Her Culture: August 2017

HERCULTURE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017

TATTOO TRADITIONS How people get ink’ed around the world

ASIAN-AMERICAN RAPPERS the importance of their diversity in the music industry

TRAVEL THE WORLD, CULTURE GIRL countries, customs, and cultures galore!

HER CULTURE MAGAZINE

FOUNDED 2013 www.herculture.org

| @herculture

letter from

THE FOUNDER DEAR CULTURE GIRL, It’s August, and the summer is finally starting to wind down. I’ve always loved how renewing it is to have a “summer.” There are so many things to catch up on - and I don’t mean just 30 straight hours of Netflix (though of course that was scheduled into my vacation as well).

Iv’e had a lot of fun putting together this magazine issue. It’s our longest one yet! I hope you enjoy reading through the amazing cultural stories that so many of our talented writers have composed. Your dedication to the magazine gives me such joy.

Onward and upward, Culture Girls! Keep at it!

All my love, Kate

MY TRAVEL LOG AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017

This month, I will travel to: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Next month, I plan on going to: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ I’ve always wanted to travel to: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

The countries I’ve been to are: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ My favorite article from Her Culture this month is: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 5 things I’ll remember for my next trip: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ I can start a #CultureRevolution by: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

xoxo

ISSUE NO. 20

AUGUST

/SEPTEMBER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HUNGRY TEENS

CHALK GIRL

WOMEN IN CONFLICT

SEEING IN BLACK & YELLOW

MEDIA & ISLAMOPHOBIA

INDIA & TAXATION

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

MUST-HAVES FOR TRAVEL

MARCH TOGETHER

12

28

40

16

33

46

23

36

54

STAYING MOTIVATED

WORLD INK

BELL HOOKS

BOLLYWOOD SEXISM

DOCTOR WHO & SOCIETY

WONDER WOMAN

HARRY POTTER FEMINISM

LITERATURE AS ACTIVISM

THE COLOR PURPLE

58

78

89

68

80

94

74

84

104

TAKING BACK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY…106 SOUNDS OF THE OTHER…112 THE MOZART EFFECT…118

MORE TO LOVE…

WARSAN SHIRE…121 BECOMING BILINGUAL…124 WEDDING TRADITIONS OF THE WORLD…128 SOUTHERN SOCIAL SUCCESS & RELIGION…136 THE “R” WORD…140 DATING IN THE AGE OF APPS…144 PUSHING BACK AGAINST SEXIST DRESS CODES…148 CHIVALRY VS. SEXISM…152 THE “R” WORD…140 EMPOWERING WOMEN WITH EDUCATION…154 THERESA MAY & LEOPARD PRINT…160 NAVIGATING RACE, CULTURE, & IDENTITY…166 THE REALITY OF BI-ERASURE…169 TOP 5 SUMMER DESTINATIONS…172 THE DANGERS OF HELICOPTER PARENTING…182 I DATED A TRUMP SUPPORTER…186 THE HIJRA COMMUNITY IN INDIA…189 LIBERTARIAN FEMINISM…192

MAGAZINE STAFF EXECUTIVES Kate Avino - Chief Executive Officer Alexis Neuville - Chief of Staff Matt Maggio - Chief Financial Officer Katie Collins - Chief Marketing Officer Sareana Kimia - Director of International Development Emily Harris - Chief Digital Officer Cameron Oakes - Director of Partnerships

EDITORS Alana King Alicia Lalicon Mabel Harriman-Smith

Ambika Sood

Aoife Ni Mhurchu

April Federico

Elizabeth Meisenzahl

WRITERS Agatha Park Annie Zhang Ashni Walia Betsy Hillstead Brittany Miller Caroline Warman Claire Tao Claudia Wasielewska Elie Docter Elise Hrawll Elizabeth Meisenzahl Emma Murray Farah Idrees Gabriella Ballesteros Grace Lee Inika Prasad Isabelle Jordan Lavandero Je-ok Presser Jessica Zhang Lily Zhou Manaved Nambiar Monishee Matin Nina Scher Richa Gupta Rida Pasha Sasha Mahmood Shanell Campbell Shaye DiPasquale Stephanie Lam Valerie Wu

OUR PREVIOUS ISSUE:

NEWS CULTURE

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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

HUNGRY TEENS. WHY MILLIONS IN THE U.S. ARE FACING FOOD INSECURITY

by annie zhang HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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6.8 million.

This is the estimated number of adolescents (ages 10-17) experiencing food insecurity in America. While their middle and upper-class peers are worrying about friends, schoolwork, and future career paths, millions of severely disadvantaged teens fret about opening up empty fridges and running out of food for the rest of the month. This leads them to go to extreme measures in order to satiate their hunger and stave off starvation; besides the fact that most of them end up relying on PAGE 14

school meals for breakfast and lunch (whose portion sizes are merely enough for elementary school children) to make it through the week, there are also common reports of teenagers asking their friends, trading in sex, or becoming gang members to place an extra meal on the dinner table. No meals are taken for granted. The impacts of this are devastating; as a result, food insecurity induces emotional stress and frustration, deterioration of physical and mental health, and suppression of cognitive development.

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Food insecurity is one of the greatest human rights causes of our time, and it is extremely widespread. That means it does not only affect continents like Africa or South America; it affects people in our age group in America, right here at home, right where you live. While there are federal programs that offer free or discounted meals to all lowincome students, other charitable programs that target children — such as the famous BackPack Program, which gives food to disadvantaged students to take home over the weekends — aren't always offered to teenagers and do not always contain healthy, nutritious food. Many food-insecure households live in food deserts, where finding affordable grocery stores is particularly difficult, and the only affordable food is fast food. This induces kids to choose the burger over the broccoli, and this has a tremendous impact on their health.

Furthermore, teenagers may not realize that they are eligible for assistance, and even those who do are painfully aware of the stigma of accepting free food from governmental programs. Instead, they may intentionally starve themselves and skip meals in order HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

to not burden their parents or save food for their siblings. Intelligent and ambitious teenagers, who would otherwise have the ability to maintain 4.0 GPAs and challenging high school coursework, look forward to bright and successful college and career prospects, and potentially even find a way to change the world, are forced to work multiple part-time jobs or drop out of school to support their families.

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Uncovering the “Infamous Chalk Girl” by shaye dipasquale It’s been two years since a 14-yearold girl was arrested on the streets of Hong Kong for drawing a chalk flower on the same wall that thousands had previously covered in protest art while demanding democracy in the election of the territory’s top leader. When media outlets around the globe picked up her story, she unintentionally became the heroic symbol of the Umbrella Movement, a prodemocracy political movement that spontaneously arose out of the Hong Kong protests of 2014. Though the identity of Chalk Girl—as the media dubbed her— remains anonymous, she recently appeared in a short HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

documentary that was directed and filmed by San San F Young for The Guardian. With her face covered, Chalk Girl discusses the tough decision she must make between choosing whether or not to rejoin the battle for democracy.

When Chalk Girl was arrested and detained by police in 2014, a youthcourt judge ruled to have her sent to a children’s home in Tuen Mun for twenty days. Fellow protesters were angered by the ruling against the teen—one protester, Gary Tsang told CNN that Chalk Girl was an “innocent political prisoner.”

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“The government fears young people as they think young people have nothing to lose,” Tsang told CNN. While Chalk Girl was being held at the children’s home, the court considered an application by the Hong Kong police to remove the teen from the care of her hearingimpaired father. Activist groups immediately took action to show their support for Chalk Girl. Student activists from the pro-democracy group Scholarism set up a petition against the court ruling and other activists took to the streets outside the children’s home to draw their own chalk designs in solidarity.

The wall that launched the entire Chalk Girl controversy, known as Lennon Wall, paid homage to the original Lennon Wall in Prague,

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Czech Republic, which became a way for citizens to express their irritation with the communist regime back in 1988. Prague’s Lennon Wall was named in honor of the late Beatles star John Lennon and was covered in graffiti and images that referenced the lyrics of his song, “Imagine.”

Hong Kong’s version of the Lennon Wall appeared on the walls of the Central Government Complex after police used tear gas on protesters at the beginning of the protest. For the next two months, demonstrators occupied the main road outside the Central Government Office and covered the walls with colorful Postit notes and messages of support for the pro-democracy protests in an act of further defiance. When the protests were eventually cleared by police intervention, the notes were removed as well.

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There’s no doubt that Chalk Girl felt the waves of support that have come from her fellow protestors and from the outraged media outlets that shared her story over the past two years. In a recent interview with Young Post regarding the release of her new documentary, the now-16-year-old Chalk Girl shared her words of advice for anyone who feels isolated or powerless: “No matter how helpless you feel and how others may look down on you...,remember you aren’t alone.”

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WOMEN IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION & PEACEBUILDING WHAT WE STILL NEED TO DO by b. miller

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Conflict has existed since the dawn of time and, unfortunately, will continue to persist despite our best efforts. What can be done, however, is making sure we are doing our best to prevent outbreaks of violence and when they do occur, to resolve them quickly with lasting stability. Truly understanding the context of conflicts and devising the most comprehensive strategic responses means understanding the experiences of all who suffer.

Therefore, efforts should take special care to involve the voices of those who are most vulnerable: women and children.

prevalence study in Eastern DRC assessed that nearly 40 percent of women were survivors of sexual violence.” According to U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime’s 2014 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, almost half of all human trafficking victims globally are adult women, with two out of three child trafficking victims being girls.

And this suffering does not stop once the fighting does. The effects of conflict continue on for years after.

These lasting effects of conflict are illustrated in statistics from U.N. Women: net educational enrollment in primary school for girls in conflict & post-conflict countries is only at 73% while globally the rate is 90%.

Child marriage rates are among the world’s highest in conflict-ridden countries: The percentage of women (aged 20-40 years old) married before 18 years old is at 52% in Guinea and South Sudan, 55% in Mali, and 68% in the Central African Republic.

To this day, women and children are the most affected populations in situations of conflict.

It is clear that we need female leaders to participate in the peacebuilding process and to represent their demographic at the negotiating table.

In a resource of U.N. Women titled “Violence against Women in Conflict, Post Conflict and Emergency Settings” they note, “…a 2010 HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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Their voices need to be heard in order to speak for their experiences in conflict situations and to lend their opinions on how to solve issues. Only when we understand situations from both gender’s perspectives can we make sure peace agreements represent the nation’s population as a whole. Pablo Castillo Díaz, a U.N. Women Policy Specialist, makes this point clear in his piece “Expert’s take: A decade of efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict— Where are we now?” Diaz says, “When peace negotiations are conducted mainly among men, it is less likely that justice, care and reparations for survivors will be included in the peace accords.” The negotiation period is clearly a critical one, in which policies and procedures in a nation can be changed for the better. Therefore we must make sure improvements are made to everyone’s benefit. So what does inclusivity of women in the peacebuilding process look like as of 2017?

Some progress has been made. In 1995, 189 U.N. Member States adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The declaration

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stated peace as being inseparable from gender equality and development, and listed women and armed conflict as one of 12 areas of concern. In U.N. Women’s article titled “Women and Armed Conflict” they state, “…in 2013, more than half of all peace agreements signed included references to women, peace and security.” Yet at the same time they found, “From 1992 to 2011, women comprised fewer than four per cent of signatories to peace agreements and less than ten per cent of negotiators at peace tables.”

There have also been a number of U.N. Security Council resolutions dealing with the topic released over the years, including: Resolution 1325 in 2000, Resolution 1820 in 2008, Resolution 1889 in 2009, and Resolution 2122 in 2013. All of these resolutions acknowledge women’s importance in conflict resolution and peacebuilding and urge U.N. Member States to assist in involving them in the process. In 2011, U.N. Women provided training on mediation, negotiation, and advocacy techniques to “more than 200 women peace and security experts from 25 countries”.

This is a start. How do we increase

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participation of women in conflict resolution going forward?

dialogue on political stabilization in Mali.

As U.N. Women notes, solutions include creating more awareness on inclusivity in conflict situations, further developing women’s negotiation and mediation skills, and further advocating for genderequality policies and programs.

These types of support activities have been used successfully before, as seen in U.N. Women’s support of a networks of activists in peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts in Kyrgyzstan’s southern region and U.N. Women’s training of female leaders who engaged in

It is also important to remember that it is not only governmental, institutional, or celebrity figures who can become vital advocates – ordinary individuals can become sources of strength, too. Malala Yousafzai’s advocating on girl’s education started by anonymous blogging when she was only a schoolgirl. And when women like Malala do stand up and speak out, we need to support and protect them.

We cannot allow these women who are courageous enough to advocate be brutalized into silence.

In addition, current statistics easily accessible to the public on violence against women and female involvement in conflict resolution are not recent enough. It must be acknowledged that data from conflict zones is difficult to obtain and takes a long time to compile. Despite this struggle, we still need to try to improve our efforts for data collection, interpretation, and dissemination in order to increase awareness, impact, and accountability.

When we have accurate and updated facts accessible, we can more easily identify problems, raise awareness, and begin to craft solutions.

Increasing female participation in conflict resolution seems like a long, complicated, and daunting process, but it is of the utmost importance and deserves our most ardent efforts.

World leaders, institutions, and even we, as individuals, must all do more to advocate and assist those suffering from violent conflicts and to make sure women are able to participate in conflict resolution.

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IT’S TIME TO START A #CULTUREREVOLUTION Her Culture is the first magazine to explore culture through a woman’s eyes. Join us as we celebrate what makes us all unique, and make a change in the world.

SEEING IN BLACK & YELLOW. ABOUT THE TENSIONS THAT EXIST AMONG AFRO-ASIAN-AMERICANS

by grace lee PAGE 28

HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

T

here is more to the colors black and yellow than bees and the Wiz Khalifa song.

While rising race tensions look black and white, there are hidden interconnections of tension between Blacks and Asians. As one of the most overlooked conflicts in race relations, the two minorities face struggle that dates back to civil rights movements and the creation of the “model minority”.

The model minority is exactly what it seems: a minority group viewed as being a “model citizen” through economic prosperity. In recent times, this has almost always been used to describe Asian Americans (mostly South and East Asians). In theory, this notion can seem as a compliment, but its practice has started to become a part of a culture that shoehorns minorities into stereotypes. Its history has stemmed from rising differences between Asian Americans and African Americans.

Becoming more apparent during the Civil Rights movement, the status and perceived trend towards “obedience” of Asian Americans in

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American society immediately clashed with African Americans performing sit-ins and protests. This soon became a justification to undermine the movement and an argument to further discrimination against African Americans. This notion and practice was fueled further though media and newspaper articles.

Most notably, the term “model minority” was coined from a 1966 New York Times article and used to contrast with the status and national perception of an African American.

This was used to further the notion that Asian Americans were significantly more prosperous and promote the confusion of “why can’t African Americans be the same?”

These tensions escalated during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.

The riots were focused on African American justice, but what was ignored were the various Asian American, specifically Korean,

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owned stores that were vandalized and destroyed. It pushed a giant wedge between the two minority groups, causing a shift in atmosphere in American culture. Popular media attempting to diffuse the riots posed Korean Americans as “innocent victims” and “hard-working Americans” that deserved justice. This idea was used to divert the American population from the real problem, only creating further conflict.

Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old African American. A Chinese-American policeman, Peter Liang, shot and killed Gurley and was charged with second-degree manslaughter, which ignited outrage among parts of the Asian community. Immediately after Liang was taken into custody, the Asian American community took sides. Most Asian Americans advocated the release of Liang while others sided with the rejection of police brutality. Protestors to his conviction pleaded for no conviction, like supporters of his fellow White policemen, and labeled Liang as a “victim”. Instead of advocating the inherent violence of police brutality, the protesters were angered and clashed with another oppressed minority group furthering the divide the two.

From there, shootings and hate crimes against the two minority groups exploded, tarnishing any attempt to reconcile differences. Stereotypes also played a big role in the reactions toward the opposing group. While African Americans views Asian Americans as “exploitive” and “unfriendly”, Asian Americans viewed African Americans as “lazy” and “poor”. This violence has still yet to stop. Although current activism and effort suggest that times may be changing, this same issue has remained stagnant and until further action and visibility, it will remain that way.

The idea of two minority groups “taking sides” against each other is not new. It can also force minorities to play what is called “oppression Olympics” (a dangerous concept in which minorities debate on who is more oppressed). The perpetuation of this concept and the increasing tension between minority groups can come from multiple factors. “Choosing

A lesser-known formation of this idea in modern times is the 2014 death of HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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a side� has become an even more common practice in contemporary times, although the emergence of intersectionality has made some progress in allowing people to embrace multiple identities.

American racial minorities should not be forced to take a side, but rather, indulge in all forms of identity regardless of loyalty.

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While it is easy to glaze over what looks like peace and harmony, it is essential to delve deeper into even the microscopic conflicts that exist.

Media portrayal of white-on-minority crime has erased the inter-minority conflicts that need attention. We must become more aware of the foundational issues that can become obstacles to the final goal: achieving a true form of racial equality.

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NEWSFLASH: your favorite liberal mass media is still islamophobic by elise harwell

Fox news has long been cited as the prime example of how mass media propagates islamophobia. However, Fox News is certainly not the only guilty party. While liberal mass media channels such as CNN and MSNBC certainly have a much more eloquent ways of conveying it, anti-arab sentiment and islamophobic rhetoric is not only given a platform but conveyed as truth.

Words have tremendous power and word choice could completely change how someone interprets news. The misuse of words such as jihad is one such example. It is commonly translated and used as “holy war.”

However, the literal meaning is “struggle, effort.” Jihad can manifest itself in many peaceful ways, such as a Muslims struggle to live in a way that is religiously permissible. This word has long been thrown around carelessly by the media and creates a barrier for Muslims to appreciate or live out their religion in the United States. It is not that the word is an incredible secret kept by the Muslim community, web pages and definitions concerning the different meanings of jihad can be found all over the internet. It is not that (liberal) news

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outlets do not have access to the information, it is more that they do not care. Telling the American public that “jihad” does not only mean holy war doesn’t sell newspapers and it doesn’t increase viewers.

Sensationalizing terrorism and islam does, however.

Liberal media news outlets are also commonly guilty of jumping to conclusions. Often assuming the guilty party just to have a breaking news tagline. So there was a bombing, but who did it? Hours, sometimes days, before any perpetrator is identified, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox have all reported that the bomber or shooter was a muslim ISIS operative or a lone wolf. Just a few months ago, in Quebec there was a shooting at a Mosque that killed six people and injured nineteen. Multiple news outlets began reporting that it had been a terrorist attack carried out by a muslim. Yet, it was later revealed that the shooter was in fact a white man.

Instead of calling it what it was, a terrorist attack carried out by a white supremacist, NBC published a story which included ‘Terrorist Attack,’ in the title, yet did not actually use the word to describe the event, instead

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We must all be conscious of this type of reporting and be careful not to confine ourselves to a single channel.

This type of media consumption limits our world view and gives us information through only one lens.

only including quotes that did. The article’s writer avoided the use of the word directly. Compared to the way terrorist attacks carried out by Muslim are handled, it appears almost as if NBC was unwilling to truly call it what it was. As if the public wouldn’t react well to that sort of rhetoric.

In their defense, it is probably true, the public would react badly if attacks like Sandy Hook or Virginia Tech were dubbed terroristic. However, that is only because much of the mass media consuming the public had been conditioned to believe that muslim is synonymous with terrorist and being a white assailant must mean they have some other issue that motivated the attack. The effects of this kind of reporting are incredibly profound.

Muslims are targeted and ostracized because the american public associates every single muslim with what they see on the television. When news outlets only report on Muslims in a negative sense, it prevents people from having exposure to positive portrayals of muslims and arabs.

While it is much more subtle on liberal news channels, the association between Muslims and terrorism is still conveyed.

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THE TALE OF TABOO AND TAXATION by ashni walia

A

t the stroke of midnight on 29th June 2017, the Goods and Services tax rolled in. It was as if the Prime Minister and President of India together pressed a fancy button and implemented India's biggest tax reform in its 70 years of independence.

Since then, the Indian political scene has become fuelled with debates. although many have missed a major detail. The opposition talks about how it would become a boon for the small businesses, the ruling party talks about how it would benefit the country at a Macro level. There was a congressional boycott and seemingly endless squabble about specific tax rates. But the politicians are so busy talking about businesses that they forget how many women very adversely affected by the GST.

that about 80% Indian women can’t afford proper menstrual hygiene, is it enough? Many women still use cloth rags and grass! This is inhumane. This is barbaric.

Under the GST, sanitary napkins are taxed at a whopping 12%. It is an inconcievably high tax on a medical necessity, especially when held in contrast with low taxes on luxury goods (such as gems at 0.25%). Even more mind-boggling is that this rate was actually brought down from the earlier tax of 14%. Bearing in mind

But why does this not surprise me?

Because we have tabooed periods, we are even scared to talk about it in public!

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How can we expect our women to rise and shine when they aren’t even provided with basic health amenities?

Women not only have to put up with the discomfort of menstruation, but in some areas they are even forbidden to have any human contact. Some have to live outside their houses. Some luckier ones living in the ‘liberal’ families are given shelter, but it comes with numerous restrictions.None of these women can go to school or work during their periods, some are even forced to drop out or quit. As if this wasn’t enough they are now being told that purchasing sanitary napkins is "a luxury.”

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At best, pads are like mutual funds.

People who don’t deal with them are never too sure of what they exactly are.

And when those who do have them talk (read: whisper) about it: “Mutualfund-investments-are-subject-tomarket-risks. May-I-please-have-apack-of-pads. Please-read-the-relateddocuments-before-investing.” At their worst, pads are like Voldemort, we should never mention them by name: we say "Aunt Flow" like "You Know Who", or "My Monthly Friend" like "He Who Must Not Be Named".

Otherwise we would be looking at a lot of disgust on people’s faces.

In an occurence as telling as it is sad, some have praised this as "female empowerment.

As for true empowerment, a campaign called #LahuKaLagaan (which translates to tax on blood) has been stared by SheSays, a non-profit organization that works towards preventing sexual abuse, rehabilitating survivors, and educating women. It has been supported by many celebrities and twitter has been booming with the said hashtag. All this has led to no avail, until now.

Ironically, at the same time bangles, bindi, and sindoor have been made tax free.

Patriarchal society wants its women beautiful and not healthy.

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GLOBAL LEADERSHIP: Where are our female world leaders?

by B. Miller

We are now more than halfway through 2017. Major elections for heads of state have come and gone, including those of the U.S., South Korea and France, along with a handful of parliament elections. As time goes on, the people who represent us and advocate for our values and future change. Therefore, it is critical to take a reality check and make sure those individuals "representing" us truly reflect an accurate picture of our population, especially with regard to gender.

So what does gender equality and the state of global leadership in 2017 look like? What progress have we made? This year has seen some steps forward in terms of gender equality.

In the economics sector: On International Women’s Day, Iceland was the first country to put into place mandatory pay equality, allowing for their citizens, regardless of gender to be on an equal platform in both private and public firms.

In the social sector, the Wonder Woman film hit theaters, exceeding expectations with $103.3 million in earnings in North America during its opening week. The strong response

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of viewers showed the power of females as superheroes and the importance of giving female audience goers representation on the big screen.

So what then is the status of women in the political sector?

As one can guess, despite progress made in the social and economical sectors, research still shows females are underrepresented in global leadership and the peace process.

What are some current statistics that can illustrate this situation? As of 2017, according to findings by Pew Research Center, “Fifty-six of the 146 nations (38%) studied by the World Economic Forum in 2014 and 2016 have had a female head of government or state for at least one year in the past half-century.”

This seems to be an improvement to figures provided by the United Nations (U.N.) from 2015, wherein forty-six countries more than 30% of the seats in national parliament (in at least one chamber) were held by

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women. Pew also notes in their findings that there are currently 15 female world leaders in office, and eight are the first female leaders for their countries. The U.N. entity for women’s empowerment, U.N. Women, collected statistics from 1995 where a mere 11.3% of all national parliamentarians were women. Pew’s findings can thereby be seen as a definite improvement.

has long since been acknowledged, and why aren’t the numbers increasing in a more meaningful way? According to the U.N. Statistics Division’s findings, there are a few important factors to consider when trying to understand this enduring under-representation.

First, because women are not usually leaders of major political parties that are “instrumental in forming future political leaders,” they do not have the backing necessary to support their participation in the election process. Second, persisting gender norms and expectations not only limit women's ability to even become candidates, but also hinder them in the electoral process when they do achieve success. The U.N. Statistics Division also notes that, while some countries use gender quotas and with them have successfully increased women’s chances of being elected, “once in office, few women reach the higher echelons of parliamentary hierarchies.”

So there are female leaders, and more of them than in years past.

Progress right? Yes. However, U.N. Women notes, “The percentage of women in parliament [as of June 2016] has nearly doubled in the last 20 years but this only translates into 22% of women in parliament today.”

Pew echoes this finding with their own troubling statistics that point out that, although female participation has doubled since 2000, it is only representative of 10% of 193 U.N. member states. Therefore we can see that despite the increase in percentage of females participating in leadership positions, the numbers don't necessarily translate to more women actually at the table.

How exactly, then, can we improve female representation at all levels of decision-making in politics?

So why then are we still facing this lack of inclusivity when the problem HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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The answer to this question is difficult and will involve challenging societal norms. It is complex, multilayered, and intangible, and the execution is still in the brainstorming stage. While having quotas to ensure participation is, in some ways, a good tactic, resorting to quota-use is not the answer. Quotas are ineffective because the very ideology behind gender norms is perpetuated. Unless we change this skewed thinking we won't solve the root of the problem.

While legislation can

This conversation on how to improve female leadership participation is only one of many that needs to be had.

All manners of eliminating discrimination and ensuring inclusion for electing representatives in global leadership must be discussed. Only when leadership is inclusive, shedding light on all different perspectives and experiences, can governments act with the strength and impact necessary to solve problems and improve all our lives for the better.

create the foothold for ensuring institutional equality, the real method to creating meaningful and effective participation is changing the very core notions and perceptions of gender stereotypes that fuel inequality in the first place.

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DIY

CULTURE

ALL THE MUST-HAVES FOR YOUR GLOBAL TRAVELS START PACKING YOUR BAGS! by shanell c. e. campbell

There are some things that you just shouldn’t live without and it's a fact-a part of life, whether you know it or not. Summer especially, is no exception, for it's the best time of the year to gather your must-haves and hit the road.

Personally, I am very much attached to Lysol! It's one of the things that's needed for every and any occasion, specifically when traveling, so I make it my duty to always have one with me. No, I'm not scornful nor am I high maintenance, but I do enjoy the comfort of knowing that someone else's germs aren't lingering in my living space. Anyway, the travel season is in full bloom and it prompted me to put together my comprehensive list of summer musthaves. So, here we go!

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TOILETRIES lysol spray

wet wipes

Huggies wipes

dry shampoo

SPF 50+ sunscreen

insect repellent with 40+ deet heat protectant hair spray hand sanitizer

There’s no point in listing toothbrushes and shower gels because these are given, however not everyone thinks of packing Lysol or insect repellant prior to his or her flight. You see, these items can be bought in any country, so often times we leave them in an effort to “pack light” without considering how much more money we’d spend purchasing them abroad.

I am all about savings and spending the extra $25 for my check-in bag containing my invaluable liquids is far cheaper than having to buy shampoo for $30 EC. Regardless, I think it’s relatively important to always pack items that you know you’ll need more than once, instead of waiting until you’ve reached your destination to get them.

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MEDICINE Bayer aspirin

Benadryl allergy pills

Benadryl itch cream Antiseptic wipes Mucinex DM

Neosporin

Tums antacid

Breathe Right strips

Band-aids

Although it may seem simple and obvious, you’ll be surprised how many of us still forget to pack these very important items.

When you’re on vacation, getting hurt is the last thing you want and having these at hand will surely put you at ease if in case you do fall ill. Thanks to my antiseptic wipes and Neosporin, I was able to heal my bruises and prevent infections after falling through a crack in the floor, while on vacation. It’s always better to be prepared for the unexpected.

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FASHION Double-sided tape raincoat

sarong

headband

waterproof boots/shoes

These are the absolute must-have items when traveling abroad, especially if you’re visiting Europe and the Caribbean, where the weather can sometimes be unpredictable. A cute headband and sarong can take you through your workouts and even a fun night on the town. I recently vacationed in Grenada and thankfully I brought a headband with me because it is extremely hot there. I managed to use it as both a sweatband during the day and as a hair accessory at night, it worked out perfectly! You’ll also be surprised at the many ways double-sided tape can be used, so be sure to pack them!

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MISCELLANEOUS portable USB mini battery fan compass

whistle

pocket knife

portable phone charger

You might be thinking that I’ve completely lost it after seeing these items listed, but I can assure you that there will be a time when you’ll need them. Like I mentioned visiting Grenada earlier, it’s hot and humid, therefore you will need a fan and what’s better than a portable one? In the U.S. we have the luxury of Air Conditioners at most hotels, however in other countries that luxury costs extra and if you’re traveling on a budget, how do you expect to stay cool without the use of an A/C or fan? Seems trivial, right? Well, with your portable and chargeable mini fan you can still manage to beat the humidity, even for a minute. Although everyone has smartphones across the globe, not every city or province is equipped with cell towers, so there will be a chance that you won’t have cell service and that’s where a compass, whistle and pocket knife will ultimately come in handy.

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MARCH TOGETHER. STAND TOGETHER. CREATE CHANGE AS ONE. by gabbie ballesteros PAGE 54

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W

ith our current political and social climate, marches and protests have garnered more and more support and enthusiasm, bringing like-minded people and their passions together to send a message and inspire change.

Living just outside Washington, D.C., I was fortunate enough to attend two major protests this year: the Women’s March on Washington in January, and the People’s Climate March in April. Both events were incredibly rewarding and empowering, and I came out of them with a sense of community and advocacy that I had never experienced before.

The Women’s March was not my first protest, but it was the first one I had attended on such a large scale.

Approximately 500,000 people participated in the Washington march alone, with 4.5 million more protesters worldwide. Just the thought of that many individuals coming together in order to voice their opinions and take steps (literally) towards change is incredibly empowering in itself. The Women’s March was also the first protest I was able to participate in with my entire family. Being able to share the experience with them from preparing and hand drawing our march signs and t-shirts the night before, to walking side by side and chanting rallying cries and protest slogans together - made the whole thing that much more special.

Not only does participating in marches promote unity and highlight issues, it also allows people to take action for causes they feel passionate about in a way that encourages others to do the same. Conflicts about legislation or policy can feel hypothetical to most people. They see the issues as something debated on CNN or the nightly news, and

It’s no secret that events taking place in our society today can be distressing, and even disheartening.

In recent months, frustrations have built, but some have resulted in positive action and change for the better. Marches are a form of peaceful protest, eliminating the threat and negative consequences of violence. The primary purpose of a march is to bring people together, as well as to generate awareness and support for a cause.

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not as a cause they can support and do something about. Marches give those people a platform to do just that, and energize participants to take further action for what they believe in.

This gives a space for people who might be excluded from the typical political or social processes (due to age, race, immigration status or religion), to take part in efforts for change.

What also makes these protests so important is their inclusivity.

If you feel strongly about something and want your voice to be heard, consider taking part in a march, or any form of protest. Being surrounded by masses of people, feet and muscles aching, braving the sweltering heat or frigid temperature, but feeling pride and a sense of community with every step undoubtedly it is one of the best experiences of my life.

Families, working professionals, students, all can find a place to voice their opinions with no requirements other than passion and commitment to the cause.

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11 TIPS TO STAY MOTIVATED when life gets you down

by Rida Pasha We all want to achieve the best that we can. A lot of aspects go into being successful-hard work, determination and motivation.

Motivation by definition is “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something”-but it is so much more than just these words. Motivation is your ambition, your drive, what keeps you going when nothing else does. Motivation is essential to have in life, but sometimes the hardships get to the best of us and we lose all hope for the better-either that or we’re just being lazy! Let’s be honest though, there are always the times when you set your mind to do something and become so adamant on accomplishing it, but the second it gets a little hard you give up. Or sometimes, things get so tough and we become completely hopeless. Whether it be losing weight, studying for a test, starting an organization, simple or complicated, easy or difficult, you truly can accomplish all that you want-if you have the right motivation. Lucky for you, the following tips will help you out!

1. CREATE A LIST OF REASONS WHY YOU WANT TO REACH YOUR GOAL. Whether it be long term or short term, there is always a reason why you want to reach your goal. We sometimes get so busy in our lives that we forget the purposes of why we do the things we do. Write down a list of why you want or need to reach your target and have this list readily available with you at all times.

When things get tough or you feel like giving up, you will remember about why you started in the first place and will likely come to a sense of rejuvenation.

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2. SET A REALISTIC PLAN AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT. Planning is important in reaching goals, and there is a great way to think about going about this-an essay. You may be thinking what an essay has to do with anything, but the format of writing an essay is a good way to go about making your plan. When you write an essay, you often think about the thesis-the main purpose or idea that you are trying to prove. Your thesis is your goal, and not just any goal. This is your ultimate goal and when establishing this you need to ask yourself what is it that you are trying to ultimately achieve. After establishing your thesis, you move on to your three main supports that will help you prove your thesis. In this case, your supporting points will be the main goals you need to establish to achieve your ultimate goal-what is that you need to do to reach your goal? Soon after creating your main proofs you research for subproofs that will help you prove one of your main supporting statements that will ultimately prove your thesis. In terms of your plan, what are the minor tasks you need to complete to reach one of your main goals and essentially ultimate goal. That is basically all there is to making a plan and it doesn’t matter whether you dread essays or love them-you just need to know how to apply the format of an essay to your plan.

Keep this in mind- “if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.’

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3. CREATE A REWARD SYSTEM. Rewarding yourself is a great way to instill a sense of accomplishment and will help you feel more determined to reach your new goal. This can be as a little of eating a snack, watching an episode of your favourite show, or as grand as buying yourself something expensive or taking a vacation. Base your reward on the amount of work that was required or how easy or difficult it was to reach the goal.

Little rewards for minor goals, greater rewards for major ones.

But if you are going to reward yourself when you accomplished things, you must also be ready to healthily punish yourself when you do not. The word ‘punishment’ sounds severe and it is not meant to be equivalent to self abuse or harm but rather something that will help you stay on track by trying to avoid what you have set as a punishment. Things like not allowing yourself to go to a party, or going on your phone for a set amount of time are punishments that work for some but not for other so it is important that you create punishments according to you.

Remember, your rewards and punishments will help create self discipline and will help become more efficient in reaching your goals. If you find that something works, then great, keep going-but if you seem to not notice a difference in your productivity then make space for change.

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4. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE. Whether it be a word of advice or physically helping you, having someone else help you out with your goal can be great. But it is important to keep the right people around you. We have all been there-you share something dear to your heart to someone and they break you down with a few words or more. Motivating yourself can be difficult but it can be harder when people are discouraging you which is why you must keep people that will keep that positivity vibe going.

5. MAKE WHAT YOU’RE DOING FUN. Sometimes, the tasks we must complete can be boring, tiring or can seem endless. But no matter how you look at it, there is always a way to make something just a little bit fun-or perhaps a little less dreadful. It may be listening to music or an audiobook, maybe grabbing some coffee while doing work or doing the task with a friend-whatever makes you like what you’re doing just a little bit more and keeps you going.

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6. RECOGNIZE YOUR PROGRESS. After getting through a large chunk of your plan, you may be feeling like your ultimate goal is still too far away and isn’t worth achieving, or maybe you’re finding everything too overwhelming and you want to just quit. It is vital that you evaluate the accomplishments you have achieved so far and how far you have come from the beginning. Doing this can give you a little push and make you feel successful for what you have been able to achieve. It can make the path you have left to go a little less longer and a little more brighter.

7. ACCEPT YOUR MISTAKES AND LEARN FROM THEM. Mistakes happen, intentional or unintentional. But there is no point in ruminating over them-they will just make you feel bad and discourage you. Accept that you’ve made them and avoid them in the future. If you do repeat once, twice or multiple times, you always have the chance to avoid it again.

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8. EVALUATE YOUR ABILITIES. Self-evaluation is essential to get back on track when you’re drifting from the path you’re trying to reach. Determine what you’re good at, what you’re not and how to get help when needed. Take charge over the things you can do and stop worrying about things you have no control over. This maybe what other people are thinking about, or an employer making a decision about hiring you after you hand in your resume. Don’t become emotional over something that isn’t in your hands and let it rule your life. While external factors can be the reason for your difficulties, focus on what you can do because that is something only you have power over.

9. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Often times when we become so involved in life that we tend to pay less attention to our bodily needs and focus on the task at hand. In order to truly work effectively and give our all, we need to be physically and mentally healthy. That means a good diet, daily or weekly workout, lots of rest and also some social time with your friends and families. It may be easier said than done especially when it is not in our routine but once you get started on taking care of your body, you will feel better and perform better.

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10. CUT ANY DISTRACTIONS. If you want to stay motivated and focused, you need to eliminate anything that will hinder you from doing so. This can be your TV, internet, cell phones, games, friends,etc. When you get down to business, cut out anything that stops you from doing so. Then, when you have finished your task, or are taking a break, feel free to enjoy yourself.

11. TAKE TIME TO MEDITATE. Meditation is a beautiful and powerful form, allowing your physical self and spiritual self connect. Having busy lives can lead to clumps in our mind and can start to damage our mental health and motivation. Mediation can help you get a new perspective to achieve your goal. Your mental strength is just as important as your physical ability to achieve your goal and meditating is great way to deal with it. If you’re unfamiliar with the process, look at some books or do some research online.

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ART

CULTURE

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WORLD INK:

TATTOO TRADITIONS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

by inika prasad

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W

hen the 5000-year-old mummified body of Ötzi the Iceman was found in an Alpine glacier in 1991, it was discovered to have numerous tattoos. They were simple, composed of lines, and could have been markers for the treatment of ailment and pain. Any sort of art speaks volumes about the society it originated from, and body art is no different. The tattoos of the Iceman are from Neolithic times, and they tell a story of the person who bore them. Ever since then, the tradition of tattooing has grown and flourished across cultures in terms of intricacy, meaning and significanceand it’s an ongoing journey.

of Amunet as well as on one who is presumed to be a royal concubine.

One theory says that the tattoos were to act as protection of the mother during childbirth, due to the common placing of the God Bes God of childbirth and protector of women and children- on the inner thigh. Similar tattoo traditions, combined with scarification (permanent scarring of tissue to create elaborate designs and textures), are still a strong part of the culture in various parts of Africa.

Let’s take a look at this journey traced in ink and pigment, shall we?

Some of the oldest tattoos in the world after Ötzi can be traced back to ancient Egypt. Various sources, ranging from mummies to figurines to written records, depict their existence. Tattoos from the region seem to be exclusively on women.

Women from all strata of society could have tattoos.They were present on the mummy of the High Priestess

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Here is a picture of Meena, a member of the Santhali tribe residing in Bihar, India.

Many women from her area will come to have tattoos like hers by the time they reach their twenties. They are called godna and their significance varies in different tribes and regions, as does their name.

Some believe that once a woman has undergone the tattooing process, she can withstand the pain of childbirth.

Others see it as a rite of passage. The Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh tattoos their women to make them seem unattractive and thus prevent them from being abducted by rival tribes. But for Meena, the tattoo is an ornament that can never be taken away from the wearer, even in the afterlife.

New Zealand’s indigenous people, the Maoris, often have striking and elaborate tattoos on the face, thighs, neck and arms. The tattoos are highly HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

symbolic, often denoting class, social status, marital status, ancestry, and other categories. In women, the most common type of tattoo is moko kauae, the chin tattoo. While the tradition was once in danger of fading away, it is now returning as conscious efforts are being made to preserve and keep alive Maori culture. It is accompanied not only with the aforementioned symbolism but also a sense of sensuality- the chin tattoo is considered extremely attractive in Maori culture.

On the flip side of the coin, some tattoos are part of much darker pasts, including traditions of branding, jails, and Nazi persecution. Especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, pirates and criminals were often branded with a mark in a conspicuous spot, so that even if they were lucky enough to escape the gallows it would be nigh impossible for them to assimilate into reputable society. The branding process was often extremely painful and was done against the will of the bearer. It was a non-consensual mark of shame, in contrast to the traditional tattoos we have seen so far.

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Peoples who were persecuted in the genocides of World War 2 witnessed numerous horrors. The tattoo played its role in the labour and concentration camps- places that would leave victims so unrecognizable that the only way to identify a dead body would be the inked number on their arm. While physical trauma broke the body, the emotional trauma of having their identities being reduced to a number on their skin slowly broke the soul.

In recent times, tattoos have played huge roles in feminist movements, awareness campaigns and social activism. An example is Project Semicolon, which was started in 2013 to raise awareness about mental health issues, particularly suicide prevention. The founder of the project explains the thought behind it as a point in a sentence where the writer could have chosen to end the sentence but didn’t- the metaphor is that you are the writer and the sentence is your life.

interest despite being loaded with cultural connotation, historical baggage and social stigma. The trend manifested as a fashion statement and became particularly popular amongst upper-class women. It provided a sense of freedom in an era where women couldn't vote, own property, or be considered full citizens. For the first time in the modern history of Europe, women were starting gain control of their bodies, and it was perhaps one of the phenomena that spurred on the feminist movement.

Tattoos have embedded themselves into human society in much the same way they embed into our skin.

At the end of the day, each tattoo tells a story- it speaks of dreams, motivations, traditions, cultures, emotions, pasts and so much more. Is it ever truly just a tattoo? Maybe, maybe not- you decide.

In Europe during the last years of the Victorian period, tattoos became a huge fad amongst the elite and aristocracy. They generated a lot of

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BELL HOOKS: scholar &

author fueling

the feminist

movement

by grace lee

Historically, women of color have been excluded from social movements and have been largely left ignored.

This exclusion has shifted focus and praise to white scholars while rendering the unique experiences of women of color invisible.

Furthermore, it has disproportionately impacted Black women, creating a stronger need for provocative and powerful scholarly work to resurrect erased stories and experiences.

Born by the name Gloria Jean Watkins on September 25, 1952, bell hooks grew up in a working-class family with six siblings. By intentionally leaving her pen name in lowercase letters, hooks attempts to get her audience to focus more on her work rather than her name. She is also one of the many impactful women whose work is usually left invisible to the mainstream modern (read: white) social activist world.

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Educated in racially segregated schools, hooks eventually graduated high school in 1969 and attended Stanford University. After obtaining her Master’s degree at University of Wisconsin- Madison and her doctorate at University of CaliforniaSanta Cruz, hooks moved onto teaching. She soon published her first major work, Ain’t I a Woman?

Black Women and Feminism. Titled after Sojourner Truth’s famous speech, the book develops a critical analysis on intersectional feminism and feminism during the abolitionist movement. Hooks compares the social interactions between middle class white women with their exclusions of women of color. She points out the social ambiguity that black women face, which causes them to be put at the bottom of the social ladder, oppressed by both sexism and racism.

While Ain't I a Woman?, published in 1981, may seem outdated to the modern world, hooks has moved on to write many more books and essays. Another notable work is her book Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center.

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Hooks offers more critical analysis of second-wave feminism and its continued relevance today. She exposes a fundamental issue that still comes up in modern feminism: the lack of intersectionality among not just white feminism, but also among women of color. In cohesion with this idea, she evaluates and analyzes power as it pertains to women of color and class. There has always been a struggle involving hate and tension within women of color communities. Although modern analysis seems pessimistic on the future, hooks is able to give multiple solutions and viewpoints for the problems she identifies in the feminist movement. A prime solution that hooks notes is redefining the perspective of power and how it can be used to end oppression.

Another important aspect of hooks’s work is the blunt and critical nature of her analysis. Some say she is too extreme, but her harsh word choice is a characteristic that is needed in modern day feminism. Hooks creates an interesting mixture of anger and determination to propel the feminist movement forward. She utilizes this rhetoric to reveal the true issues with modern day feminism and reveal her unique experience as a woman of color.

As the feminist movement grows and moves forward, it is essential to celebrate those who have laid the foundations for understanding the movement itself.

What’s puzzling are not her ideas, but rather that there is a lack of recognition of her countless books, essays, and media appearances.

While following popular feminist celebrities and media is an easy path to take now, it is worth remembering scholars such as bell hooks have dedicated most of their lives in order to have a more equal world.

She may be well known in the women of color movement, but her invisibility serves as a critical gap in the feminist movement: women of color are excluded.

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SLUMDOG SEXIST?

misogyny in bollywood

by manaved nambiar

term solution in which the root cause of such inequality is eliminated. For that to happen, it is important to transform all those structures and frameworks which propagate everyday sexism. Unbeknownst to the people watching, every single moment in a movie you watch is affecting how you think.

Hollywood and Bollywood are perhaps as different as Apple Pie and Navratan Korma, but there is one similarity that is common to both these industries. They call it entertainment. We know it as sexism.

Bollywood, for the uninitiated, is the Indian film industry known for its fanfare and glamour. It is possibly one of the most important industries in the subcontinent, with a multi-billion dollar business model. It occupies a special place in the mind of most Indians, and as Marx would put it, is an opiate for the masses.

Bollywood affects the psyche of the entire populace, whether we like it or not, and that is the very reason it is pertinent to address the explicit and implicit sexism that pervades the industry.

This article would not be enough to address the myriad instances of sexism occurring in these movies. Indeed, one would need many volumes of text to even begin to codify those instances.

A movie-goer watches the hero stalking and harassing the heroine until she relents and finally falls in love with him. That act suddenly becomes okay in the eyes of the public.

In their mind’s eye, no simply means yes. The key is to simply keep trying until the girl says yes.

Is there really any other kind of love?

A movie-goer watches the casual objectification of women on screen. They see how girls who are demure and obedient to what society wants them to be are portrayed as perfect, and the ones who are even slightly individualistic are portrayed as villains or vamps. The movie might get over in a couple of hours, but the impressions last.

Instead, what this article wants to elaborate on is why it is imperative that this phenomenon not be taken for granted. It is reinforcing those very norms that lead to gender discrimination and inequality.It might seem like harmless banter to most. Some might even argue that such sexism must be allowed for the cause of the art. Others might say that there are real problems to look into, and we must not waste time analysing every scene in a movie. However, they are all wrong on a fundamental level.

Bollywood has a serious problem, and we must begin to recognise it. Movies are not just for entertainment, it is a medium of instruction as well. If we truly care to destroy patriarchy and usher in an era of equality, we must ensure that Bollywood is not a voice of implicit oppression, but rather one of rationality and equality.

It is time we brought some song and dance into the lives of the countless souls oppressed by the patriarchy.

Feminism is not about a quick fix solution to the problem of gender inequality. It is a long

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POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE WILD: DOCTOR WHO STYLE. by emma murray PAGE 80

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I

n 1963, the Doctor flew onto British TV screens, whizzing around the space time continuum, delighting young children and adults alike with his alien adventures. The science fiction television programme became a flagship of the BBC, raking in tremendous ratings and drawing in an impressive cast of actors.

graced the world's screens. Whilst only traveling with 18 men, in fact on no occasion did the extra-terrestrial travel with a male alone, generating a significant power dynamic of male superiority; or alien-male superiority.

The Doctor was originally illustrated as an aging father figure of exceptional intelligence, biting wit and unfaltering bravery. This patriarchal figure defeated platoons of terrifying aliens with the assistance of his equally brilliant granddaughter, and her inquisitive school teachers during the first season.

The show's fan base grew impressively, firmly supplanting itself within popular British culture, which meant when the original Doctor, William Hartnell sought to leave the show, a void was generated, and the future of the BBC’s most popular programme was uncertain. The BBC’s Head of Drama Sydney Newman along with writers Donald Wilson and C.E. Webber concocted the process of Regeneration; a concept that allowed the Doctor at the brink of death to “become a new man”. And for decades the Doctor has continued to battle Cybermen and denounce Daleks with the assistance of his companions.

The 2005 revival brought about a number of dramatic changes; daleks were no longer outwitted by the simple staircase, the time lords were deceased, and love sneaked its way into The Tardis. But on the 16th of July 2017, the BBC dropped its biggest bombshell yet in regards to the cult classic: a female Doctor.

Jodie Whittaker will become the scifi hero on Christmas Day after the twelfth Doctor’s regeneration. The TV star declared, "It's more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be,

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while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can't wait." The thirty-fiveyear-old told the BBC, "It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you're told you can and can't be”.

The concept of female Time Lords is not a new invention. During the fourth doctor's life, he was accompanied by a fellow Time Lord, called Rommana that likewise changed her appearance through regeneration. It was established in the original plot that there are male and female beings from Gallifrey, and only after the revival, was the concept of one Time Lord embodying both genders introduced.

So, the issue is not with a female figure of intelligence, wit, and power but rather the fact that the writers have navigated away from tradition, blending what was previously separate.

British Broadcasting Corporation received an inpouring of complaints immediately. Despite Jodie Whittaker telling fans not to be "scared" by her gender, the shock of a female Doctor led the BBC to release a diplomatic statement defending their casting.

“Since the first Doctor regenerated back in 1966, the concept of the Doctor as a constantly evolving being has been central to the programme.

The continual input of fresh ideas and new voices across the cast and the writing and production teams has been key to the longevity of the series,” the broadcasting channel affirmed. “The Doctor is an alien from the planet Gallifrey and it has been established in the show that Time Lords can switch gender.”

It seems that this was a regeneration too far for some fans however, as the

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It is a shame that this decision by the BBC has become such a point of contention; a question of male vs. female and tradition vs. innovation.

The show’s original success was largely down to its child friendly and almost naive plotline. Smooching was absolutely forbidden in the Tardis, the Doctor had friends, not lovers. The hero was above gender, sexuality, and politics; he was an alien traveling with humans. Indeed the power dynamic was generated through species not gender. The companions were inferior because they were human, and had lived in a world unexposed to extraterrestrial knowledge, and were therefore just that little bit dim.

This significant change has sparked a dispute amongst Whovians, nonetheless the changes began in 2005. Tradition was broken the second the Daleks took flight, and the Doctor (courtesy of David Tennant) became quite a hottie. The changes have amassed since the

revival and this final step is not, a fight against gender, it is the disappointment that the show is no longer reminiscent of it’s 1963 foundation. Whittaker proclaimed that "The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.�

And yet, the fear ignited twelve years ago during the revival, and it will not leave with a female Doctor.

WONDER WOMAN: turning success into inspiration by mo matin Who knew the key to a successful movie would be to give a strongwilled Amazon a tiara, lasso and a shot at the big screen? Oh yeah, every girl who has ever wanted to be a superhero. The box-office results only go on to validate that idea. $708 million is validation enough but the number continues to grow. The release of Wonder Woman this summer has broken multiple Hollywood box-office records, quickly climbed the ratings and swept audiences across the world.

But Wonder Woman has been around forever, so why is it only now getting the recognition it has always deserved?

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Wonder Woman was originally created to be the ultimate-feminist icon, to fight fascism in “America, the last citadel of democracy, and of equal rights for women!” The first series in 1942 tells the story of her leaving Themyscira to join the army as Steve Trevor’s secretary. She actually became his Nazi-fighting partner and even saved him from trouble at times. After the original author, William Marston, passed away, her story fell victim to the era it was being told in. Often times, her feminism was stripped away and other times revamped. Her story was often toyed with, and it isn’t until the 1980s that her character was allowed

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to retain the feminism she was originally created to believe in.

The story of Wonder Woman is a part of the original Golden Age of Comics. Created in 1941, it is just a few years younger than the Superman and Batman comics. But although she was a wonder woman with the powers to defeat crime and save the world, she was still a woman. Women waited centuries for voting rights and even longer for reproductive rights. It should come of no surprise that while the first Superman movie premiered in 1948 and Batman followed soon after in 1949, Wonder Woman had to take a PAGE 86

back seat and patiently wait her turn for more than 30 years before even getting a shot at a movie. Given the fact that we’re still waiting on equal pay, 75 years to make it onto the big screen may be relatively quick.

Still, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. When better to bring in a strong willed butt-kicking female superhero than when awareness of gender inequality is at an all-time high? The character of Wonder Woman brought fresh eyes to the battle of inequality. Coming from Themyscira, a land filled with strong, independent females, Diana is unaware and later confused by the HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

restrictions society places on her in film failures like Catwoman and London. In fact, many of the scenes Elektra when addressing the lack of even opened my eyes. As a woman, female superheroes. What they fail to how many times do you go into a acknowledge is the interest in room and are distinctly aware of the strong-willed female characters in males outnumber the females? Yet, films—like Hermione Granger or Diana had no problem marching into Black Widow—or even take into Parliament, a room where women are account the success of heroine-based not allowed into, and speaking her films like The Hunger Games. Malemind. In fact, she didn’t even notice centered films flop often, but their that all eyes are on her because she gender is never blamed. This is a was a woman;in her mind, she was similar double standard constantly their equal and had presented for women no reason to notice in all fields, but it “There is a double the number of males. only goes to inspire standard constantly It is this type of women to push presented for women confidence and harder, work harder in all fields, but it only and strive to succeed. attitude that made goes to inspire women This hard work on watching Wonder Woman such an behalf of director to push harder, work enjoyable and Patty Jenkins is what harder and strive to inspiring time. I allowed the Wonder succeed.” inspire to reach a Woman released on point like Diana, June 2 to fully shine. where the idea of injustice between Jenkins’ work on this movie has genders and inequality do not come created a path for herself and other into my mind because they are no female directors. Disney, Universal longer a part of my society. This and Sony have greenlit multiple freshness and originality is what movies with female directors this needs to be brought to the table. past year, and this trend is on the rise. However, the impact of Wonder Critics in Hollywood have been Woman’s success is deeper than just quick to cite the females super hero directors.

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This one movie has opened Hollywood’s eyes to the demographic they have been ignoring: feminists.

We’ve all seen the multitude of overtly-sexualized females in movies since the beginning of film hopefully, once witnessing the success of a powerful female-led movie, the message will finally be understood: sex doesn’t sell, equality does. Not only was this movie successful at the box office, but it provided a new female role model for children everywhere. Little girls now have

their own superhero character to roleplay and the idea of heroism is no longer an all-boys club. I envy today’s 7 year olds for being able to point to an exact character— an idol for modern-day feminism—and knowing whom they aspire to be like.

The goal moving forward should be that their inspirations should not stop at Wonder Woman but increase as film and society shifts to admiring strong females.

HARRY POTTER & FEMINISM by ashni walia HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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I

t’s here! 2017 marks 20 years since the iconic opening sentence of the Harry Potter books, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” An entire generation of muggles has grown up by reading about the boy who lived. Didn’t we all wait for our letters when we turned 11? (I am still waiting!)

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is a gem of a person, and my personal headmistress of equality and feminism. From her repeated takedowns of misogynist Twitter trolls, to having once said "I think writing about the time in Hermione’s life that I write about – growing from childhood into womanhood ... So much is expected of you as you become a woman, and often you are asked to sacrifice parts of you in becoming a girl, I would say." The question is, did this feminist write a feminist novel? Some would say that the characters and their depictions are not perfectly feminist. But I feel that being imperfect made them real.

It made us relate to them. They were you and me.

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And if you ask me, the most feminist character in the series is Hermione Granger.

(Her character was played by Emma Watson. Need I say more?)

Hermione is a true Gryffindor, for even though she is measurably the brightest witch of her age, one of her most famous early quotes is "Books!

And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery..." Without her, Harry and Ron were basically capable of nothing. Hermione Granger and All The Times She Saved Her Friends' Lives would be a fitting alternate title to any and every Potter book. Her character gave inspiration to so many young girls and women, she taught us that having a pretty face and perfect hair is not the only way to be beautiful, and that every woman is beautiful through her compassion and courage.

Ginny Weasley is also one of my favorites. The books showed us a beautiful transition- from an eleven year old girl crushing over the

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famous Harry Potter to being a successful quidditch player and high-level member of the resistance against Voldemort. (I'm still not over how the movies completely destroyed her character). She was also the first sex-positive literary characters I encountered.

While Ginny is a fierce advocate of her right to do whatever and date whoever she wants, she and the rest of the Potter universe women don’t play merely an arm candy role. They all have strong and important parts to play in the complicated wizarding world. Things may seem to go along traditional lines when Harry saves Ginny from being possessed by Voldermort in Chamber of Secrets or rescues Hermione from a mountain troll in Philosopher’s Stone. Early readers may have been worried about damsel-in-distress similarities to vintage Disney princess or Bollywood movies. But J.K. Rowling flips the script on us by the end of the series. In Deathly Hallows Ginny is using the knowledge gained when she was possessed to help defeat Voldemort. In the latest canonical Potter installation, the script for the play Harry Potter and the Cursed

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Child, Hermione is the Minister of Magic! Along with making her the most powerful human in the Wizarding World, this also makes her Harry’s boss. It’s nice to see the tables turn.

I haven’t even mentioned Minerva McGonagal, Molly Weasely, Luna Lovegood, Bellatrix Lestrange, Nymphadora Tonks, and so many more. Each of these women went through a struggle that we too go through in our daily lives. Their reactions and their fight against these struggles taught us so much more about feminism.

Most of us have read Harry Potter as children when we didn’t really understand a lot of things. It has been 20 years and a high time to read it all again. Don’t let anyone make you believe that it is a children’s book because Harry Potter is so much more that just that.

So, take out your wants and flick them to the right.

Accio Philosopher's Stone!

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LITERATURE AS ACTIVISM: THE OPERATIONS BEHIND

DIVERSE LITERARY MAGAZINES

by valerie wu

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On March 15, 2014, the New York Times published an article entitled “The Apartheid of Children’s Literature.” In the piece, children’s author Christopher Myers provides a stunning account of the lack of diversity within children’s literature, and the progress yet to be made. A literary canon suffering from a severe racial “color blindness” is one that has pervaded much of the history of publication, and is associated with extremely dismal statistics. Thirtyseven percent of the United States population is composed of people of color, but only ten percent of children’s books in the past twentyone years contain multicultural content.

The need for diversity in the collective realm of literature has since been carried out by publications, organizations, and educational resources. These all have the same aim, to expose what representation for women of color means in the context of today’s publishing industry. An influx of these have contributed to the sense that the situation is more pressing than it seems.

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Yet, as the movement grows, a deeper problem has arisen; a lack of leadership. When so many publications claim to promote the goal of streamlining minority voices, it becomes more difficult to distinguish just what kind of leadership is effective and what is not. This article will seek to examine various case studies of these organizations’ internal operations and in turn, analyze how certain publications fail--and succeed--in their missions of executing diversity.

MINORITY BIAS WITHIN THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY: Two years ago, Yasmin Belkhyr, the editor-in-chief of Winter Tangerine Review, published “An Open Letter to Columbia Journal & Columbia University,” which documented an incident in which Columbia Journal’s social media editor abruptly dismissed Belkhyr’s question as to why the judges for the annual writing contest were racially homogeneous. Two of the three judges were white men, and Belkhyr had posted a comment on the Facebook advertisement questioning the reasoning behind this decision.

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EVALUATING THE LEADERSHIP OF “DIVERSE” PUBLICATIONS

As the sole founder of Winter Tangerine Review, whose website claims that it exists to “disrupt the status quo and amplify the unheard,” Belkhyr stated that her primary motive in remarking on the choice of a “uniform, historically unsurprising panel” was to better understand how literary magazines choose to eliminate diversity from their mission statement.

So why is it so difficult to talk about diversity? In “Literary Juneteenth,” Casey Rocheteau, a former staff member of The Offing--a literary site meant to provide voices for people of color-speaks about why she left her position, citing her main reason as the institution of white supremacy integrated deeply within the editorial structure.

An hour later, a response came. “CU Journal has had judges of different races, creeds, genders, and orientations over the years, each chosen for their qualifications for the position, not their minority status; this is just this year’s lineup. But to answer the more superficial question--I’d assume because they were born that way,” the editor posted as a reply. While Columbia Journal later issued a formal apology, the damage had already been done.

The blatant dismissal of a real concern regarding diversity within the publishing industry caused a furious backlash, most notably from Belkhyr herself. In a continuation of her open letter, she added, “The literary magazines we adore and reach for were created by white men...this is an issue much, much, much larger than Columbia Journal.”

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In the essay, Rocheteau mentions the lack of cultural sensitivity that the staff were subjected to, including the misuse of the word “ratchetness,” as well as the organization’s insistence on not paying their editors--many of whom were writers from marginalized communities, the ones who were least able to work for free. In addition, the leadership of Darcy, the editor-in-chief at the time, appeared to perpetuate a lack of diversity on both the masthead and the content.

“We can’t reply on publications and presses that have, through the actions and complicity of their leadership, proven oppressive. For history to avoid repeating itself, we need to define

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sustainability for ourselves. This could mean expanding existing infrastructure, forming new platforms or simply selfpublishing,” said Rocheteau.

more diverse staff, and according to Rocheteau, began to “exploit” the population it was meant to provide support for.

The importance of women of color in a A solution to this problem is replacing publication has been stressed by Zinzi the leadership with the genuinely Clemmons as well; Clemmons, a marginalized--most notably women and member of the founding group of nonbinary people of color. Increasing Apogee Journal, a magazine engaging representation in literature is a mission race, gender, sexuality, class, and ability carried out by WeNeedDiverseBooks, an voiced her concerns influential national about the literary world “A solution to this campaign advocating in “What It Means To for diversity in the problem is replacing Be an Inclusive Literary the leadership with the publishing industry. It Journal,” which claims actively provides genuinely marginalizedthat the concept of the support for minorities most notably women literary journal is through mentorship significantly and nonbinary people programs, internship undermined by “a small of color.” grants, and writing group of white people resources. The in charge of a huge organization is led by group of unpaid minorities.” This, Ellen Oh and Malinda Lo. It was born Clemmons states, is due to disconnect out of the frustration with the lack of within the leadership--without a real diversity in the all-white, all-male panel inclination towards the mission, the at BookCon’s reader event. entire structure falls apart.

WeNeedDiverseBooks’ executive The Offing, which up until the incident committee consists predominantly of described by Rocheteau, was headed by minority writers. Since its initiation, the a white female, became significantly organization has received a tremendous impacted by this lack of cultural amount of support at BookCons. It has sensitivity. Run as an official channel of been profiled by major media outlets the Los Angeles Review of Books, the such as NBC, The Guardian, and Bustle. journal was inexperienced in terms of a HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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The success of the campaign is a great indicator of how the inclusivity present within the staff itself is the primary foundation. Only when the foundations are strong can there be more accurate awareness of a publication’s diversity component.

Sparking a collective movement for social justice As literary communities for women of color grow more prevalent, it has become clear that the movement has only gained in influence, especially in terms of leadership. Notable heads of the literary resistance are not only deeply connected with intersectional issues, but are also adept at identifying causes of concern and developing solutions through programs, mentorships and different forms of support for the publication of diverse authors.

The structure behind such movements is based upon an effective diagnosis of what is most necessary for minorities today. For many, that comes from creating spaces that spark change through social impact. While it can be argued that these enterprises are more abstract than anything else, consciousness is a large factor when it comes to effecting change as intense PAGE 100

self-awareness manifests in narratives.

Those narratives are depicted in activism.

Awareness through education The resistance has been translated not only through literature, but in the form of education as well. Resources like the website POC (People of Color) Online Classroom have also been combining the goals of social justice and literary movements. This is to encourage the teaching of history and current events in marginalized narratives.

Created by Abaki Beck, the site features a variety of syllabi and curriculums focusing on the problems faced by minority groups throughout the United States, such as police brutality and disability justice. On why she started the resource page, Beck expresses that her mixed-race heritage (she is of both Indigenous and European descent) has motivated her to care deeply about empowering communities of color.

However, organizations like Beck’s are not the only ones proposing a diverse addition to education. Recently, Harvard University proposed a new diversity requirement that requires English concentrators to enroll in a course HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

“The resistance has been translated not only through literature, but in the form of education as well. Resources like the website POC (People of Color) Online Classroom have also been combining the goals of social justice and literary movements. This is to encourage the teaching of history and current events in marginalized narratives.

“

featuring authors who have traditionally been oppressed in history. Proponents of the new curriculum utilized the direct method of letter-writing. The initiative remained true to much of what the ultimate mission was; to identify a pressing problem in society, to use words to the effect of producing deeds.

It was approved by the Educational Policy Committee and will be officially set in motion starting with the Class of 2020.

The diversity proposal may be a new addition to Harvard’s ever-growing curriculum. Yet, it also marks a change that has shown itself in the wake of modern history and a rapidly growing need to raise awareness of minority issues. For women of color, the effects of literary activism have proven to be a success in not only the field of higher education, but beyond.

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by manaved nambiar

Literature has long been an integral part of the human existence. Since the dawn of humanity, words have chronicled the struggles that encompass most of society.

History is often convoluted to suit the needs of the victor and often resembles falsified facts. However, fiction affords us an opportunity to glimpse the reality of the lives of countless people in history, both in happiness and in sorrow. One such fictional setting is the world of The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.

The novel is set in rural, 1930s Georgia and deals with the life and times of African-American women in the southern United States. It has PAGE 104

often been heralded as both groundbreaking and rebellious in nature. It is not a piece that seeks to caress the reader’s sensibilities. Instead, it jolts the mind with the numerous issues that women faced during that time.

Where authors, such as Wodehouse, always seem to effuse an aura of optimism, the same cannot be said for Alice Walker. It is set against an extremely real and pungent history, a history that we all shared. In fact, it is 17th on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000–2009, mostly because of the explicitly violent theme which surrounds it.

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The aura of tangible violence that emanates from the book is why it is so beautifully apt in contemporary times. In today’s turbulent era, the mind has been made numb to the atrocities which continue unabated.

Our minds have hardened, and every atrocity is passed off as another statistic. The only way for us to develop empathy is by subjecting ourselves to the truly unfiltered version of an event.

Color Purple is one such text which opens up our thinking by giving to us an unabashed picture of what it was like for a woman to live in the 1930s. The fact that it is an epistolary novel also lends it a gaunt rawness that cannot be portrayed through any other medium.

It is imperative to note that The Color Purple is not fiction. It is a story which holds true for millions of women all over the world, perhaps even to this day. Although this story may have had a happy ending, with the protagonist finally embracing her individuality, freeing herself from the shackles of patriarchy, the same is not the norm for many all over the world.

The book itself is a study of feminism. On one hand, you have Celie, who has been oppressed by the patriarchy in the worst possible ways. On the other hand, we have Sofia and Shug, who have shed the gender roles that were intended for them. In fact, in that society, gender roles were so deeply ingrained in the collective psyche that those who challenged them were deemed social outcasts. This is often seen in the treatment of Sofia and Shug by men and women alike.

It is for that very reason that we must subject ourselves to literature which makes us think, which makes us question, and most importantly, makes us human.

When we are exposed to the truth, in all its unpretentious glory, that is when our minds will acknowledge the pain and struggle that millions before us have gone through. The HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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TAKING BACK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY ONE WOMAN AT A TIME by shaye dipasquale

“I met a guy at a show in the photo pit. He took it upon himself to tell me my camera body was no good but my "lens was decent, at least", then demanded to know what my settings were and told me my ISO was wrong. For some reason we became friends and a few years later, we were talking and he said, "Most girls I know that are photographers only do it for fun and to get close to bands, but most guys are actually serious and want to do it as a career." When I confronted him about it he said, "It's true, most girls are just groupie wannabe photographers who aren't trying to make a career, but guys are more likely to be taking it seriously." —Molly Luise Hudelson

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M

olly Luise Hudelson has been involved in the music business for nearly 7 years and when I asked her if she had ever felt marginalized, disregarded or disrespected by peers in the industry based on her sex, this was just one of the countless experiences she had to share.

to get her foot in the door in the music industry and thus, she started her music blog, Circles and Soundwaves in April 2011. With a predominantly female staff of writers, photographers and street team members, Circles and Soundwaves has opened up many opportunities for other folks looking to get their starts in the industry.

As with most historically maledominated professions, institutional sexism creates numerous challenges and barriers that female professionals in the music industry face daily. Singer-songwriter Tori Amos once said: “The music industry is a vicious business. It chews women up and spits them out.” But it doesn’t have to be this way. In an industry full of creatives and innovators, there is so much potential for women to band together to strategically alter the culture of the music business profession. Behind every great event in the music industry is a team of strong, capable women and it’s about time that their stories reside at the forefront of media coverage.

“I think a lot of women don’t speak about sexism for fear of retaliation,” says Hudelson. “Like, ‘If I speak up about being mistreated for my gender, everyone will think I'm 'too sensitive' and won't want to hire me’- and if we go as far as sexual assault, ‘If I speak up about sexual assault, this band will get kicked off their label and I'll be known as the one who ruined their career.’”

The music industry has unfortunately become a great example of how intimidation can be used to keep victims of hostile mistreatment from speaking up for themselves. Rampant instances of sexual harassment and assault surround festivals, studios and offices across the nation. From Kesha’s sexual assault case against

After working with her college’s programming board to plan events for fellow students, Hudelson wanted HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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against producer Dr. Luke to the 27 reported sexual assault counts at this year’s Bravalla festival in Sweden, there’s no denying that women working in the industry are constantly are risk of experiencing sexual violence. To make matters worse, women who do choose to speak out about these issues are often blacklisted and blamed for giving the industry “a bad reputation”. Hudelson credits a lack of available resources for victims of assault or other sexist instances as a major reason why underreporting persists.

In 2015, Shelby Chargin decided it was time to take action to help diversify the scene and get more young women involved from a younger age. By founding Girls Behind the Rock Show, Chargin hopes to help young women gain access to the business side of the scene by offering internships and scholarship opportunities to work in both large and small music markets.

Girls Behind the Rock Show has created a space for music business ladies from all levels of experience to connect, collaborate and share advice on establishing themselves as equal to men in the industry.

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Alexia Lopez, a member of the Girls Behind the Rock Show network, got her start working as a concert photographer when she was 14. After attending her first show, Lopez began reaching out to various people she knew in music to ask for advice on how to get started. Her DJ friend was able to put her in contact with a promoter at a big music venue in her area.

“The promoter was very impressed with how young I was and how passionate I was and allowed me to shoot my first show there,” says Lopez.

Now at age 15, Lopez is the in-house photographer for that venue as well as the backup photographer for two Live Nation arenas in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has even begun to shoot for HEAVY Magazine, an Australian metal magazine.

But even with all of the success that Lopez has had in the industry thus far, her age has brought her credibility into question on numerous occasions.

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“When I shot my very first concert, I actually had a fellow female tell me that teenage girls couldn’t shoot shows,” says Lopez. “Another time, I remember that I tried to shoot as a backup for a male photographer and he told me, ‘A teenage girls shouldn’t be shooting at all.’”

about their experiences without fearing that their jobs or connections will be put on the line. We can’t allow for sexist or misogynist actions to slide on by without being acknowledged and challenged.

Whether it be instances of professional biases against women or outright sexual violence, individuals and communities alike must join together to address any and all double standards that they see.

There are so many stereotypes in place about what someone working in the music industry should look like and the ironic thing is that these stereotypes are highly unrepresentative of the majority of folks in the industry.

Women make up a large portion of the behind the scenes position in the music industry – photographers, promoters, lights designers, tour managers and sound engineers. So instead of telling them to “suck it up” because “that’s just how the industry works”, we should be thanking them for helping to tear down the glass ceiling each and every day.

“It seems many men in this industry and some women too believe that all females are in this to be groupies and get into shows for free and to get backstage and that is just not true,” says Lopez. “The dedication that I have seen from fellow women in this industry is unbelievable and I can assure you that they aren’t in this for that.”

In order to begin to alleviate the stigma attached to women working in the music industry, female music professionals need to be able to have open and authentic conversations HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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SOUNDS OF THE OTHER. HIP HOP AND ASIAN-AMERICAN REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA

by jessica zhang PAGE 112

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A reading playlist for you featuring some of the artists mentioned in this article. Press play. Hit shuffle. Spread the word: these people exist.

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One of the largest issues facing Asian Americans today is invisibility within the media industry.

In Hollywood, character parts that are clearly Asian are doled out to white actors and actresses instead.

The Asians that do make it into TV shows and movies often find themselves playing minor characters or stereotypical, caricatured roles.

They’re not always as egregiously stereotypical as the bucktoothed I. Y. Yunioshi of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, played not even by an Asian actor but by Mickey Rooney, but they’re often equally one-dimensional.

Even more difficult than breaking into the film industry is breaking into the music industry, where the ladder to the top often requires a plug and having strategic contacts.

Just try to think of a top 40 hit with

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an Asian American artist, or even any well-known song by an Asian artist that isn’t a K-pop star. Even the Kpop genre, which has gained a significant and multiracial following in America, is often met with mainstream discrimination. Take the 2013 YouTube Music Awards, where the K-pop group Girls Generation was announced the winning video of the year, up against big names like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga. The news was met with awkward silence from the audience, perhaps because many hadn’t heard of the group, but also because it was simply so unusual for Asians to make significant achievements in the media industry without being a stereotype or a caricature.

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Given the challenges that Asian American artists face, one might think that they could find a welcoming niche within the hip hop genre. Rooted in the African oral tradition and the African-American struggle against racism, hip hop has long been an outlet to speak out against oppression. It’s the voice of the other. Yet Asian Americans remain just as invisible within the mainstream hip hop scene as well.

of immigrants who study hard in school, find comfortable middle-class jobs and settle down—without a struggle, without a sound, invisibly.

There are, however, many accomplished Asian American artists who are working to make their voices heard and their names known.

Salima Koroma’s documentary, Bad Rap, follows the journeys of four Asian American rappers: Dumbfoundead, Awkwafina, Rekstizzy, and Lyrics. Each MC has a completely different musical style, but they navigate a ruthless industry with equal dedication. Yet how many people, even seasoned hip hop fans, have ever heard of Dumbfoundead, even though he’s released five full studio albums since 2009? Erasure of Asian identity occurs in every sphere of the media industry—even the one in which minorities have historically found a voice.

One reason could be that the stereotypes often assigned to Asians are so at odds with those associated with hip hop. As hip hop culture originates in young, urban, workingclass black culture, it might seem that Asians have no place in it.

Asians are too often stereotyped as quiet and submissive—the opposite of hip hop’s unashamed vocalization against subjugation. And after all, Asians are the model minority.

They’re the immigrants and children

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Given the inherent tie between hip hop and black culture, there is another important angle on this issue to consider. Despite being the work of a fellow minority, can an Asian rapper’s music be considered as out of line, or even as cultural appropriation?

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17-year old Indonesian rapper and viral sensation Rich Chigga has been criticized for his use of the n-word. It features heavily in his debut single, “Dat $tick”, whose corresponding music video is half satire, half serious. In the video, Rich Chigga dons a pink polo tee and a fanny pack instead of the urban streetwear most artists wear. “I was going to dress like a rapper, like Post Malone and A$AP Rocky,” Rich Chigga explains in a Hypebeast interview (source here). “However, I had a last minute concept change and did not want it to look like some scrawny Asian kid that’s trying to be hard and gangster — so I chose a less serious costume. But even then, there are still people who don’t get it.” Note that he says he didn’t want to look like a “scrawny Asian kid that’s trying to be hard and gangster.” That he even considered that in his ideation of his work testifies to the fact that Asian typecasting is a concept that Asian artists do grapple with so frequently.

negative effects of the N-word. I want more people to know that it’s a term of endearment in hip-hop rather than something racist when nonblack artists use it.” Whether his justification is legitimate is a nuanced question, and one that I, as an Asian-American, don’t feel that I am knowledgeable enough about to answer.

Rich Chigga isn’t perfect. No artist is.

What’s more important is the fact that his work even exists. It’s the fact that he’s making waves in an industry and a society that constantly erases Asian individualism and identity; it’s the fact that he’s resisting erasure.

Hip hop is, after all, a form of resistance. It’s the story of a minority carving out a space within society and making room for themselves. But it’s also yet another area where Asian-Americans are either glossed over, invisible, or constantly pigeonholed as Asian artists instead of simply as artists that are Asian. “I hated being called an Asian rapper,” Dumbfoundead comments in Bad Rap. “I’m an American cat.”

When asked about his usage of racial slurs, Rich Chigga responded that he “get[s] why people are offended...but my goal is to help put an end to the HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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THE MOZART EFFECT & THE POWER OF MUSIC by ag park What if listening to music makes you smarter? This would mean that music is the solution to improving our cognitive and mental abilities. Does this sound too good to be true?

There has been research done that indicates how the power of music improves the brain and it’s called the Mozart Effect.

not certain; there is not enough evidence to fully support the mozart effect. However, the information Campbell uses is serious research that suggests that music does have an impact on cognitive ability and mental illness.

One of the first research projects about this topic was conducted in 1988, when neurobiologist Gordon Shaw, along with graduate student Xiaodan Leng, first attempted to model brain activity on a computer at the University of California at Irvine . They found in simulations patterns and rhythms that indicated basic exchange of mental activity.

They then decided to use sounds in their simulations and surprisingly,, the rhythmic patterns sounded somewhat familiar to the patterns of the brain, with some of the characteristics of baroque, new age, or Eastern music. Shaw

Most of the information used in this article will be based on Don Campbell’s book, The Mozart Effect.

Campbell decided to write a book for people interested in easy ways to boost their own and their children’s I.Q. He titled it "The Mozart Effect : Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind and Unlock the Creative Spirit.”

While the proposition of Mozart effect is very useful to all, the benefits that Campbell promotes are HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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hypothesized: might patterns in music somehow stimulate the brain by activating similar firing patterns of nerve clusters?

In 1995, Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky reproduced Gorden’s experiment by dividing seventy-nine students into three groups. The group that listened to the Mozart selection showed an increase in spatial IQ test scores. A further test showed that listening to other types of music (nonspecific "dance" music) did not have the same effect.

In 1995, researchers at State University of New York at Albany replicated the same test.

They broadened the test group to 114 subjects, and the age spread from 18 to 51 years with a mean age of 27.3. This showed no similar increase in spatial IQ scores after listening to Mozart and also indicated that there was no correlation to higher spatial IQ scores and music lessons earlier in life, or a correlation to higher spatial IQ scores and a preference for classical music. Similar results were found the same year in a study by two Canadian University researchers, Nantais and Schellenberg.

As you have read, there is a lot of research done supporting the mozart effect but also research that goes against the mozart effect.

To this day, no one is certain that this exists.

If you are interested in learning more about the mozart effect, I suggest you to browse the internet for more information. Perhaps you will be the next scientist to prove that this exists.

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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

by gabbie ballesteros

WARSAN SHIRE:

Advocating and Empowering, One Poem At a Time Most people might be familiar with Warsan Shire through Beyoncé - her poems are featured in the renowned artist’s 2016 visual album Lemonade, which achieved significant commercial and critical success. But Shire has an incredible impact and following of her own. Her lines and deeply personal works have become rallying cries for refugees and empowering mantras for women, in addition to providing awareness and HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

insight on the suffering happening in our own society.

Though Kenyan-born to Somali parents, the 28-year old poet was raised in London, and has been making a name for herself in the past few years with her moving and poignant writing. She won Brunel University’s African Poetry Prize in 2013, was selected as London’s first Young Poet Laureate, and was named

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poet-in-residence of Queensland, Australia in 2014. Shire has also authored three poetry collections: Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (2011), Her Blue Body (2015), and Our Men Do Not Belong to Us (2014), in addition to having her work appear in various literary journals, magazines, and anthologies around the world.

What makes Shire’s poetry so touching is the intimacy she evokes, especially when discussing difficult and personal subjects like domestic abuse, the difficulty of love, or life as an immigrant. Shire has made clear that she chooses to write character-driven poems about people whose stories have gone untold or have been told inaccurately, specifically immigrants and refugees. An immigrant herself, much of her work is autobiographical or based on people whose specific memories she has personally recorded. She chooses to capture genuine and true characters rather than empty stereotypes, which makes her work that much more meaningful and accessible.

Not only are Warsan Shire’s poems relatable to the groups whose stories she is conveying and accurate for those seeking to understand others, they are also deeply empowering for all. Shire’s works depicting immigrants have captured the struggle of adjusting and trying to belong to new

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cultures, and her poems on love often convey the heartbreak and harsh reality that can accompany relationships. Her most famous poem, “For Women Who Are Difficult To Love,” speaks on the power of feminine individuality, and has spread a message of self-affirmation and confidence to women everywhere. Additionally, her other poems concerning self-image, societal expectations, and romantic relationships all carry a theme of feminism and independence that has resonated with her readers and impacted the way they see themselves and the world around them.

What Warsan Shire represents to me is the power of poetry, and the impact it can have in terms of healing, advocacy, and raising awareness. Her poems serve as therapeutic artistry, both for the author and for readers who can connect with the turmoil and strife depicted. Shire’s work has also been used as a tool in activism, specifically for refugees and immigrants, and lines from her poem “Home,” about the journey and struggles of refugees, have become a rallying cry for those marginalized groups and their advocates. Her words are capable of more than just emotional connections; they are able to sway hearts and change perceptions, to convey and comment upon the human experience, and above all, to impact others and the world. One poem at a time.

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LIVE

CULTURE

BECOMING BILINGUAL by elie docter I was on an airplane one time, and a hostess asked me what I would like to drink;I responded appropriately and to this day, this moment was one of the proudest moments of my life. it. What makes this seeminglyregular instance so impressive to me is that this entire interaction was conducted in German, a language I didn’t know a word of until about two years ago.

only countries willing and able to assist Syrian refugees, and it welcomed hundreds of thousands in.

Without batting an eye, an entire country welcomed these people.

Coming from America, this was shocking but extremely endearing.

Not only was this impressive, but it made me desperately want to join this community.

I’ve been studying French on and off for about twelve years. My high school AP French classmates and I became extremely close; by the fifth year of studying, there were only eleven of us. Those of us who

I started learning German during my senior year of high school. It was not required of me in any way, but it was something I became interested in. At the time, Germany was one of the HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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who remained were truly dedicated and interest in the language. Even after graduating, we still share new music, articles, films and jokes that we find with each other. With this language came a sense of community and shared experiences that other students wouldn’t and couldn’t understand.

The more I learn about language, the more difficult it is for me to understand why so many Americans push away the idea of becoming bilingual or at least attempting to learn another language.

Growing up in California, for instance, it is often just as important to speak Spanish as it is to speak English.

Thanks to the internet, learning another language has never been easier or cheaper. Using Duolingo, I am supposedly 25 percent fluent in PAGE 126

German, 11 percent in Spanish, 7 percent in Italian and 40 percent in French. On this one app, there are 23 languages available. Not only are there lessons in vocabulary and grammar, but there are chats and clubs to join to further practice newly-learned skills. The language department at my high school introduced us to the Students of the World website, which allows you to find pen pals online while allowing someone else to learn English while practicing yourself.

Being bilingual not only offers a great addition to a résumé, but it also aids in gaining a higher-paying salary. Teaching the brain a new language encourages flexible thinking, which leads to becoming better at problem solving, multitasking and decision making.

When lone, I find myself thinking about how I would say things in other languages and using my brain more than I used to. Furthermore, being bilingual encourages us to listen more than we speak, to absorb knowledge from others and adapt it for our own benefit. Being bilingual allows us not only to speak multiple

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languages but to think from different perspectives. Because I studied the French language, I have begun to understand French values and culture. This made watching the 2017 French elections fascinating.

Learning Spanish during the 2016 American elections made certain jokes found online even funnier than before. Studying these languages encourages me to become informed and form my own opinions while listening to the voices of many. A language brings knowledge of a new culture and with that, a new point of view.

about America’s travel ban, I think of Germany’s open-arms policy towards Syrian refugees. Even knowing that this community exists gives me hope.

I see this community across the ocean embracing values I agree with and finding success adhering to them. Knowing this, I wonder how and when America can wake up and learn from others’ successes. If more Americans opened their eyes to the rest of the world, it might become easier to understand all the perspectives of our own citizens and fix our own problems.

And plus, who doesn’t want to feel accomplished after being able to order water on an airplane?

Admittedly, the intrigue of learning another language is sometimes to enter another culture and to escape the current hate stirred up in American culture. Whenever I hear

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15 INTERESTING WEDDING TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD by rida pasha

Marriage is a beautiful part of life. The coming together of two people, vowing to love, honor and respect one another is something that millions of people have experienced and will likely experience in the future. But the day that marks the beginning of a marriage is perhaps more exciting that idea of marriage itself. Weddings are a memory that a person carries for life-no matter where one is in the world. Whether it be every female guest kissing the groom after the bride is gone (Sweden) or engaged couples having to butcher a chicken and find a healthy liver in order to get married (Mongolia), certain cultures and places have dierent traditions that can range from inspiring to utterly strange. In case you’re curious, here are 15 interesting ways people celebrate the oneness of two people around the world!

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ROMANIA

PERU

A common tradition in Romania is for guests of the wedding to collaborate together and “kidnap� the bride. She is taken off her feet and hidden in a location unknown to the groom-imagine losing your bride on the day you were going to get married! So, how does the groom get his wife-to-be back? The guests demand for some sort of payment whether it be giving away some expensive alcohol or making the him sing a song in front of everyonehopefully he gets his other half back!

While Western weddings involve a bridesmaid catching a bouquet thrown by the bride to determine who gets married next, Peruvian weddings use cake to determine the same. Usually, wedding cakes have charms inside of each slide and attached to them are ribbons that stick out. Among the charms is one fake wedding ring and the single lady that receives the slice of cake with the ring is crowned as the next person to get married.

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JAMAICA

INDIA

On the morning of her wedding, the bride is required to go outside where villagers are lined up to take a look at her. They are called to shout any negative comments about her appearance and if the majority of crowd seems to believe that she isn’t looking her best, then she is sent back home to up for look.

Known as a way for both sides of the bride and groom to bond, “Joota Chupai” is a common game played by guests of Indian wedding. The name of the game translates to “hiding the shoes” and that’s exactly what they do. The groom is required to take off his shoes and once they’re off, the groom’s side of the family must protect the shoe at all costs whereas the bride’s side of the family is required to steal and hide it!

JAPAN

GREECE

Japanese brides wear all white clothing-this includes her makeup, kimono and hood. This occurs during the Shinto ceremony which is a tradition that occurs during a wedding. The white colour and hood are not mere customs, but have strong significance. White is a representation of the bride’s maiden status and the hood symbolically hides the “horns of jealousy” she has towards her future mother in law.

The day of the his wedding, the groom is given a quick new look. By his best friend, the groom’s face is shaven-hopefully he’s good with a razor!

GERMANY Not “saw” as in the past tense of “see” but literally a saw used to cut things!

Shortly after the wedding and in front of an audience, married couples saw a log in half together to represent their ability to overcome challenges by working together.

RUSSIA If you are a Russian man and want to marry the woman you’re in love with, you better have something to offer!

The man must visit the house of the bride’s parents during the morning of their wedding, and demonstrate his worthiness as their daughter’s husband. So how does he do it? By paying a ransom that satisfies the parents! It could be gift after gift after gift or a little sing and dance.

The wedding proceeds when the bride’s parents feel that he has done enough!

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CHINA Chinese brides go through a change of three beautiful dresses on their wedding day. As they walk down the aisle, they wear a traditional qipao or cheongsam, which is a tight fitting, embroidered dress. During the reception, they are dressed in poofy fancy gown and when making her final appearance, the bride then changes into a cocktail dress!

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THE PHILIPPINES On their wedding day, engaged couples show a representation of a harmonious life together by letting free one male dove and one female dove. The symbolic gesture is a beautiful way of expressing the beginning of a marriage. Talk about being lovey-dovey!

IRELAND Due to the belief that evil fairies will come and whisk the bride away, Irish brides and grooms must keep their feet planted on the ground at all times while dancing.

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SCOTLAND Friends are an important part of lifeespecially when someone is getting married, but little would you expect the bride and grooms own friends to throw honey, ash, flour and feathers on them the day before their wedding! They are then paraded around the whole town. But this, like any other ritual has deep cultural significance. The idea behind this tradition is to ward off spirits before the bride and groom’s wedding and to send them off peacefully.

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GERMANY While this may be a little more than just a little cleaning, German brides and grooms are required to pick up smashed pieces of porcelain dishes that were thrown by the guests. The smashing essentially wards of any spirits and act of cleaning up together shows that the to be married couple is able to overcome any obstacle “thrown” in their way.

NORWAY At Norwegian weddings, a cake that is called kransekake is served during special occasions. This cake forms a cone shape with iced almond cake rings stacked on to of one another. A wine bottle is placed in the hollow centre of the cake.

FIJI In Fiji, a man must present his future father in law with the tooth of a whale after diving and finding it himself in order to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. While seemingly difficult, it definitely shows the depth of the man’s love!

AT THE CRUX OF SOUTHERN SOCIAL SUCCESS: RELIGION by elise harwell

It’s a very interesting thing, being from the Southern United States, or just the South as we refer to it.

Politics, religion, and the way of life are all effected by southern culture and it wasn’t until recently that I realized how different these things were because of it. Despite having traveled frequently to other regions of the United States and other countries, I never realized how many of my day to day activities are influenced by living there. When confronted with debating politics with people from other parts of the United States, it was almost like culture shock. I had to learn how to understand conservatism and liberalism outside of a southern context, which was much harder than one might think.

about it, I realized how much higher the percentage of religious (or at least God-believing) people I knew from my high school was versus summer programs I had done in the North. I tried to think of vocally atheist or agnostic local politicians or even popular students at my high school, and I came up with a very short list. At my high school, for instance, most of the popular students go to Young Life (a national christian high school organization that has been around since the 1940s) and even students who weren’t necessarily super religious were “Young Life Christian,” as my friend once termed it. It wasn’t even limited to the Christian students at my high school, Muslim students attended as well. Upon reflection, every school I had attended or was familiar with, their social scene followed a similar pattern. Not all religious students were popular, but

One of the things I quickly realized was how true the title, “Bible Belt,” really was. When I got to thinking HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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it seemed that almost all popular students were at least somewhat religious. Of course, there were exceptions, but with so much correlation, it does lead one to believe that there is some causation as well.

What is it then, about religion, that helps someone achieve social success in the South? Perhaps, it relays the message that a person inherently must have morals or even simply that it is considered normal. As my father once told me, growing up, he thought everyone attended Church every week and never realized that a vast amount of Americans, in fact, do not. Is it something that is slowly ingrained in us as we get older? That making statements about God from time to time and going to service at least on Christmas and Easter is the norm and we slowly gravitate towards others with these qualities?

I’d like to say that I have been resilient to these influences, that I accept all people regardless of their belief or disbelief in God. To some extent it is true; I have atheist, agnostic, and fully committed religious friends who hail from a variety of religions.

However, I think there is still an initial judgement that I must work to overcome. A judgement of, “I believe in God, why doesn’t everyone?” In the South, where the majority of people do in fact believe in a higher being, religion is a societal norm.

Regardless of whether intentional or not, these norms still separate an in-group from an out-group. It is a problem that is unlikely to change, however, it is something that Southerners must work at in order to fix. It

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is never right to judge a person upon their religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

Looking at politics, this trend can be seen nationally as well. What does every president always end his speech with?

“Thank you and God Bless America.”

Donald Trump, who prior to the election showed little evidence of being a committed Christian, certainly was happy to talk about his “Christian values” and his commitment to Christianity. This, however, leaves a lot of room to question whether he is genuine or merely taking advantage of conservative America’s religious fervency.

Yes, religion does always seem to be the common denominator among Southerners.

However, unintentional it may be (or, for some intentional), it certainly should never be the determining factor between whether or not someone is deemed as socially acceptable. A woman’s worth or promiscuity should not be assumed by her Church attendance and Easter social media posts.

Yet, it is. At the crux of southern social success there is religion.

HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

THE REALITY OF THE R-WORD

why “retarded” is considered a form of hate speech by annie zhang

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I

t’s typical for people to say something along the lines of “you’re retarded,” or “that’s so retarded” without a second thought. However, how many people can confidently say that they actually know what mental retardation is?

(Hint: it’s definitely not a synonym for dumb or stupid). How many people who use the R-word have actually met someone with mental retardation?

The R-word is offensive--it degrades and dehumanizes those with mental disabilities, making them feel excluded and inferior to the “normal” community. The R-word is incorrect--it equates intellectual disability with being dumb or stupid.

And when the R-word is used incorrectly—which it usually is—it cuts very, very deep: according to the dictionary, hate speech includes spoken words that are offensive, insulting, or threatening to individuals or groups based on a particular attribute (including sexual orientation, religion, color, gender, or disability), and by this definition, many people consider the R-word to be a form of hate speech. It’s hatred of people who are not like you; it’s as hateful as racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and every other form of discrimination out there.

The modern term for mental retardation is an intellectual or general learning disability. This condition may permeate all areas of these people’s lives: socially, they’ll have trouble communicating and interacting with others; behaviorally, they may exhibit signs of trouble; cognitively, they could have more difficulty with reasoning and logic than the average person. However, on the inside, they are normal, fullyfunctioning human beings like the rest of the world, and having an intellectual disability does not define who they really are. They are not dumb or stupid. They do not deserve to be negatively stereotyped—but they are.

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It's time for it to be condemned as such.

I am concerned about this topic because I have an older sister who has been diagnosed with severe autism and a general learning disability.

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I accept my sister for who she is. I do not let her disability become an obstacle in the special bond we share. I am immensely proud of her, as she struggles to live in a world that refuses to accept her and sees her as inferior. And after living under the same roof for sixteen years, I can confidently say that behind her disability, she is a smart, kind, and caring individual.

The R-word hurts.

It tells those people that they deserve to be excluded and rejected. It reminds them that their feelings are not worth considering, and that the only defining characteristic of their personality is their stupidity. It makes them feel even lonelier in a world that already heavily stigmatizes mental disabilities (trust me, they are well aware of this). And it pains not only the people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, but also the amazing community of family, friends, teachers, and therapists that deeply cherish them and work their tails off to support them; even though I'm not disabled myself, I’ve become extraordinarily familiar with the aching, livid, boiling feeling in PAGE 142

my chest after hearing my peers use the R-word while conversing with me (even after calling them out for it on multiple occasions and dealing with their pitiful excuses of “well, you know I didn’t mean it that way…”).

It hurts me just as much as it hurts my sister. I don’t like how easy it is for them to be aware of the offensiveness of the term and just ignore it, as well as blatantly disrespect me and brush off my claims about how hurtful they're being as if I were just a speck of dust on their shoulder.

And you know what baffles me?

Here's the thing: people will not joke about having a physical illness like cancer. People will not see someone in a wheelchair and call them a cripple. People will even resist using insults referring to other mental disorders (like “autistic”). But on a daily basis, I hear others using the word retarded as a harmless synonym for dumb or stupid, and it deeply pains me every time.

Why is society so willing to accept such cruel, cutting remarks and

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reduce a group of millions of people into less-valued members of humanity? How can members of my generation—who claim to pride themselves on their accepting, inclusive, and open-minded attitudes, who claim to tread carefully when discussing social justice issues, who claim to advocate for people of all backgrounds, unconditionally —so cold-heartedly take the name of a legitimate mental disorder and toss it around as a hollow joke or insult? I will never understand. And exactly how do people draw the line between saying “you’re retarded” and something like “you’re autistic” or “you look like you have Down syndrome?” All of these are associated with mental disabilities, so all of these should be equally wrong!

Please be aware of the numerous avenues that allow youth to spread awareness about the harmfulness of using the R-word. (1) Whenever someone uses “retard” or “retarded” in a conversation, calmly speak up and actively discourage them from using it again. (2) Report derogatory usage of the R-word in the media. (3) Visit r-word.org and read about the national campaign to Spread the Word to End the Word, then start a local or school-wide movement to echo the experiences of those who have been negatively impacted by the R-word.

It may take a while before the harmful impact behind the word becomes common knowledge. However, in the meantime, taking these steps

I am disgusted. I am horrified. And I wish that my sister, whom I have come to look up to as a brave and intelligent woman, does not have to drown in a world flooded with such ignorance and hatred, where she is not given a chance to live a normal life--because she is apparently nothing more than a disability.

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allow youth to become agents of change by spreading positivity within their communities, while also allowing them to strive to become better people themselves.

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DATING IN THE AGE OF APPS by betsy hillstead

T

he fluidity and anonymity of modern dating apps have changed the rules of the traditional dating game. It used to be you’d have to go outside to meet someone new. You would have to meet a special someone in person; with IRL sight, touch, smell, and sound to help guide your choices. Nowadays it’s possible to shop for a partner online the same way you might shop for a pair of shoes on the internet: by size, color, gender, price, and occasion.

Specific apps exist for specific arrangements; friends with benefits, extra-marital, financial, casual, longterm. You can set search criteria for exactly what you’re looking for, and block out anyone who doesn’t meet those parameters. You can judge a person’s compatibility without ever having to meet them. There are apps with encrypted and self-destructing messages. Alternate phone numbers are available for download. You can be as private or as public as you choose on any particular platform.

With such an array of potential matches and seemingly endless hook-up options on the app market,

there is less motivation to actually spend time with or get to know any dates seriously. There is always the prospect of someone new, someone better-looking, or someone more financially fit. There is less incentive to invest in a special someone when new potential partners come on the market every day. By offering so many matches literally at your very fingertips, apps have diminished a sense of gravity that used to be present in dating, and largely reduced courtship to a series of electronic communications with strangers.

The sheer volume of messages received in a dating app can be overwhelming, but it can also serve as a massive ego boost. The feeling of being matched with multiple partners per day can be addicting.

People login to dating apps simply to pass the time and essentially window-shop matches for amusement. The volume of messaging options available via apps also makes ending communication trickier. If the time comes to end a relationship, you have to remember to remove your match from multiple platforms including your phone, text

messages, social media, and even professional sites that have messaging functions. Access to free phone numbers has made blocking unwanted callers much more difficult.

Meeting someone in person it’s possible to pick up on certain vibes or cues that aren’t available in an app. You might notice if your potential mate is wearing a ring, or how they interact with their friends, or even if they seem like a nice person. Sensory cues are simply not available electronically. Meeting someone in person after you’ve matched on an app can be risky.

Wonderful texts, emails, and phone conversations don’t guarantee that your match won’t be a creep. You should always meet in a public location for the first face to face interaction. Suitors can lie about every aspect of their lives online if they so choose. But don’t worry. For better or for worse, there’s always another match.

PUSHING BACK AGAINST

SEXIST DRESS CODES PAGE 148

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by elizabeth meisenzahl

G

irls as young as eleven years old have found themselves at the center of a movement to end discrimination in the classroom and policing of women’s attire in the United States. This activism takes the form of protesting school dress codes, which often prioritize boys' feelings over girls’ education. Although the primary objection to such rules focuses on their reinforcement of sexism, dress codes also serve to further constricting traditional gender roles and even disproportionately punish students of color. Some students and their parents are pushing back on this narrative, challenging unnecessarily harsh restrictions on and punishments for clothing worn in schools.

length of shorts for girls; such as bans on spaghetti straps and shorts with inseams under certain lengths. Other schools keep it vague, stating only that student should “be conscious” of shirts that reveal cleavage, and subsequently making enforcement wildly subjective.

School officials believe these dress codes keeps the environment of the school free from "distractions", presumably meaning girls' bodies.

In response, some students have taken matters into their own hands. Last year, eighth graders attending Urbana Middle School in Maryland wore homemade shirts that read in marker: “I am more than just a distraction.” The baggy yellow shirts referenced the punishment for dress code infractions at the school, where students were made to wear similar shirts. Forcing dress code violators, almost always female, to don the modern equivalent of scarlet letter to shame them is a surprisingly common tactic for enforcing dress codes across the country.

School officials tend to view the purpose of dress codes as two-fold, in that they teach the value of professional attire and keep students focused in the classroom. This can range from banning clothing depicting violence or gang symbols to banning clothing that is deemed too revealing. While both the rules and enforcement vary widely by district, most schools have some restrictions on necklines of tops and the

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The protesting students believed that both the code and the punishment placed too much responsibility on girls for male behavior. “They’re telling us it’s our responsibility to not be distracting, when it should be their responsibility,” said Abby Carioti, one of the protesting students at Urbana. Often touted as a way to protect girls from unwanted attention in school, such rules place the blame on the potential victims of sexual harassment instead of on the potential perpetrators. Even more alarming is the common assertion that bans on leggings and visible bra straps stop male teachers from being distracted, normalizing a borderline pedophilic way of thinking.

The American Civil Liberties Union is currently challenging a charter school in North Carolina that prohibits girls from wearing pants, requiring skirts. According to the school’s founder, Baker Mitchell, the rule was created to “preserve chivalry.”

Invoking chivalry harkens back to more traditional gender roles, which Mitchell sees as a benefit rather than a setback in schools.

Chivalry has often been an excuse for condescendingly treating women like fragile creatures while cloaking sexist behavior in concern for women. In a 2015 email, Mitchell defended the skirt policy, stating that “the need to instill and respect traditional values seems just as great as it was fifteen years ago.” This attitude towards dress codes makes clear the ideas often believed but rarely spoken by their authors, namely that girls are only respectable when dressed modestly and in traditionally feminine clothing.

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While playing into the belief that girls should only be respected when dressing femininely, this rule also limits the behavior of young children in unexpected ways.

Bonnie Peltier and Erika Booth, two women involved in the lawsuit, feel that the skirt requirement prevents their daughters from freely running and exercising during recess periods in the ways that boys can. This may be no coincidence, as such actions, of course, are not traditionally feminine, keeping with the school’s dedication to strict gender roles.

Racism in both the rules themselves and their enforcement is common as well, often overlapping with the sexist overtones. Some schools take the position of an outright ban on natural African-American hairstyles, like the Horizon Science Academy in Ohio. A recent version of the school’s dress code stated that “Afro-puffs and tiny twisted braids … and rubber bands of any sort, are NOT permitted.” While this clearly discriminates against black girls in particular, other codes are simply not applied to white students in the same way that they are to black and Latino students.

When teachers have wide discretion over what constitutes inappropriate clothing, girls of color are more likely than their white peers to be reprimanded for a violation.

Mattawoman Middle School, also in Maryland, has received backlash from parents after punishing only some students wearing leggings. When Eboni Banks, whose 11 year old daughter had been forced to leave class for her leggings, HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

brought this to the attention of the principal, she was reportedly told that the rule was made specifically to address black and Latino students. Principal Sonia Jones has denied that the leggings rule discriminates against girls or minority students. Banks, however, has since filed a civil rights complaint alleging gender bias.

One particular point of contention for Banks was the punishment that her honor student daughter received for the offense.

She said in an interview with The Washington Post, “They’re going to be pulled out of class and missing instructional time because of this nonsense?”

As of April, Charter Day School’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit was denied, and the suit is expected to continue with support from the ACLU. Whether this case and the grassroots movements by the girls and parents on the frontlines of such rules will have implications for the future of gendered school dress codes is still unknown.

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CHIVALRY VS. SEXISM by claudia wasielewska I almost feel bad saying it, but I like it when men hold open the door for me! Actually, I like it when anyone holds the door open for me. I think that most men hold the door not with the implication that the woman behind them is not strong enough to, but with the awareness of how rude it is to let the door slam in someone’s face. So where do we draw the line between chivalry and sexism?

Let’s start with a discussion of what chivalry is. Chivalry as we know it is a moral code instituted by knights in the middle ages. Chivalry, although applicable to everyone, places emphasis on women because it is that demographic that was treated less than fairly by men at the time.

When we think of chivalry, the romanticized knight in shining armour comes to mind. However, this image alone does not encapsulate chivalry’s purpose. Chivalry, primarily, provided guidelines for PAGE 152

men in battle to separate them from heathens. Many of its truths conveniently align with those of religion, including to be kind to people around you and to share your wealth.

The intentions of chivalry are seemingly virtuous. Still, its applications today make it look like just another way for cheeky men to patronize women. When a man and woman are on a date, the man--as an act of chivalry--might pick up the check. Yet, if he’s too insistent, it’s insulting. Does he think that she can’t afford to pay? Or that by paying he’ll be allowed to exert power over her? Take another example: he insists on walking her back home after the date. Does he think that she needs a man to protect her? Does he realize that she has a black belt in jujutsu and can well enough hold her ground?

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Many men today feel uncomfortable even making such offers to women for the chance that women will become offended. Some women are turning tables, insisting that they cover the bill and not the man. Some do it in the name of equality, and others regrettably do it to appear dominant in the relationship--to show that they “wear the pants,” so to speak.

Society has cultivated this attitude that men need to “wear the pants.” It is ingrained in most men that they must act a certain way around women to assert themselves as strong, rational minds. They learn that women must be the opposite of that--weak and irrational--to make the yin and the yang. Men who are insecure in their masculinity might sneakily use chivalry to find reassurance. In such situations, chivalry reproduces a system of inequality.

Essentially, it is the intention with which a man uses chivalry that determines whether or not he is being sexist. When in the presence of a man, no woman should feel overcome by macho masculinity.

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EMPOWERING WOMEN WITH EDUCATION

by Je-ok Presser

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Empowering women and having better educated women will lead households and eventually nations out of poverty. The full education of women also includes socioemotional and life skills to make decisions in the changing world and contribute to it.

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E

ducated women lead healthier lives than uneducated women, earn higher incomes and are more likely to participate in the formal labor market. Education reduces the likelihood of girls getting married at a young age, teenage pregnancy, and enables them to provide better health care to their children, if they choose to have them. These are just some examples, but eventually education leads to a decrease of poverty from an individual to the national level.

Austria, Canada or Norway, there will be half as many men as women in higher education by that time. Taking the UK as an example, over 370,000 women applied for a place at universities in 2014 compared to only around 280,000 men at the same time (ICEF Monitor, 2014).

Still today, 130 million girls are not in schools mainly due to poverty, but also due to culture, violence, and poor infrastructure according to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS). (World Bank, 2017).

Even in countries like Jordan, Algeria or Kuwait there are now more women enrolled in universities than men (World Bank, 2017).

However, graduating from universities, women do not receive equal pay and experience inequalities in employment. Societal expectations and cultural norms regarding the sexes are a disadvantage counteracting their ability to benefit from their higher education (ICEF Monitor, 2014).

However, this situation has vastly improved. In the past men were the majority in higher education but in many OECD nations, led by the US and the UK, a majority of graduates in higher education are women. The OECD predicts an increase to 1.4 female students for every male in higher education by 2025. It is even forecasted that in countries like

Socioeconomic and sociopolitical change are crucial in order to empower women and reach gender equality. But every woman also has ownership over her own behaviour and actions, which can bring substantial change. Education of girls and women also include learning skills and abilities to be effective in the labor market and

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participating in decision making processes affecting communities and the world (World Bank, 2017).

Studies and books described that lower self-esteem and greater perfectionism than men as reasons why women do not often benefit from their higher education. A lower self-esteem seem to make women less assertive at work. The journalists Katty Kay and Claire Shipman wrote a book called “The Confidence Code� explaining that men take more risks at work whereas women wait to be perfectly qualified, due to low confidence holding them back (ICEF Monitor, 2014).

It seems to me that besides graduating from a university, there is a greater need to empower women by developing their character in particular self-confidence and soft skills to change the status quo and

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succeed not only in their studies but also in their professional lives.

Women have the transformational power to educate themselves, become change-makers in the workplace, role models for other women and leaders in society.

Mothers have the responsibility to educate their daughters to develop soft skills and become individuals with the capacity to fulfill their full potential in the workplace as well as in private life.

Through a combination of formal education and character development women will take leadership roles in societies and transform the world.

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THE POWER OF LEOPARD PRINT

a case study of theresa may’s fashion

by emma murray

F

or many, fashion serves as a projection of identity. It is a medium in which individuals can express emotions, sexuality, hobbies, and even one's profession. An outfit becomes a bespoke uniform of character, offering a glimpse of what lies underneath: personality.

Politicians are notoriously deceitful, so it is not surprising that the leading figures of our world strive to emulate a blank canvas, a facade of propriety and self control.

Outlandish ideas and morally dubious notions are confined within formal suits of crisp, ironed fabric.

Even more so, the leading female figures of the political sphere attempt to suppress any sign of weakness or fragility. After all, it is a difficult challenge to be both a woman and a politician. It is difficult to exude strength, and resilience, while maintaining femininity. And so, an expression of female identity through fashion is undesirable.

Short hair and pant suits engulf the female bureaucratic stage, with only the occasional statement necklace appearing to add a splash of fun and color to proceedings. Nevertheless,

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the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom shocked the media in the early 2000’s with her daring leopard print kitten heels, a choice that challenged the stereotype.

Certainly, Theresa May has indulged in some eccentric fashion feats that have been praised and chastised by the British public and press.

Although her animal-themed footwear was celebrated, a glossy pair of thigh-high, black leather boots to meet the Queen was, for the conservative population, a step too far. It seems exceedingly likely that Ms. May will forever be the only inhabitant of Ten Downing Street to adorn a pair of flared leather trousers. And yet, the twelvehundred-and- eighty-two dollar price tag established the politician as disgustingly frivolous, somewhat superficial, but just a little bit fun. “I like clothes and I like shoes. One of the challenges for women in the workplace is to be ourselves, and I say you can be clever and like clothes. You can have a career and like clothes," said the Tory leader at the Women in the World Summit in 2016.

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Not a lot of women would dare to strut to parliament in a pair of suede red booties and matching faux crocodile purse. Thus, the sixty-yearold clergyman's daughter rightly deserves her place on the prestigious pages of Vogue. Regardless of whether you agree with the lady’s right-wing policies, her desire for individual expression through clothing is not only unique, but also admirable.

It seems the Tory leader felt her penchant for leopard print was unsuitable during the declaration of her constituencies vote during the 2017 election in May. The Oxford graduate stood statuesque on a stage full of men with defeat plastered across her face. Even her scarlet red power suit could not distract the town of Maidenhead, as they watched the country's leader fall from her omnipotent pedestal. The Conservative party lost thirteen seats in the House of Commons this year, leaving them without a majority. The once frisky fashionista appeared deflated without her exotic signature shoes. Theresa May’s ensemble was underwhelming in comparison to the infamous Lord Buckethead

(England’s answer to Vermin Supreme) and a new political figure, Elmo. It seems astonishing that not even a smirk escaped the tightlipped Tory leader as the activist Bobby Brown de-robed behind her.

Theresa May at one time communicated an aesthetic that was smart with just hint of cheekiness.

But unfortunately, during the recent election campaign what minimal frivolity existed within the politician, vanished almost entirely. Indeed, when asked by Julie Etchingham on ITV’s the Tonight Program to describe her “naughtiest” antic, the politician confessed to boisterously running through fields of wheat, much to the local farmers’ dissatisfaction. Not quite the traditional definition of naughty.

Ms. May seemed to previously challenge the norm, striving to establish herself as unique and not merely a clone of the ruthless and arguably masculine figure that was Margaret Thatcher. As the only other female Prime Minister, Thatcher’s notorious legacy was an endowment

that Theresa May wanted to expel, which to some extent she managed.

However, since her party’s defeat in the recent election the couture has lost its gleam, and even her provocative shoes cannot distract onlookers from noticing the bewildered expression that now permanently distorts her face.

Unfortunately, the reality is that since Theresa May became Prime Minister by default, the confidence she emanated through her fashion selections has absconded. There is no question that a woman can be the most powerful person in the United Kingdom “and still be interested in clothes" as May confided to British Vogue. Nonetheless no amount of leopard print can shroud her diminishing popularity and reignite her party’s loyalty. To be sure the leopard print pumps have lost their power.

NAVIGATING RACE, CULTURE, & IDENTITY. WHEN NO ONE ELSE LOOKS AT YOU.

by lily zhou PAGE 166

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On one particularly memorable day during the first grade, I had a mild identity crisis in the school cafeteria.

“I guess I’m mixed?” I told Tiffany.

She nodded at this like I’d confirmed some prior suspicion. “So which one of your parents is black and which is white?” she asked.

More confusion. “I don’t know?”, I replied hesitantly. At this, she rolled her eyes in annoyance and left, tired of trying to impart her wisdom on the ignorant.

It began when a classmate, Tiffany, flounced over to my seat, planted her hands on the table, and leaned over in the most menacing way possible for a 6 year old.

At dinner that night, and for the next couple of nights, I spent my time staring at my parents, trying to figure out which one of them was black and which was white. Neither of them looked like what I thought black or white people looked like.

“Lily,” she demanded, “are you black, white, or mixed?”

I stared at her with bewildered eyes.

“None of them?”, I replied uncertainly.

Tiffany rolled her eyes with the specific brand of smug disdain that can only be summoned by young children when who want to prove their superior intelligence. “No, there is only black, white, and mixed. You have to pick one”, she informed me.

Turns out that’s because they’re Chinese. I’m Chinese. Tiffany didn’t know what the hell she was talking about.

I don’t remember thinking about race before this particular moment.

Up until then, I think my mind had only partially registered that I was a little different; I knew I was Chinese - no thanks to Tiffany - but I had a lot of trouble figuring out what that meant.

I was lost at this. I glanced around at my classmates and tried to figure this out - I didn’t look like the black kids, and I didn’t look like the white kids…

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Culture spreads through people, and my sources were limited to my parents and sister- I grew up and went to school in a Georgia suburb with kids who were predominantly hispanic, black, and white. I can only remember meeting two other East Asian girls at my first elementary school; unfortunately, all I really learned while talking to them was that one hated all fruits and vegetables except for corn, and the other was a fast runner. Neither encounter was exactly what I would call culturally illuminating.

And so my ideas concerning my culture were pretty limited: I had slanted eyes, a funny last name, my parents packed me different lunches, and they spoke another language that I refused to learn properly (I didn’t see the point, since they both spoke English fluently). Celebrating Chinese holidays just meant eating more than usual, and the stories my parents told me about growing up during a famine then later leaving during a revolution mostly just scared me, so I brushed them off. To me, all that being Chinese got me was that last name that no one could ever pronounce and squinty eyes

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that other kids thought were funny and made up songs about. (That phase that kids went through where they thought it was cool to flip their eyelids outwards was extra gross for me - Look, Lily! I’m Chinese! No, Ryan, you’re just dumb, I’m Asian, not literally inside out- ) In short, the first nine years of my life had me convinced that being Chinese was extremely uncommon and kind of weird. Luckily for me, I switched schools for fifth grade, and I very quickly went from being one of a handful of Asian students to being one of hundreds- that racial anonymity gave me the freedom to embrace what I had previously shied away from. Nothing about me was out of the norm except for the horrible bangs I tried to cut myself, and the fact that I joined the “Crocs are temporarily cool” phase about a year too late, and it was an enormously freeing to be judged for my failed attempts at being trendy instead of my heritage.

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THE REALITY OF BI-ERASURE by sasha mahmood HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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I

will never forget the first time I saw a photo of Olivia Wilde. It was really quite simple. In that moment, I immediately attached the word bisexual to my identity. I am grateful that my story does not have to be a brave one, that I never felt confusion or fright. With a realization that felt like common sense I had always carried in the back of my mind, I never could have anticipated the challenges I would face in the years to come.

If you were to ask a room full of bisexual people if they have ever experienced bi-erasure and its effects, 9 out of 10 people would raise their hands. Most might be surprised to hear that bisexuality carries its own share of daily challenges alongside the gay, lesbian, and trans communities. The fact that this may be news is a problem within itself.

Bi-erasure or invisibility, as defined by glaad.org, is a problem “in which the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality is questioned or denied outright.” Straight and gay people alike partake in the detrimental act of bi-erasure. Its effects can be

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lifelong, triggering things like depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, and eating disorders. So, what are the factors of bi-erasure?

Anyone on the spectrum can partake in the denial of bisexuality as a sexual orientation. At least once in a self-identifying bisexual person’s life, they will encounter a person who throws around harmful microaggressions, seemingly unaware that they are participating in bisexual invisibility. Common statements include:

• “You’re just experimenting.”

• “It’s just an excuse to sleep around, or cheat.”

• “You’ll pick a side eventually.”

• “You just don’t want to admit you’re gay.”

• “Bisexuality is selfish.”

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There is a reason bisexuals are three times less likely to come out than gay and lesbian people. These misconceptions drape a dark cloak over the bisexual identity, creating the image of a greedy, confused person. In reality, bisexual people are just that: people who are attracted to more than one gender. Bisexuality has nothing to do with who they are otherwise.

the more likely closeted bisexual people are to develop potentially harmful coping mechanisms and illnesses.

I spent my teen years, like most, toying with different sides of my personality, interests, and identity. All of it was drenched in a deep doubt regarding my sexuality. I knew I was bisexual, but I did not think I was sloppy, or unable to commit, or confused. I felt guilt for identifying with something everyone saw as a selfish, impermanent existence. Over time, I developed an anxiety disorder.

Most other bisexual people will also develop anxiety, along with its trusty sidecar rider, depression.

Another common misunderstanding is that once a bisexual person is in a relationship, they are officially straight or officially gay. For instance, if a bisexual person is in a same-sex relationship, then they are gay. In an opposite-sex relationship, the bisexual person is then heterosexual.

This is a false representation that lessens the likelihood for a bisexual person to come out. No, if a bisexual person is in a committed, monogamous relationship, they do not suddenly lose attraction for the sex they are not currently dating.

Their bisexuality does not suddenly disappear.

Bisexuality might not be taken seriously by a lot of people, but the effects of bi-erasure are real and potentially dangerous. Next time you hear a microaggression casually thrown out, challenge the person who says it. Ask them why they think bisexuality is invalid. For some it is as easy as waking up and knowing the sun has risen in the east. The way you know you are straight, gay, tall, or kind...that is the way I know I am bisexual.

The more bi-erasure continues to be a facet of mainstream society and human relationships, the less likely bisexual people are to come out, and HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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TOP FIVE SUMMER DESTINATIONS by shanell c. e. campbell

#5: NEW ZEALAND Located in the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand boasts many national parks with picturesque lakes. The clearest water in the world can be found in Blue Lake, at Nelson Lakes National Park, so if you're into hiking and the great outdoors, it's worth a visit. (Skelley, “69 Facts About New Zealand That’ll Blow Your Mind,” 2014, no. 9) In 2008 and 2009, Wanderlust Magazine voted New Zealand as the best country in the world! With Auckland being the largest city and also the cheapest place to live, puts NZ on every top five list, so if you're a budget-traveler, then Auckland might be your best bet. Flights aren't the cheapest, but if you do your research and take advantage of airfare + hotel deals, you'll surely save a buck or two. You’re in luck if you’re a big meat-eater because NZ is the no.1 exporter of lamb and goat, and they’re organic! (“Top 10 Goat and Sheep Meat Exporters,” n.d., para. 3) So don’t overlook this beauty when planning your next vacation.

#4: LONDON One of the few countries in the world ruled by a monarchy, is known for its sophistication, classical elegance and rainy summers. It’s one of the countries where everyone needs to visit at least once, just to experience the exuberance of a country with such rich history. $150 USD wouldn’t take you very far, however you can still manage to enjoy your vacation comfortably. For less than 70 pounds you and a guest can enjoy a meal at a restaurant, however it’ll take a lot of searches to find a hotel under 100 pounds, nonetheless it is possible. Regardless of the pretty penny you’ll likely spend, London has so much to offer. You can ride the tube and visit London Bridge, River Thames, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Westminster’s Cathedral all in one day! If sightseeing isn’t your thing, there’s always a show going on at one of London’s many playhouses, so you’d be in luck. The city is beautiful in the summer, whether it rains or not and the people are every bit gracious, so go ahead and plan your trip!

#3: THAILAND Known for its rich cuisine, beautiful beaches, many temples and islands, but far more superior-its hospitality. Thai people are known to be friendly and welcoming, which makes your stay even more pleasant. (Vaidy, “20 Things Thailand Is Famous For,” 2016, para. 2) Like with every foreign country, customs are different and so like the saying goes, “when in Rome…” It’s really one of the cheapest places to visit. Many visitors rave about their hostels and food being incredibly reasonable, especially the street vendors, so you’d never have to worry about paying a fortune for a plate of food. If you are open and adventurous, in addition to the many sandy beaches that Thailand has to offer, you’d love the “Tree-Pod Restaurant,” which nestles at 36ft up into a tree! There you can dine and enjoy the beautiful beach views down below. (Borgobello, “Thai Resort Features Tree Pod Dining,” 2012) You can always fly budget-friendly if you know where to look and it helps tremendously to book in advance. There’s always an adventure waiting for you in Thailand, so go book your flight!

#2: GRENADA An island country in the southern Caribbean Sea, surrounded by several smaller islands, is a hidden gem. Its tropical climate makes the island even more exotic with its lush rainforests, pristine beaches, lakes, hot springs and many waterfalls. The country is known as “the isle of spice” due to its over abundance of spices such as nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, ginger and cocoa. (“Grenada Island Information,” n.d.) Grenadians are some of the nicest people you’ll meet, but you can't always let your guard down. JetBlue is the only airline offering nonstop flights to the island, so you can expect relatively cheaper flights from January to May, and then again from September to November. Food is rather cheap, unless imported and hotels are also reasonable. If you're looking to save money on lodging, consider renting a room at a guesthouse as they sometimes come with free meals. Overall, you will not be disappointed with your stay in Grenada.

#1: MIAMI One of America's southernmost cities, Miami is known for its rich culture and diversity. If you're into dancing and dining then it is the place for you. Florida is a highly laid back state, hence the reason most people retire there and those attracted to the beach life will not be disappointed. There are plenty of beaches in and around Miami to visit including South Beach and Pompano Beach, about 40 miles north of the city. Personally, I find Floridians to be welcoming and friendly people, and the quality of life there plays a significant role. Hotels can be a little pricey, but if you're open to staying outside of downtown Miami, you'd be pleasantly surprised. Restaurant prices vary, however it's not uncommon to find a delicious and nutritious meal for under $10. There's an array of activities to choose from, so you'd never be bored, from a day trip to Key West to a fun afternoon of shopping at Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise. If you're looking for culture and adventure, visit Miami and do remember to go on a Thriller boat ride!

THE DANGERS OF CARING TOO MUCH. THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF HELICOPTER PARENTING by lily zhou

P

icture this: you’re a parent who calls your child’s teacher weekly to get updates on your child’s academic performance, you take the time to accompany your child everywhere to ensure their safety, you call your child’s teachers about unsatisfactory grades to try and bargain for better results, and you stay up all night redoing your child’s project because you knew they would’ve been capable of better work if they just had more time.

Some people might praise this sort of parenting - “You’re such an involved parent. It’s so admirable how much you care!”. Being attentive and involved in your child’s life is unarguably important. There is, however, a fine line between involved parenting and helicopter parenting; and despite your good intentions, crossing that line can actually negatively impact your child.

The term “helicopter parenting” refers to when parents are “over focused on their children… they typically take too much responsibility for their children’s experiences and, specifically, their successes or

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failures”; in essence, they are overparenting. The urge to do this is understandable - everyone wants to see their children succeed, and it’s easy to go overboard trying to help your child. The issue, however, is that the parents’ excessive assistance (often unasked for) can take away a child’s sense of independence and capability - when you try to do everything for them, they lose confidence and start to think they can’t do it themselves.

That’s not the only negative effect either - studies has shown that “helicopter parents” can increase and possibly even induce anxiety in their children. College counseling centers in particular have data that suggest that students who grew up with overly involved parents or an overly structured childhood are more likely to struggle with anxiety and depression.

In addition to struggling with mental health, children of “helicopter parents” tend to struggle with developing coping and life skills.

When a parent swoops in at the first hint of trouble, their child never gets the chance to learn how to deal with

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failure or disappointment. In very extreme cases, over-controlling parents could pass down unhealthy ideas about love to their children; the “I’m doing this because I love you” mantra may make it harder for their children to recognize truly abusive behaviour later in life.

There is never one right way to raise children. There are definitely good things that can be said about parents who hover - their kids definitely won’t feel ignored and uncared for, for one matter. The problem with helicopter parenting remains that helping your children too much may result in their inability to help themselves, but so long as you ensure that your involvement doesn’t detract from their well-being, hovering isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Being a parent is one of the greatest challenges in life - as long as your parenting philosophy isn’t causing your child harm (mental or physical), no one else really has a right to comment.

The “free-range” parenting philosophy may be described as the opposite of “helicopter parenting”, focusing on letting children develop their independence early on (walking to school or running errands by themselves, for instance). This comes with its own set of problems; while helicopter parenting smothers kids with parents’ constant involvement, free-range parenting can come across as neglect. Not to mention, free range parenting is more realistic in some countries than others crime rates, as well as a country’s general culture, play a big role.

Another issue is that people tend to assume an unaccompanied child is being neglected; well-intentioned and careful attempts at teaching your child self-sufficiency may be interpreted as bad parenting by the neighbors.

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SO I DATED A TRUMP SUPPORTER… by betsy hillstead

I

dated a Trump supporter. As a leftleaning person who is mostly surrounded by liked-minded individuals, it wasn’t easy for me to confess to my friends and family that I fell in love with a man who rooted for, voted for, and continues to support Donald Trump. Donald Trump; a liar and a misogynist. A man who seemingly looks out only for himself and his own interests. Yet despite our fundamental political differences, my ex and I found a way to engage in a caring, committed relationship for a significant amount of time.

wellbeing. If the only way we can achieve that is through legislation then that legislation is for the greater good of society.

How did we make it work? We regarded each other as people rather than political opponents. We explored our contrasting political viewpoints respectfully. We questioned one another about where our beliefs originated and tried to understand the other’s experiences. We didn’t get angry and tear each other apart during these conversations (of which there were many) but we made an effort to listen, wait our turn to speak, and not let the conversations get emotional.

I want to be clear, the man I dated is deeply kind and enormously generous. We didn’t break up over the fact that he is a Trump supporter. He is nothing like Trump, but in his words he wants to be the one to choose where his generosity lands and it shouldn’t be a state-mandated obligation. He believes this country should have less legislation and regulation. He argues that his tax money should not be used to expand state control. During a recent conversation, he said he could compromise on the universal healthcare option if the United States were to eliminate welfare altogether. This sounded like a reasonable compromise to me if our country were to mandate a guaranteed living minimum wage and if employers were obligated to provide employee health insurance and childcare.

He said that obligating small businesses to provide these benefits would place undue hardships on the business owners and is impractical.

What I learned from those conversations about communicating across the proverbial aisle, is that a major contributing factor to the cultural divide in this country is often due to differing definitions of the same politically charged words. In my ex’s view, liberals are actually statists, meaning that liberals support the State more than the inherent rights of the individual. That is not how I would describe myself, but I do believe that we as a society have a responsibility to care for each other’s

He also told me recently that, “without doubt, we are a nation in decline”. I don’t believe this is the case, but the statement demonstrates how drastically different our backgrounds and demographics are. He is older than I am, in a reasonably stable financial situation, a catholic Caucasian raised in Connecticut, an army veteran and West Point graduate. I come from the west coast and was raised by a single mother with six children. I went to a liberal university and completed my graduate work

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in Portland, Oregon. We see the world through different lenses based on our own life experiences.

I see universal healthcare as momentum for progress regarding catching up to the rest of the industrialized world. I do not think we are a nation in decline. I think we have vast opportunities for improvement via universal healthcare and free or affordable access to education. The only decline I see is the backlash to progress regarding climate change, immigration, and healthcare.

During many conversations with my ex I was able to pull from American history to try and point out that Donald Trump’s rhetoric is just that, rhetoric. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to declare that the media is the enemy of the administration. Donald didn’t invent the idea of “fake news”, but he uses it to devalue any information disseminated to the public that doesn’t suit his own agenda.

Andrew Jackson was an outsider candidate just like Trump, but a huge difference between Trump and Jackson is that Jackson

actually won the popular vote the first time he ran for president, but he didn’t win the office. Trump’s story is of course the opposite.

While Andrew Jackson did eventually ascend to the highest office in the land, he is remembered not for the good he did in serving this nation, but instead a legacy of genocide and murder. Trump’s legacy is yet to be written. Whether we champion him or hate him, he is in fact our president. Only time will tell how he will be remembered.

In the meantime, we as citizens of both this nation and of the world must find a way to co-exist no matter which side of the aisle we support. The polarization of our great civil society brought forth by Trump’s candidacy won’t be healed overnight.

However, it would do us good as a nation if we could find a way to rationally communicate with people on the other side of the culture divide. Someday we will have to honestly admit which side of history we were on, and agree to compromise on the best way to move forward.

THE HIJRA COMMUNITY IN INDIA by inika prasad

As you take an auto-rikshaw through the streets of Mumbai- the home of Bollywood, pav bhaji and the famous Juhu Beach, you will see a great many unforgettable sights. And when your auto-rikshaw stops at a traffic light, you may see a group of people in colourful clothing and bawdy jewellery, singing or dancing their way towards a nearby celebration. These would most likely be HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

members of India’s indigenous Hijra community- a group of people who by western definition would likely identify as transgender women, transvestites, eunuchs or intersex individuals. The central and loosest definition would be individuals who are feminine presenting but not biologically female by birth.

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Although it is surprising in the light of certain laws and socio-cultural norms present in modern-day India, the country has had a rich and vibrant LGBT+ culture that can be traced back centuries. There are numerous mentions of third genders, homosexual activity and gender fluidity in the Mahabharat, Ramayan, Kama Sutra, Puranas and even regional folklore and mythology. Western colonialism brought to India laws that criminalised eunuchs, and by extension Hijras, in 1897. For the first time in the history of the Indian subcontinent, a strict gender binary was the norm.

The Hijra community is mostly present in parts of North India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, although they can be found throughout the Subcontinent. Members are often referred to by different names such as kinner, aravani and chakka, some of which can have negative connotations or be considered offensive in different places. Like the numerous eunuchs in the Chinese bureaucracy of yore, Hijras held important positions in courts of Mughal emperors and played powerful roles in legendary and fictitious works. They are both revered and feared by much of the populace because they are believed to have the power to both bless and curse.

The community was given legal visibility in 2014 as part of a “third gender�, aiming for equal access to employment, education and healthcare. The reality is a far cry from this formal equality, as members of the community face large amounts of discrimination and abuse, often being denied healthcare, jobs and housing. Evidence shows that an overwhelming 18% of the Hijras in Mumbai are HIV positive, as compared to the 0.3% of the general population. They are often ostracised, and even kicked out of their own homes. As a result, many young Hijras are taken under the wing of a mother figure who provides them with food and protection, in exchange for part or all of the profits that they make at any job they may hold.

Today, efforts are being made in order to create more widespread acceptance of the community in society. Various organizations are actively working towards this goal, as are prominent members of the community itself. Activists like Laxmi Narayan Tripathi have played an enormous role in bringing the plight of sexual minorities like Hijras into light and advocating for the dissolution of Section 377 of India's Penal Code, which criminalises Hijras and homosexuals. There is a long road towards tolerance, but it is one that India seems to have embarked upon.

Hijras play an integral part in Indian culture, with their roles in modern-day society ranging from blessing weddings, families with newborn children, and other religious functions and ceremonies. Their presence is often regarded as auspicious, but a clash of ideologies also results in them being considered unwelcome or an annoyance.

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LIBERTARIAN FEMINISM HIGHLIGHTS NUANCES AMONGST FEMINIST GROUPS by elizabeth meisenzahl One often-debated topic within feminist circles is how much, if any, room exists for differing opinions. Can women hold views that conflict with each other while working on advancing equality, or is a united front essential for complete liberation? Well, it depends a lot on whom you ask. For some, it depends entirely on how you view women’s axis of oppression. Is it the patriarchy of men as a collective acting to undermine women, individuals harming women’s advancement, or are other forces at play? One take on the matter has come from an unexpected point of view: libertarian feminists. Also known as individualist feminism, this theory views female oppression as the result of HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

the combination and interaction of the state and the patriarchy.

Despite the lack of women represented in libertarian circles, the history of this strain of feminism goes back several centuries. Early feminist thinkers of the 18th century Enlightenment, like Mary Wollstonecraft, whose writings influenced the work of early American suffragettes, were individualist in their thought, wanting freedom rather than equality under oppressive governments.

Although sometimes viewed as an opponent of mainstream liberal feminism, libertarian feminists tend to agree on many issues. Such as instances in which both want to benefit women

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by limiting government regulation, as this aligns with the main belief of libertarians: small government. Making birth control available over the counter without a prescription would give more women easier access to medication that has allowed women more choice and opportunities since its creation (not to mention girls and women using it to help with other ailments, such as menstrual cramps). In this case, it is fairly clear to liberals and libertarians alike that cutting down on red tape would improve women’s quality of life in tangible ways.

But libertarianism sometimes chafes against some standards of mainstream liberal feminism. While the specific issues that plague women are generally agreed upon, both their causes and possible solutions are a matter of contention. Mainstream liberal feminism tends to view government intervention as a solution to oppression of women, which libertarian feminism, of course, disagrees with. For example, while both groups want legal abortion, libertarian feminists believe in private funding for groups like Planned Parenthood, positing that public funding gives the government more regulation power over what should

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ultimately be a woman’s decision alone.

Similarly, libertarians tend to prefer market-based solutions for ending the wage gap. They believe that governmental policies, such as minimum wage increases, hit women the hardest in reality.

One point on which libertarian feminists and leftist feminists, both of whom differ from liberal feminists and each other on several matters, tend to agree is the expansion of Conscription in the United States (commonly known as the draft) to include women.

Although this would make men and women literally equal in the eyes of the law, feminists from both the libertarian and more radical leftists circles posit that women would now be forced into labor under coercion by the state, tightening the yoke of oppression rather than lifting it.

Another ideological faction is carceral feminism, which advocates for legislative and judicial solutions to the oppression of women. After a California judge handed down a six-month sentence for convicted rapist Brock Turner in 2015, a small movement advocating for mandatory minimum sentences of rapists developed.

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However, not all feminists supported this measure, with some arguing that judicial discretion, rather than blanket punitive measures, is more effective.

Carceral feminists also believe that prostitution should remain criminalized in order to protect women from trafficking and exploitation. On the other hand, women like Elizabeth Nolan Brown, co-founder of Feminists For Liberty, believe that this denies women agency, and that prostitution should be decriminalized, provided that what takes place is a consensual transaction in which all parties are of age. Similarly, differing feminist factions take opposing views on the issue of the legality of pornography.

them a disservice. Disagreement and a healthy public debate are good for the integrity of any movement. Whether or not any particular philosophy on how to help women is most successful in practice is one issue; the ability for women to be publicly perceived as capable of having differing thoughts and opinions just as men are is another fight that is yet to be won.

Perhaps most importantly, the introduction of diering feminist beliefs opens the door for new solutions to old problems.

Women, even those working toward a similar goal, are not a monolith. To treat them as only having one, unnuanced viewpoint would be to do HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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ART BY JANE PERKINS

THANK YOU! Thanks so much for reading Her Culture's 19th magazine issue. Without a community of dedicated, sophisticated, culture-enthusiastic women, we would not be where we are today.

To keep up with all the latest news and culture stories, please visit www.herculture.org.

Special thanks to: the Mulloy family, the Miller family, issuu.com, Alexis Neuville, Katie Collins, Sareana Kimia, Emily Harris, World Reader, The Prospect, MissHeard Magazine, Luna Luna Magazine, Humans of Vietnam, The Wannabe Scientist, Hello Perfect, New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Molly and Fox Magazine, The Fem Lit Magazine, H.E.R.

HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 20

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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE www.herculture.org @herculture New York, NY AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 Issue No. 20