a better way to regulate separated competition without policing naturally occurring aspects of womxn’s bodies, sex testing should be removed from the contemporary realm of athletics.

The Effects of COVID-19 Upon Guns and Gun Violence

Despite the decrease in gun violence, there has been a massive increase in gun sales since the pandemic started, with 3.7 million background checks conducted by the FBI and 2 million guns sold in March alone, a number that skyrockets past previous months and years… Will the United States have a few months of zero school shootings (the way that statistic should always be) before reverting back to what is morbidly known as “normal”? Will the occurrences be even higher due to the massive outflow of guns into the American population since the pandemic began?

Congregation vs. Segregation

By congregating, black people can support one another, and attempt to avoid the inequity which they would otherwise face outside of these spaces.

Women in Politics

Striving for a larger number of female candidates in politics is by no means meant to depreciate or denigrate the work of their male counterparts. Instead, it would allow for further gender equality in the political sphere and a larger prioritization of the policy issues being considered.

The Dark Side of Fair & Lovely

The market for skin bleaching creams and whitening products still remains successful in South Asian countries and beyond, and will likely remain successful at a global scale as long as these deeply-rooted beliefs remain.

Cultural Appropriation’s Dark(er) Side

If cultural appropriation is not widely addressed, it is inevitable that it will continue to exist and perpetuate imperialist ideas in addition to both casual and structural racism.

On the Basis of Sex Testing

Because of the way that history and geopolitics has constructed the sex binary and sex discrimination, it is clear how discriminatory and dehumanizing sex testing is on the basis of race, gender, and queerness.

THAT Conversation

With Black History Month here, our priority should and needs to be: elevating the community. We can’t do this without going out of our way to systematically change how we treat black, trans, and immigrant womxn.

Other

But if I am other here, in a country where I grew up, where do I find my place?

The Fetishization of Queer Women in Modern Media

Increased representation of LGBTQ+ people in the media is a must, but this should only include positive and accurate representation. Misrepresentation of the queer community only serves to dampen their fight to be heard and accepted in society, as those who have only been exposed to the sexualization and fetishization of these groups will not take the struggles of the queer community seriously.

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights

If women in Ireland, India, Argentina, and so many other countries have the courage and determination to continue to fight for their rights, we must take inspiration from them and do the same.

How the K-Pop Industry Creates a Modern-Day Witch Hunt

My writing is not a cry to boycott the industry of K-Pop. It is rather a tired plea for South Korea to recognize that their activism and attitude toward mental health and toxic cyberculture are not enough.

Electability

Electing women does not mean belittling or emasculating men; rather it demands that women be judged for their strengths and capabilities as human beings, not the strengths and capabilities assumed of their gender.

Stitched into Silence

Let’s go back to the moment where I shattered. For a while, I couldn’t pinpoint what the cause of that feeling was. I knew how horrible all these articles I read were, but what I didn’t quite understand was the underlying feeling of dread that permeated my thoughts.

Are the Olympics Really Welcoming Women?

As shown through the experiences of Cain and Semenya as well as the mis-portrayals through media, women and their bodies are dismissed, questioned, and sexualized. So are the Olympics really welcoming women? Not truly, no.

T.I.: Violation of Women’s Rights Everywhere

At the end of the day, virginity is a social construct and cannot define an individual any longer. What one person’s idea of sex and virginity may differ from another. Women should be encouraged to safely explore their sexuality and themselves, instead of being regulated by parental figures or anyone else.

Women’s Sports and the Media: Why is it so hard to find coverage?

It’s time to get over the fear of girls having muscle, playing fiercely, and sweating a little on live TV. The gender roles that have encapsulated the world for hundreds of years are finally beginning to break down—shouldn’t this apply to women’s sports too?

Can Shaving Be Empowering?

Shaving can never truly be a feminist act because it originates from a place of oppression. The only way for us as women to break free of the limitations and expectations that we have been bound to for generations is to eschew them outright.

On My RBF: I Swear I’m Nice

Creating a convenient label doesn’t change the idea that there still exist inconvenient social implications and potential gender bias within the nature of RBF itself.

Being Badass Does Not Equate to Strength and Complexity

The badass persona in particular is something that has become a popular trope in recent media adding to a narrative that there is only one form of strength that women should aspire to. This becomes problematic as it never gives women any real development in their character but instead simplifies them into a version where they become stagnant characters without any real complexity or growth.

The Deception Behind the Girl Boss Narrative

Feminism doesn’t have to overcompensate itself through false narratives. Women should help other women with genuine intent, not out of self-desperation and piling debt.

The Hard Truth of the Glass Ceiling

It’s time for the working population to face the conflict of the glass ceiling head on if we want to balance both the wage gap and ratio of top corporational roles between men and women.

Performative Behavior

The problem isn’t technically performative behavior. The problem is the culture that surrounds it.

Redefining the F Word

The only way to a brilliant, more empathetic future for men, women, and all shades of gender, is by beginning to redefine the principles of feminism.