e r u t l u c r e h Issue 18 / February 2017
NEW-AGE FEMINISM
AN INCLUSIVE INDIA
Learn how global contexts are changing the definition of feminism everywhere
The first transgender school opened in Kerala. Read about this awesome endeavor inside!
WORK WITH US! Join our executive team and help us reach new corners of the globe!
FULFILLING A JUBILANT YEAR Women show their solidarity in continuing the Catholic Year of Mercy across the globe
HER CULTURE MAGAZINE FOUNDED 2013
www.herculture.org
| @herculture
cover photo by Inna Lesyk
letter from
THE FOUNDER DEAR CULTURE GIRL, Happy 2017! Thanks so much for joining us for our 18th magazine release. As we enter a new year, I invite you to consider all the ways that you can start a #CultureRevolution in your personal life, in your communities, and throughout the world. I know that I’m going to make a conscious effort to learn more, do more, and be more during the year. I want you to remember that you have the power to help at least one person in the world, even if that one person is yourself. Self-acceptance and self-love are the building blocks to a greater sense of the cultures that make you unique and that make others interesting and different. As a Catholic who has celebrated the Year of Mercy herself, I also invite you to accept the things you cannot change and to love those with whom you may not agree. Teach others the way you want to be treated, and do not be afraid. xoxo, Kate
My Travel Log FEBRUARY/MARCH 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. 18
FEBRUARY
/MARCH
NEPAL'S MENSTRUATION HUTS
THE COLOR RED
REBECCA LEE CRUMPLER
POPE FRANCIS ON ABORTION
LIFE AFTER ALEPPO
THE NEW CONSERVATIVE
1ST TRANSGENDER SCHOOL
PROBLEMATIC FEMINISM
KIDNAPS IN PAKISTAN
14
28
46
18
32
50
22
40
54
CUSINE FROM FRANCE
CARIBBEAN COOKING
OIL-DOWN DISH HISTORY
VALENTINE'S DAY GIFTS
THE BATU CAVES
SEARCH FOR WANDERLUST
THE FRENCH SMILE
LOVE AROUND THE WORLD
FEMINISM & SAME SEX SCHOOLING
60
71
83
64
76
84
68
81
96
MORE TO LOVE… BREAKING UP WITH GOD…94 DISNEY PRINCESSES OF COLOR…100 FOREIGN FILM: THE WHITE BALLOON…106 THE PRIVILEGE OF GOING ABROAD…108 CATHOLICISM AND FEMINISM…114 THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM…120 THE UN AND ITS LESSONS ON YOUTH…122 PAYING FOR MY EDUCATION…124 THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER…126 LESSONS FROM PHANTOM OF THE OPERA…130 GRANADA AND THE MIXING OF CULTURE…134 THE OBJECTIFICATION OF INDIAN WOMEN…138 MY SUMMER IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC…140
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 Meredith Bowman - Director of Partnerships
EDITORS Catherine Foley Gabriella Mayer
Haley Pereyo Jean Ng Ashwini Selvakumaran
Grace Halvorson
Daniela Frendo
Alana King
Ambika Sood
WRITERS Jessica Pereira April Federico Lindsey Hannah Moran Priana Aquino Kayla Jennings-Rivera Sarah Xiao Pranati Guduru Aishwarya Singh Talia Trackim Emily Paskevics Shaye DiPasquale Shanell Campbell Anjali Patel Colleen Dupirak Stephanie Tom Sri Varre Sasha Sharova Julia Schemmer Roseline Akwarandu Han Wang Cyndi Ashford Rachel Spina Engi Abou-El-Kheir Elizabeth Meisenzahl Ibnat Islam Ankita Dutta Thulasie Manoharan Aparajitha Suresh Rosa Elena Burgos Denisse Navarro-Perez Liv Senghor Kartika Upadhyaya Nicole Anderson
NEWS CULTURE
nepal period huts chinese new year conservative w o m e n l e n a d u n h a m ’s problematic feminism hindi christian kidnappings life after aleppo rebecca lee crumpler transgender school in india pope francis colorism in india year of jubilee
NEPAL’S MENSTRUATION HUTS and the stigma of periods BY AMBER WANG On the morning of November 19, 2016, 26year-old Dambara Upadhyay was found dead with streams of blood coming out of her nose. A month later, on the night of December 17, 2016, 15-year-old Roshani Tiruwa suffocated from lack of ventilation and excessive smoke. You’re probably asking yourself: what do these two women have in common? Well, the same thing as at least eight other women who have died since 2007: they practiced the act of chaupadi.
as impure and unclean, contaminating anything they touched. Because of this, women are forced to sleep outside of their homes, along with other practices such as being prohibited from entering kitchens or temples, consuming dairy products, and touching meat, produce, and drinking water. Small, unclean huts that are often poorly ventilated and lacking basic materials provide shelter for these women at night. As a result, they are in danger of suffocation and animal attacks.
In Nepal, chaupadi is a deeply religious and superstitious practice; it stems from a particular taboo within Hindu mythology that revolves around menstruation. During their periods, women in Nepal are deemed
HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
Although chaupadi was outlawed in a Supreme Court decision in 2005, there is no way to prosecute anyone who still practices nor is there any punishment put
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in place as the majority of women and their families still practice chaupadi. A United Nations report in 2011 found that about 95% of women in a district called Achham still follow this tradition. Little things can be changed, like setting up secluded rooms within the house or shortening the menstrual seclusion, but this tradition is so deeply rooted within the Nepali villages that many of them still fear the consequences of not performing them. However, a particular question pops up: does this practice come from people holding onto an outdated tradition or does it, instead, feed into a wider theme of gender discrimination within Nepal? According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), only approximately 54.8% of females are literate. The Human Rights Watch estimates that 37% of these girls under the age of 18 are
being married off, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers found that 50% of women have been victims of gender-based crimes. These statistics show us that not only are women undervalued in Nepali society, but they are also given less opportunities to succeed. Although gender inequality is especially prominent in parts of Nepal, the problem spreads to all points of the globe from Brock Turner’s rape case to reports of mass molestations of Bangalore. There are many methods to fight this prejudice, but one of the first steps is to overcome the stigma of the period. Women are not dirty or unclean because of a simple biological process nor are they weak or unable to hold positions of power because it’s the “time of the month.” The sooner we get over the fact that menstruation does not negatively affect women, the sooner we can level this inequality just a tiny bit.
Han Wang, who goes by Amber, is an undergraduate at NYU and loves to read, write, and photograph.
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THE COLOR RED AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN CHINESE NEW YEAR BY THULASIE MONOHARAN Walking down the streets in Kuala Lumpur, I find myself seeing a great deal of red on the streets; red banners, red lanterns in various shapes, and even flowers dyed red adorning buildings. It was obvious that the spirit of Chinese New Year was in the air. Chinese New Year meant that there would be fireworks, the lion and dragon dance, and loads of Chinese delights special for the occasion. As far back as my memory goes, I remember as a child doing a little jig of joy (on the inside) every time I saw a red packet being handed out. Despite this, I never considered how much red went around during this festival until now. It got me thinking, “Why does the color red happen to be so significant?”
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In the Western culture, red has both good and bad connotations. Red, on a good note, would mean the color of love, desire, passion, seduction, energy, or even lust. But it's negative note symbolizes rage, danger, wrath, violence and gore. This isn't the case for the Chinese culture because according to the Contemporary Modern Chinese Dictionary, red (the Chinese character bong), symbolizes happiness and celebration, luck and prosperity, and wearing red could even HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
be a sign of honor. Moreover, during weddings and other auspicious events, red is seen as the color that wards off evil spirits and also the color of joy and fertility. The origin of such significance is said to have come from an ancient belief that the Chinese people carried. It is understood that the Chinese believed that they were the descendants of the Sun God, Yuyi, and that red is the color of the Sun God.
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The Sun generally means fire and according to the Chinese mythology, it is said that "there are 10 suns, which takes turn to appear in the sky." It is also said to be "carried across the heavens by a chariot which is drawn by dragons and driven by the mother dragon". The Chinese heavily equate this mythical creature to the color red. The dragon is the supreme spiritual power, the most ancient emblem, and most ubiquitous motif in Oriental art. These dragons represent celestial and terrestrial power, wisdom and strength. They reside in water, bring wealth and good luck, use good magic to help people in trouble and, in Chinese belief, rainfall for their precious crops. Dragons in traditional Chinese New Year's Day parades is believed to repel evil spirits that would inevitably spoil the New Year. The five-
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clawed dragon became the Chinese Imperial emblem (the four-clawed being the common dragon). Besides the myth and beliefs that act as precedents to the color red, Chinese people also practice giving out red packets on Chinese New Year. Red packets, or hongboa in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese, contain a significant amount of money and is always given away to kids by grandparents, parents, and relatives. Children often greet adults by saying "Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hongboa Na Lai" which means "Best wishes for the new year, may I have my red envelope please?". The red packets will commonly be adorned with gold letters and messages of prosperity or lucky symbols like the dragon, phoenix, Chinese lions, or the Chinese Wise Men of Wealth.
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Since the Chinese regard the color red as the symbol of energy, happiness and good luck, the act of giving away these packets represents the sending of good wishes and luck. Most Chinese people would say that the significance of the red packet is not the money inside it, but rather the red paper enveloping it. Wrapping money in "red envelopes is said to bestow more happiness and blessing on the receivers" which is why it is considered impolite to open your red packets in front of the person who gives it to you. Traditionally if you have started working, you would naturally be obliged to give away these red packets, but it is also believed that if you're not married, you would be excused from the obligation.
Thulasie is 20 year old, who has been moving around pretty much all her life, with an extreme taste for books, design and the renaissance.
A home of a Chinese family would commonly be decorated in red lanterns, mandarin trees, Chinese firecrackers, ancient Chinese coins, and Chinese knots. All of these bright red and gold decorations is said to ward of the evil spirits, protect the house, and bring life to the home and the people within it. Folk music is played, gongs are beaten, a prayer is said for the ancestors, and people enjoy a good vibrant lion dance. The cheers and joy that comes along with this festival is an exuberant and vibrant one. If there is one thing I learned about the significance of the color red during this auspicious season of the year, it is how pattern seeking and anthropomorphic we human beings tend to be. The color red will always just be another color on the color spectrum, but by giving it traditional significance, equating it to mythical creatures and attributes such a luck, joy and prosperity, we instantly give it the power to be greater and have meaning. On that final note, I would like to say "Gong Xi Fa Cai!"
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REBECCA LEE CRUMPLER
THE FIRST FEMALE AFRICANAMERICAN PHYSICIAN
BY IBNAT ISLAM
REBECCA WAS BORN ON
FEBRUARY 8, 1831 In 1852, at around 20 years old, Rebecca moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts and was a nurse there for eight years. This is her story.
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Historically, societal expectations and stereotypes have often steered people’s life paths. Expectations moulded by stereotypes have become iron cages, trapping within them the dreams and great potential of others. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, as an African American woman living in the 1800s, was not an exception to the cruel restrictions bought unto her by a prejudiced society. Many women at this time did not work and those who sought higher education were often ridiculed. As well, with the plethora of racial prejudice and discrimination, she was confined to a life of unjust treatment. However, with steady persistence and a powerful passion to help others, she broke a major barrier as she became the first African American woman to become a physician.
many male physicians would make remarks about how women did not hold the mental or physical capabilities to study medicine. Rebecca was ridiculed for both race and sex, facing plenty of discrimination for her identity. But she did not let these judgements overpower her ambitions. In 1864, she graduated and became the first African American woman to obtain an M.D. in the United States, as well as the first female African American to graduate from the New England Female Medical College. The school did not graduate another black woman, closed in 1873 and merged with Boston University. These were the firsts to a lifetime of major achievements. In 1864, Rebecca started her medical practice in Boston. She generally treated children and poor women. She also trained in the British Dominion. After marrying Arthur Crumpler and when the Civil War ended in 1865, Rebecca moved to Virginia as she believed the medical fields would be more beneficial to missionary work. Rebecca worked for a group called the Freedmen’s Bureau and treated freed slaves. This bureau had notably helped 4, 000, 000 million slaves become free. When she worked, she was victim to racism, while others, such as male doctors, and pharmacists would doubt her capabilities and give her a difficult time. She was correct in her understanding of her area being in need of missionaries, for the racism and sexism she dealt with was thrown at her in abundance. Despite the high extent to which she received discrimination and prejudice for her identity as an African American woman practicing medicine, Rebecca courageously continued her practices. She noted that it was important to endure and continue helping the many indigent people, those of different classes, and the 30, 000 coloured people.
Rebecca was born on February 8, 1831 as Rebecca Davis to parents Absolum Davis and Matilda Webber. She was born in Delaware but was raised in Pennsylvania, living with her aunt who would help the sick. Her aunt’s time spent caring for the ill had influenced Rebecca’s choice to become a doctor and care for the sick. Growing up, she went to the a private all girl’s school by the name of West-Newton English and Classical School, where she was considered a special student who obtained strong intellect. In 1852, at around 20 years old, Rebecca moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts and was a nurse there for eight years. The first formal nursing school opened in 1873, therefore Rebecca was not required to have training prior to working as a nurse. In 1860, Rebecca challenged societal norms by taking a huge step for her career. She applied to medical school and was then accepted into the New England Female Medical College. It was not common for an African American to go to medical school due to relentless discrimination, yet these injustices did not drive Rebecca away from pursuing the career within her aspirations.
In 1880, she and her husband had moved to Hyde Park, New York after moving to Boston temporarily. During this time, Rebecca had stopped her medical practices, although the benefits of her work will forever live on. She wrote a book titled A Book of Medical Discourses in Two Parts, in which she wrote of her career and the stories and struggles within it. They are the notes she wrote when she had still been working in the medical field. This book beautifully recollects the journey she went through as an African American woman in a field dominated by white men, brimming with judgement and
When the Civil War began, she was unfortunately forced to quit her schooling. Also, her husband, Wyatt Lee, died during her time as a student at the New England Female Medical College. However, persistent with her intentions, Rebecca returned to school in 1863 although she did not have the personal financial means to continue paying for her education. She was still able to complete her education with a scholarship she won from the Wade Scholarship Fund. During her time at the medical college, upon the college’s establishment, HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
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and discrimination. She dedicates the book to “To mothers, nurses, and all who may desire to mitigate the afflictions of the human race.” Her book is considered amongst the first of books written and published by an African American. Rebecca Lee Crumpler passed away on March 9, 1895, in Hyde Park. She achieved many groundbreaking firsts in her lifetime, and her legacy of triumph and persistence in the face of hatred will forever live on. In spite of the many societal rules of constraint and prejudices tugging at Rebecca’s wrists, begging to tear her down, she continued on to become the first African American woman to graduate from her medical college, obtain a Medical Degree, become a physician, and publish a book of medical work. Through the severities of hate and bigotry, Rebecca did not allow her success to wither. Her ambitious journeying into a field where she would face great discrimination showed courage. It forged a path of hope that will continue to shine on in the lives of black women who feel invalidated by the prejudices that have torn them down, and for those who need a bout of inspiration from a woman of great strength and intellect.
Born and raised in the beautiful city of Toronto! Ibnat loves books, cats, and long, long naps.
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WHAT POPE FRANCIS’ NEW POLICY ON ABORTION MEANS FOR CATHOLIC WOMEN BY ELIZABETH MEISENZAHL In November of 2016, Pope Francis announced a new Church policy related to abortion. Pope Francis’ statement would allow for the forgiveness of abortion by priests, a sin that previously required a pardon from a bishop or a higher Church official. This move was cheered on by progressive members of the Catholic Church, who had hoped that Pope Francis’ more liberal approach to the papacy would mean more space for women in the historically exclusive Catholic Church.
to be forgiven, so long as the perpetrator is seeking repentance. In his apostolic letter, Pope Francis stated, "I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life.” Pope Francis’ tone is still notably reproachful, as it is still a serious sin according to the Catholic canon. The stance of the Catholic Church on this issue has not budged either since its adoption of abortion as a key issue in the middle of the 20th century. Still, allowing women who have had abortions to be welcomed back into the Church is representative of, at the very least, a symbolic gesture towards the Catholic Church’s oft-overlooked female population.
The move came at the end of the liturgical Jubilee Year of Mercy, just before Advent at the beginning of November 2016. The concept of a jubilee year began in ancient Jewish times, and is still celebrated in the modern Catholic tradition. By calling for one outside of the normal cycle, Pope Francis showed that he was dedicated to showing God’s mercy through forgiveness and acts of kindness. According to Pope Francis, the Jubilee Year of Mercy was a “favourable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone, everyone, the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.”
In terms of recent popes, Pope Francis has proved to be more welcoming of traditionally overlooked groups by the Catholic Church than his predecessors. In this way, the announcement is not entirely unprecedented. He made headlines in June of 2016 for suggesting that Christians owe gay people an apology for discrimination. Similarly, Pope Francis implied that using contraceptives would be acceptable in heavily Catholic Latin American countries threatened by the Zika virus.
To be clear, the intention of Pope Francis with this policy was not to support or take a softer stance on abortion. Rather, the focus was intended to be on the idea that no sin is too grave HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
Prior to this announcement, abortion, although an extremely serious sin in the eyes of the Church, could be forgiven. However, the action was grounds for excommunication. This
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expulsion from the Church could be overturned by a bishop or someone of higher rank. A priest, though, would be unable to do so, making this option inaccessible for many Catholic women who have had abortions. Pro choice Catholics have been pleased overall with the direction of the policy, although many wish Pope Francis would go further. In a statement made at the time of the announcement, Jon O’Brien, president of the group Catholics for Choice, said “It is sad that Pope Francis nonetheless talks about abortion in relationship to sin. For the majority of Catholic women who choose abortion, there is absolutely no question of sin. Following your conscience . . . is good decision-making and morally right as a Catholic.” The new policy falls more in line with the morality of the Catholic laity than it does with that of the Church hierarchy, which includes conservative bishops, cardinals, and priests. A 2014 Univision poll of Catholics in 12 countries found that 76% of Catholics think that abortion should be allowed in at least some cases. The
same study also found that 79% supported the use of contraception, again conflicting with the Catholic canon. However, despite its shortcomings in the eyes of progressive Catholics who wanted more, the move is certainly that of a leader more welcoming of women in the Church. In the same statement, O’Brien of Catholics for Choice said, “But if a woman examines her conscience and believes that her decision wasn’t moral . . . it’s our obligation to respect her for wanting that forgiveness. Allowing a woman who thinks she has sinned by having an abortion to approach the institutional church makes the whole thing more about pastoral care than political point-scoring.” By focusing on women in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, and the extension of its policies, Pope Francis has demonstrated a unique concern for female members of the laity that will be necessary in a religion that is becoming increasingly out of touch with many of its young and female members.
Elizabeth is a high school sophomore from upstate New York. When she's not writing, she likes to run, read, and watch '90s television shows.
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LIFE AFTER ALEPPO by colleen dupirak
In the aftermath of the five year battle between Syrian rebels and the Regime-a big question around the world is:
What’s next for Aleppo and the life civilians will live? According to pajiba.com, 90% of Americans did not know what was happening in Aleppo. This also includes the former independent president nominee, Gary Johnson who questioned the subject of the the collapsed community of Aleppo. For those of you who don’t know the devastating details of the once booming city in Syria, here’s the breakdown.
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BACKGROUND
and fear. Bana aspires to be a teacher like her mother and one day return to Aleppo.
One of the oldest cities around the world, Aleppo was a flourishing city full of ancient history and a top tourist destination for travellers. However, the city along with the rest of Eastern Syria is now in ruins. Beginning in early 2011, a group of teens painted graffiti that said “the people want the regime to fall”. The teens were later arrested and tortured by Syrian officers. Thereafter, a bombing took place in the political capital of Damascus taking the lives of President Assad's government and members of his family. And so it began, a war between rebels of Syria and the Syrian government. Rebels want Assad to resign and fought for control over the city of Aleppo against the regime. This resulted in the city turning into a battleground.
THE CURRENT STATE On December 13th, 2016 the Syrian government along with allies claimed victory, with the rebels defeated. The regime has now gained full control over the city, with defeated rebels being evacuated by the Red Cross. Since the cease fire, all hospitals have been destroyed in the city. In light of the aftermath, the United Nations intends to further investigate the war crimes in Syria and analyze methods used to detainees. WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS With the rebels feeling the grief of defeat, Assad says history is being made. Undoubtedly, fighting will continue across Syria but the chances of rebels achieving is very grim. Fighting is becoming more of a symbol rather than an accomplishment. Just recently Azaz, a neighboring city near Aleppo was bombed, killing dozens. Those who have stayed will have to face the dire consequences of the government controlled city also run by ISIS. Unfortunately, Aleppo is in a futile position. What we can expect is for the regime to focus on Damascus and the water crisis they are currently dealing with. While Turkey is against the government, Russia may continue to make a presence in the Syrian capital. There’s a dark future ahead of Syria, as the people are under a dictatorship in which they are afraid to speak and fear the repercussions if they do. Now under government control, it is the regimes job to ensure the safety and welfare of their civilians.
Since Syrian uprisings, civilians tirelessly tried to flee the country, beginning a new major refugee crisis in Europe and the rest of the world. Those who have managed to leave have been deprived of resources such as food, water, shelter, and ways to escape the war zone they now live in. Over the span of four years, more than 400,000 people have died including 50,000 innocent children. CHILDREN AND SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT
The fall of Aleppo has not only affected extremists, but the young children living in the city. They have known nothing, but war. Omran Dqneesh, garnered media attention after he was pulled from the rubble following the incident of being hit by an airstrike. Twitter has been a source used to display the falling capital. In September 2016, Fatemah Alabed and her daughter seven year Bana Alabed created a twitter account to document the horrors in Aleppo. A “strong story-teller” as CNN calls her, Bana recalls the events in the bombing of her home. During the incident, her mother tweets, “Under attack. Nowhere to go, every minute feels like death. Pray for us. Goodbye.” Though the family survived they face trauma
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MEGYN KELLY, TOMI LAHREN, & THE CHANGING FACES OF CONSERVATIVE WOMEN BY LIV SENGHOR
Megyn Kelly is moving to NBC.
Condoleezza Rice, Ana Navarro, Meg Whitman, and perhaps most surprisingly, Glenn Beck.) Not only did she call out Trump and former FOX CEO, Roger Ailes, for their respective sexual assault allegations, but she praised Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton for all they’ve done for women this past year. She even tried to explain white privilege to Bill O'Reilly on his own show—needless to say, unsuccessfully. In such a partisan climate, these seemingly small gestures speak volumes to her true political leanings. While Kelly may remain fiscally conservative, she sounds rather socially liberal.
That’s right. In case you haven’t heard, the FOX News legend is turning down $25 million to move to the network that the Republican President-Elect wants investigated by Congress. It’s not surprising. Her base had been steadily turning on her since she publicly criticized Donald Trump, then one of 10 Republican candidates, over his sexist comments during the first Republican Debate on FOX News. In fact, she’s one of a handful of conservatives who have recently shown some leftist tendencies (see:
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“The Kelly File” aired on FOX News in late 2013 and became one of the network’s most popular programs, second only to “The O'Reilly Factor.” Kelly was raised in Albany, NY, and attended Syracuse and Albany Law School. She quickly rose through the ranks at FOX News until she got a two-hour afternoon show. It was all uphill from there. In her recent book, Settle for More, she recounts a number of incidents of sexual harassment at the hands of Ailes, ranging from inappropriate comments to unwanted physical contact and attempts to kiss her on the mouth. She details the conflicting feelings that accompanied the harassment —on the one hand, Ailes had been a reliable mentor, but on the other, she was deeply disturbed by his behavior. She refrains from calling his actions “unforgivable,” substituting the phrase “game changer” instead. And Kelly didn’t stop there. In an interview with Newt Gingrich two weeks out from Election Day, Kelly bluntly calls Trump a “sexual predator” after the release of the Access Hollywood tapes. She argues that when so many women come forward alleging sexual assault, it is the media’s duty to cover it. Gingrich, who believes the media spent an unfair amount of time covering “pussygate” in comparison to Hillary Clinton’s “secret speeches,” becomes very defensive. He says that Kelly is “fascinated with sex and [doesn’t] care about public policy.” Kelly rebukes him, stating she cares more about the protection of women from a man who wants to become the most powerful political figure on Earth. Unfortunately, the two end the PAGE 42
interview contentiously agreeing to disagree. At one point, the former Speaker of the House notes that Kelly and himself seem to be living in “two alternative universes.” This statement sums up the dilemma many conservative women found themselves in during the Trump election. And with the Left spending so much time discussing and advocating women’s rights this election cycle in particular, it certainly does provide a nice-looking sanctuary for conservative women like Kelly to seek refuge. Sure, she said she isn’t a feminist, and she claimed that Jesus and Santa were verifiably white, but as a whole, Kelly is not the traditional conservative woman we’re used to seeing in the media. Indeed, it seems that a number of conservative women have had, in Condoleezza Rice’s own words, “Enough!” In a viral tweetstorm in October 2016 following “pussygate,” a Republican woman named Marybeth Glenn called out conservative men for leaving conservative women in the dust. The whole thing is worth reading, but in essence, she calls conservative men (and women) defending Trump’s words and actions “scum,” stating: “Get this straight: We don’t need you to stand up for us, YOU needed to stand up for us for YOU. For YOUR dignity. For YOUR reputation.” This trend, however, was not at all evident in the actual presidential election. It seems that conservative women, who tend to be white, married, and suburban, turned out HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
for Mr. Trump and the Republican Party after all. Polls showed Trump lost the female vote as a whole, but won 53% of white women. Many prominent voices in the media have blamed fake news and propaganda, the perceived exclusivity of the Left, and Hillary Clinton’s flawed campaign and candidacy as the causes. All these factors likely contributed, but there is one aspect we seem to be overlooking.
category. And quite frankly, Megyn Kelly no longer fits in said category either. In direct contrast to Megyn Kelly’s slow but steady movement toward the Left, we find Tomi Lahren, host of The Blaze’s “Tomi” and famous through her heated viral “Final Thoughts” segments. Lahren, in her way, has also had enough. She’s been called everything from “fearless” to a “provocateur” to “white power Barbie.” For the new brand of conservatism Mr. Trump has harkened, she’s the pop culture-savvy Millennial the young Right was waiting for. Lahren is an image of traditional white American femininity—a 24-year-old bottleblonde with symmetrical features and a small frame. She’s not a journalist, but she knows it; in her words: “I clearly have a point of view, I am very passionate about my point of view. I am a commentator.”
When you Google “conservative women,” a heap of articles and listicles pop up, ranking, rating, or otherwise evaluating the physical appearance of notable conservative women in the media. The argument tends to be that conservative women generally conform to the more traditional facets of femininity, which men, generally, find more attractive. In 2012, a graduate student in psychology at UCLA conducted a study of liberal and conservative women in Congress and found: “The faces of Republican women rated, on average, twice as sextypical — or feminine — as those of Democratic women.” This result is expected, as the Democratic Party stands on a platform of diminishing gender stereotypes while Republicans usually support them. The study’s senior author, Kerri Johnson, stated in conclusion: “We suspect that conservative constituents demand that their politicians be not just competent but also gender-typical, especially among women.” These gender norms include notions that the presidency is a man’s job. It probably didn’t help that, in addition to her notorious political history, Mrs. Clinton does not really fit into the conservative, gender-typical “female” HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
Lahren is a polarizing figure—even conservatives have issues with her. But her fans love her. They’re calling on her to speak their minds, take Megyn Kelly’s place, and even run for Congress. That’s because Lahren is a “real” conservative woman. And like many “real” conservatives have expressed this election cycle, she’s outraged. She doesn’t speak in racial dog whistles because she’d rather be “authentic.” She isn’t a feminist because she believes the feminist movement has become “passively aggressively anti-men”—or, as the BBC put it, she’s “an anti-feminist who admires strong women.” She was Pro-Trump and #NeverHillary before it was cool. She fights on Twitter like the Donald himself and throws a conservative spin on pop culture
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hot topics. She even went on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” to defend her racially charged comments about Colin Kaepernick and Black Lives Matter. A few publications referred to her as the new Ann Coulter, who was another controversial conservative woman and a central figure of the Bill Clinton opposition throughout the 90s. With regards to the conservative beauty standards, Lahren doesn’t shy away from them. In her own words: “Do some people watch me because they think I’m pretty? Maybe, sure. But more are watching because they appreciate what I am saying.” And yet, most dangerous coverage of Lahren comes when the liberal media takes her at face value. In fact, digging deeper into the contradictions between her words and her actions adds complex layers to her character and political ideology. She says she is anti-feminist, and yet, she’s directly benefiting from all the work feminists have done before her. In her criticism of Kaepernick, she says freedom of speech allows him to sit out the National Anthem before railing on him for disrespecting the Constitution. Lahren is not an actor, therefore it is hard to believe that her visceral anger is manufactured. When she says that “feminists are mean,” perhaps she is angry that so-called “feminists” don’t take her seriously. Perhaps when she says “Black Lives Matter folks are dangerous,” she is, in her way, acknowledging the centuries of systematic oppression of Black people at the hands of white people, recognizing that at some point, the chickens will come home to roost. By absolutely no means should this excuse her rants, which are not only PAGE 44
offensive, but obstinately discriminative and intolerant. Rather, the Left should see her appeal and acclaim on the Right as, to use Megyn Kelly’s term, a “game changer.” Final thoughts: in a polarized and divided nation, conservative women are no exception. As times change, so do people, and as people change, so do politics. Will conservative women move slowly but surely to Left, leaving conservative men behind and embracing more progressive stances on feminism and gender roles? Or will they create their own version of loud, fierce, and angry conservatism, updated for the 21st Century and ready to take on any man—or woman—who gets in their way? Well, the times are certainly changing, and only time will tell.
Liv is a writer, filmmaker, and comic living in New York City (the cheap part.) When she's not writing, she's drawing rainbows on things she shouldn't, listening to racially charged podcasts, or forcing her roommate's cat to love her.
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THE FIRST TRANSGENDER SCHOOL OPENS IN INDIA by shaye dipasquale
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
T
he constitution of India guarantees the
hospitals. One year earlier, India’s Supreme Court ruled that “hijras” or transgender people would be recognized as a “third gender” in the eyes of the law and would thus be granted the civil rights entitled to every citizen. Transgender people hold the right to marry, to inherit property and are eligible for quotas in jobs and educational institutions.
right to "free and compulsory" education to all children up to the age of 14. However, universal education has yet to materialize due to insufficient public funds to cover education costs, the rapidly growing size of the population and a low retention of teachers and students in rural areas. Gender discrimination keeps attendance rates for girls extremely low because poor parents are more likely to want their daughters to prepare for marriage than to receive a solid education. This same adherence to gender roles and societal traditions also keeps adolescents who identify as transgender from continuing their education, as they are often forced to drop out of school due to stigma, judgement and hostility. Fortunately, a small residential school has recently opened in the city of Kochi to help transgender people who dropped out of school finally finish their education.
Unfortunately, this progressive change has yet to stifle the amount of abuse, exploitation and discrimination that many transgender people face. From being thrown out of their home by family members to being forced into sex work to make ends meet, transgender citizens constantly struggle to maintain a happy and healthy lifestyle. On top of all this, transgender people are unable to vote in India or run for a position of elected office as both actions require that a person identify as either male or female. In other words, they are unable to voice their own opinions to the government to speak up for themselves and incite change. Transgender activist Vijayraja Mallika who heads Sahaj International hopes that the school will help other transgender people overcome these adversities that they face and begin to live a more dignified life.
Sahaj International is located in Kerala, the first Indian state to adopt a transgender policy against discrimination. Implemented in 2015, the "State Policy For Transgenders in Kerala” specifically promotes inclusive education and offers free gender reassignment surgery at government
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The school will welcome 10 students, ages 25-50 and prepare the students for India’s Class 10 and 12 board exams which are typically taken by students between the ages of 15 and 18. Sponsors have already arranged to cover the costs of each student’s food, accommodation and studies. In the hopes of fully protecting students and providing them with role model for the future ahead of them, the school has hired teachers that also belong to the transgender community. The sheer fact that the school is finally up and running is a testament to the dedication and determination of its founders. Venue after venue refused to rent
their space to the school, afraid that Sahaj International was a front for prostitution or other criminal activities. But once a suitable space was found, the school quickly became a model facility that will hopefully be replicated across India. "Kerala has some 25,000 transgenders, and 57% of them were forced to drop out of school due to stigma,” said activist Kalki Subramaniam, who works alongside Mallika at Sahaj International, in an interview with the BBC. “They all should get a decent accommodation the policy initiatives envisaged."
Shaye DiPasquale is from Howell, New Jersey and is pursuing a B.A. in Communications at Elizabethtown College with minors in Human Services and Women & Gender Studies. She hopes to pursue a early career in online content production and later work for the United Nations in human rights advocacy.
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
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LENA DUNHAM’S PROBLEMATIC FEMINISM by Han (Amber) Wang “I’m not super thin, but I’m thin, for like, Detroit.” “I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had.” "We do a really good job in this country of basically sealing off sick people and sealing off toilets and sealing off everything that lets us know we're animals. And in India not only do they not do that, there's no interest in doing that."
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
T
hirty-year-old New York-ian Lena
least once because their self-authority has been eviscerated and replaced with a partner’s authority.” Instead of building up Rihanna’s confidence and self esteem after this abuse, Dunham chose to victim blame and criticize. She attacked a woman in need and attempted to alienate her from her young, female fans by associating her with smoking weed and staying with her abuser.
Dunham is mainly known for creating, writing, and acting in her TV show, Girls. Along with her television career, Dunham is also an advocate for feminism, gaining her a spot on Time Magazine’s 2013 list of the most influential people in the world. However, between seemingly empowering women and promoting body positivity, Dunham has also managed to stereotype various countries, demonize men and romanticize abortion in her campaign of bad feminism.
A year later, Dunham faced another scandal: sexual abuse accusations. In her book, Not That Kind of Girl, Dunham wrote about her early sexual explorations; she examined her sister’s vagina, bribed her for mouth kisses and touched herself when her sister was in bed with her. This, however, is not the part that bothers me as small children are often curious; demonizing these curiosities could lead to unhealthy sexual behavior in the future. What bothers me is that in her book, Dunham then compares herself to a sexual predator attempting to, “woo a small suburban girl.” Making this analogy not only presents her in the wrong way, but also makes light of sexual abuse.
Back in 2013, she accused Rihanna of being a bad role model by reuniting with her abusive ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown. Dunham stated on a WNYC show, “I used to be really into Rihanna...and I just think about how many little girls beyond what I could even comprehend are obsessed with Rihanna...and then she gets back together with Chris Brown and posts a million pictures of them smoking marijuana together on a bed. And it cracks my heart in half.” She even referenced Gloria Steinem in one tweet saying she wanted to “go hide under [her] bed for 72 hours.” The early feminist fires back, “Most women
Then comes 2016, the year of cringeworthy claims and backtracking apologies. First, she calls out Odell
leaving violent relationships return at HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
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Beckham Jr. for seemingly not being attracted to her at the Met Ball, saying that he probably thought she was either “a marshmallow...a child...[or] a dog.” Blatantly assuming what OBJ was thinking showed that she clearly projected her insecurities and narcissism onto a bystander who had no idea what was going on, the opposite of what the feminist movement stands for. Secondly, in her podcast, Women of the Hour, Dunham discussed the stigma around abortion—and how she wishes she had one. This comment clearly illustrates the extent of Dunham’s ignorance and privilege as she doesn’t seem to grasp the immense emotional trauma of terminating a pregnancy. She has since apologized for both of these incidents in two Instagram posts. However, this whole cycle of word vomiting and backtracking doesn’t just give Dunham a bad name, it gives the whole feminist movement a bad name since she claims to be a part of it.
Women like Dunham seem to invalidate the very thing they stand for. Feminism isn’t about comparing your body to another woman’s, but rather accepting that we come in different shapes and sizes and—this is the important part— realizing that that’s okay. Feminism is acknowledging that there was a lot of racism in its history, but making an effort to include conversation about it now. And lastly in regards to Lena Dunham, feminism isn’t about victimblaming in abuse nor is it about lightheartedly joking about the issue. Yes, we all make mistakes. But, we have to learn from them. All these women cheering on Dunham’s actions need to see some of the flaws in them or else we won’t be united and equal in this movement.
Other mishaps include the absence of POC in Girls and her racist descriptions of trips to Japan and India which set to prove that Dunham is a problematic feminist. She advocates for white women—no POC. She promotes body positivity for larger women while attacking skinny women. She attacks men for not being attracted to her.
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
All these women cheering on Dunham’s actions need to see some of the flaws in them or else we won’t be united and equal in this movement.
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THE KIDNAPPINGS OF HINDI AND CHRISTIAN GIRLS IN PAKISTAN by Shaye DiPasquale
When the “Bring Back Our Girls” movement arose following the kidnappings of young Christian girls in Chibok, Nigeria back in 2014, the international community rallied together in support of those whose lives had been irrevocably changed for the worse. Parents lost daughters, friends lost friends, the international community of womanhood lost over 200 of its sisters – the world was distraught. And now, three short years later, the world grieves over a similar tragedy unfolding in Pakistan. Reports indicate that an estimated 1,000 underage Christian and Hindu girls, most of them from impoverished backgrounds, are being snatched from their homes each year, forcefully converted to Islam and married off. Over 2 million Pakistanis currently live as “modern slaves”, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index, which ranks Pakistan
as one of the top three offending countries that continues slavery practices. Anti-slavery activists in Pakistan report that authorities are unlikely to investigate these cases of kidnappings and forced conversions, because many are under the belief that the conversions are in line with the Muslim faith. Women and young girls in Pakistan are at particular risk for being thrust into enslavement, as it is common for a daughter to be treated as the property of her male relatives. When family units are being threatened by aggressors without the prospect of police protection, they are prone to abandoning their daughters and allowing captors to do what they will. In the most unfortunate of cases, parents who carry the burden of an unforgiving debt or who are the victims of an unsettled dispute, may choose to offer their daughters as payment in exchange for the rest of the family’s safety and well-being.
Women and girls who are taken as slaves are likely to suffer greatly at the hands of their male captors, who view their female victims as trophies to be exploited in any way they see fit. Some women will be forced to marry their captor and become his second wife so that they may look after the house and take care of tedious chores. Other women will be forced into prostitution to earn their captor money, facing brutal sexual assault day in and day out.
"Forced conversion is an abhorrent and violent offence and an issue that has become prevalent across Sindh [that] must be eliminated by recognizing the importance of tolerance, peace and respect for all religions and persons, irrespective of their religion," reads the bill, a copy of which was obtained and cited by Al Jazeera.
Activists have stated that girls who have been kidnapped are kept isolated from the rest of society until they have been forced to convert and are officially married. Once this has occurred, it becomes incredibly difficult to take action to properly rescue these victims. In the tradition of Pakistani marriages, the husband has to give a woman the right to divorce; otherwise, she has no right to leave in the eyes of the law. It is also difficult to prove that a girl has undergone a forced religious conversion, because most captors force the women they have kidnapped to sign statements indicating that their conversions were voluntary.
Even with all of this, there is some hope for at-risk women left to be found. In the Sindh province of Pakistan, legislators have passed a new law to combat forced religious conversions. The bill mandates a 21-day period for adults to fully consider their decision to convert and prohibits minors from choosing another religion of their free will.
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
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.
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cuisine from syria cuisine from the alsace region of france caribbean cooking history of the oil down recipe valentine’s day gifts for everyone on your list
CUISINE FROM FRANCE’S ALSACE REGION by anjali patel
When individuals hear the word “France”,
portions. One popular dish in the region is called Choucroute Garnie. This dish is mainly composed of sauerkraut, pickled and finely shredded cabbage. The sauerkraut is usually served with different meats such as pork, sausage, and ham. Denizens resort to this meal during the colder times of year since it serves as comfort food.
there are some common images that come to mind. Almost, people instinctively picture the Eiffel Tower, the city of Paris, and the whole, wide assortment of wines and cheeses. Although the following elements do have an enormous influence on the country, many define the nation solely by these factors. France is large and contains many regions with unique food, history, and culture. Located in the North East part of the country, Alsace is a region that borders Germany. Due to its location, Alsace’s cuisine and other aspects of daily life is heavily influenced by the Germanic culture.
Another famous dish in the region is the Tarte à L’oignon. Unlike the Choucroute Garnie which is eaten as an entrée or a main dish, this meal is typically consumed as an appetizer. Therefore, some type of green salad also comes with the order. Since this tarte is called Tarte à L’oignon, it is cooked with onions as well as the normal ingredients that make up a tarte, such as: eggs, cream and milk. Although many foreigners would think that yet another core ingredient in the meal is cheese; since this dish largely resembles quiche, it is actually not used to prepare the Tarte à L’oignon.
According to FranceTravelPlanner, the Alsace region uses Pork in various dishes and in different forms. Compared to other parts of France, this is a mundane practice in the culinary field. Since pork is a heavy meat, these dishes can fill one up in smaller HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
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Patisseries are scattered throughout France, allowing for the availability of a wide range of delectable pastries, cakes, and sweets. In certain areas of Alsace, Kougelhopf is a local dessert. It is similar to fruit cake because it contains fruits and nuts in the desert. It is not however limited to these ingredients since many, according to Regions of France have added bacon or cheese to their dish. From an American perspective, its shape looks like that of an upside down cake and comes off as being similar to pound cake. As mentioned earlier, the Alsace region shares certain characteristics in food and cuisine with Germany. This cake or pastry is an example of a dish that is common in both countries.
season. However, this vegetable has proven to not be as “preferred” as proved by popular opinion, in the United States. This article has discussed a main dish, an appetizer, a dessert, a type of cheese, and a vegetable native to or prominent in the Alsace region. France has over 15 regions and each has contributed an ample amount to the culinary field. As previously explained, Germany has greatly impacted Alsatian cuisine. The cultural mix does not stop here. France is bordered by other nations including Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. Therefore, the overall French cuisine is not just the result of “French People”. It is the result of cross cultural ties and different languages and traditions mingling to form unique and integrated dishes.
Cheese is one of the main delicacies France is known for. Different types of cheese are produced and well known throughout the various parts of the nation. Munster cheese is produced and popular in the Alsace region. According to Cheese-France, Munster cheese is made from cow’s milk. It is also strong in both taste and odor. In order to attain extra flavor, saltwater and rocks are used to knead the cheese. This handmade process guarantees its richness and absence of mold. This type of cheese is also soft in texture and tan with a tint of yellow in color. White Asparagus is grown in various areas of France including It is usually served as a part of a main dish that already includes some type of protein. The New York Times reports that white asparagus is a popular vegetable in parts of France and Germany since it indicates the prospect of a warmer
HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
Anjali is a high school senior who will be studying international affairs and journalism in college next year. She loves reggae music, meeting new people, and art from all parts of the world.
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CARIBBEAN COOKING:
OIL DOWN Shanell C. E. Campbell
From its crystal clear blue waters to lush vegetation and calming waterfalls, from its healthful and tasty spices to scenic coastal highways and friendly citizens, there are many things to love about Grenada. But, nothing beats a pot of Oil Down cooked on a charcoal grill/pot. When I was little, going to the market with my mum was one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday morning, especially if the day's menu included my special dish. We'd purchase the callaloo leaves, breadfruit, green bananas, couscous yams, chicken parts, salted pig snouts and tails, and other ingredients that make this dish as special as it's supposed to be. It's hardly about the food really, but the camaraderie and bonds that you develop with others while preparing the meal. My mum loved to cook and she also loved sharing, so after we finished cooking the food, she'd invite her selected few to join us for dinner. Oil Down is one of those dishes where it requires several ingredients and it might even look a little messy, however they all work well together and it is quite delicious and filling. Back in Grenada, everything we use for this recipe is usually fresh and without additives, however you can find most of the ingredients fresh at your local Whole Foods supermarket with ease. So let's get straight to cooking! Here's everything you'll need to make your Oil Down and how to make it. Remember you can adjust as much or as little as needed.
Born in Grenada and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, Shanell discovered her passion for writing, which lead her to get involved with a couple of workshops such as, Youth Speaks NY and The Asian American Writers Workshop. She received her bachelor’s degrees from SUNY Plattsburgh where I studied Theatre, Journalism and Broadcasting.Â
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
Ingredients: 1½ cans Coconut milk 1 tsp. Turmeric/saffron/curry 1 Sweet pepper chopped 1 lb Callaloo or spinach 1 lb Couscous yams chopped 1 lb Green bananas chopped 5 Potatoes (optional) 2 Carrots (optional) 1 lb Breadfruit chopped Dumplings ½ lb Salted pork-tails/snouts or 1 lb chicken
Seasonings: 1 stick Celery ¼ cup chopped Parsley ¼ cup chopped Green onions 2 stems Thyme
¼ cup chopped Cilantro 1 tsp. Salt 4 Garlic cloves
Dumpling ingredients: 2 cups Flour
¼ tsp. Salt
½ cup Water
Directions: Add coconut milk as your base ingredient. Then add your desired seasonings, peppers and turmeric/saffron/curry to taste. Add meats and/or chicken (I suggest seasoning it ahead of time), followed by breadfruit, yams, dumplings, green bananas, carrots, potatoes, and water. Lastly, put callaloo or spinach on top. Cover pot and let it cook on low fire, occasionally stirring to make sure every ingredient is consistent in color and flavor.
Dumpling directions: Add 2 cups all-purpose flour to a bowl. Add ¼ tsp. salt and ½ cup water, then mix until you have a firm dough. When you’re finished mixing, cut your dough into small pieces and roll it into little balls before adding it to the pot.
Reminder: Everything must be layered in the pot before it goes on the stove and don't forget to put enough liquids. For every can of coconut milk, use 1 can of water. Also, cut and peel your vegetables before adding them to the pot. Don't let the pot dry down too much because the "nana" is the best part. Serve and enjoy! Servings: 3-6
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A MORE DETAILED HISTORY: OIL DOWN by Shanell C. E. Campbell In my last article, I introduced you to the national dish of my birth country, Grenada. This time around, I'm taking the opportunity to give you a little history on where the dish, Oil Down, originated. Never mind that it's loaded with flavor and nutrition, it has also brought people together and helped to pass on traditions to the young. The origins of the ingredients also show how diverse we are as a people.
resemblance to slavery. In the mid to late 1800's, my Scottish side of the family settled in Grenada just as slavery was abolished in 1834, and there my great grandfather met my great grandmother, who had immigrated to the island from St. Lucia. The rest was history. The same way that the island is considered a melting pot with immigrants from all over, Oil Down too, is a melting pot. As a matter of fact, most of the ingredients used in Oil Down are also imported. With the combination of callaloo or dasheen leaves, which are “indigenous to the Caribbean and were cultivated by Grenada's earliest Amerindian inhabitants,” green bananas, which were brought in by European settlers from Asia and salted pork tails and nose, which were also imported by European settlers, Oil Down has something for everyone. Back then on the plantations, slaves brought in from West Africa had one thing in common: passion for building their communities, even though life was still so very rough. Making Oil Down was not just a way of nourishment and saving time, but making sure that their neighbors were involved and also being fed. They would each bring something to add to the pot, ensuring that there would be their "piece of the pie," and because of the sheer quantity of ingredients, no one person could collect it all. In other words, whatever they could salvage from their master’s home was what they brought to add to the pot.
Through research, I've realized the historical context on the process of making Oil Down. You see, slaves who were brought to the island to work on plantations also brought with them their culture and traditions. This is the typical meaning of the phrase "it takes a village," and it definitely took a village to come together to create this delicious one-pot meal. Although we have evolved, there are still reminders of what used to be; such as the way people live, the music they create, the costumes they wear during carnivals and the plantations where some of the island’s cocoa and spices are still being harvested. These plantations around the island are commonly referred to as “estates.” In fact, my family still owns theirs. I've never visited its location and as far I know it's being used to grow and harvest crops. My mother has shared her fond memories of spending time there. It's one of those places that rarely gets talked about because of its historical significance, however, this estate known to my family as “Shadow,” bears little
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Anyway, once they each brought what was needed, they would begin the sometimes tedious process. When the food was cooked, everyone received his or her share and all was well. This tradition stayed in Grenada and became the country's national dish. On most days, anywhere you go, there's a high chance of passing by a family's home and and smelling the aroma of an Oil Down in progress. It gets its distinct smell from the mixture of spices along with the flavorful milk of dried coconuts. It's vastly intoxicating. According to my cousin and island native, Antonia Frederick, “no two oil downs are
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the same, everyone adds his or her own touch.” Antonia grew up making the dish with her maternal grandmother, who like everyone else, cooked for the entire family. When asked, most people are open to discussing the bonds and relationships they’ve developed all through cooking Oil Down with their neighbors and grandparents. I too, have very fond memories of cooking Oil Down with my mother and Grandmother, and I will cherish these memories as I plan on passing them on to my future children. In the end, it’s really all about families getting together to enjoy a delicious meal.
HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
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the batu caves a girl's search for wanderlust the french smile love around the world breaking up with faith feminism and same-sex ed disney princesses of color the white balloon going abroad gender roles in faith the new american dream paying for my education the year of the rooster phantom granada indian women south pacific
THE BATU CAVES A HIDDEN GEM OF THE WORLD by Thulasie Manoharan
wo hundred and seventy-two steps later, I find myself a little awestruck as I take a look at my surroundings for the first time. I must be approximately 180 meters of the ground. In my horizon sits the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur and a few feet from view stands the glimmering, grand 140 meter statue of Lord Murugan. From where I stand, there is only one thing one would be able to feel: serenity, calm on the eyes, peace to the mind and ease to one’s breath (despite having walked 272 steps). I was standing at the very entrance, the vel-shaped entrance of the limestone hills that inspired Indian trader K. Thamboosamy Pillai to dedicate a temple to Lord Murugan in 1891. Lord Murugan in Hindu history represents the indigenous god of war whose weapon of choice has often been said to be the vel or bow and arrow. According to Hindu mythology, the goddess Parvati presented the vel to her son Murugan “as an embodiment of her sakhti or power in order to vanquish the evil asura Soorapadman”. According to the Skanda Purana (the largest Mahapurana, which is a genre of 18 Hindu religious texts), in the war between Lord Murugan and Soorapadman, Murugan used the vel to defeat all the evil forces of Soorapadman. Today, the Batu Caves (translated in English as “Stone Caves”) houses two ornate Dravidian style temples within the heart of its caves. The main temple on the lower ground of the cave holds Lord Murugan himself and the upper level cathedral’s formation of the cave accommodates a larger temple where the deities of Lord Murugan and his wife Valli are housed. Despite this, the mammoth limestone hills hold humbler beginnings, as it was used as shelter by the indigenous people of Malaysia known as orang Asli. Eventually around the 1860s, the caves were used as guano (the excrement of seabirds and bats, also used as fertilizer) excavation sites by Chinese settlers, but grew in fame in 1878. It was said that the limestone hills were recorded by colonial authorities Daly and
Syers and the American naturalist William Hornaday. This once and for all put the caves on the map. As of today, the Batu Caves has become a common name for most people. It is said to be one of the holiest Hindu sites outside India. The caves and the temples have drawn “Hindu pilgrims from all over the world for more than 120 years” says Lonely Planet. In fact, the Batu Caves turn into quite an artistic site come Thaipusam. People carry colorful kavadi, pierce their skin with vels, and dance away through the night as an offering to Lord Murugan. It is believed that the Thaipusam festival commemorates the occasion when the goddess Parvati gave Lord Murugan the vel. Every year, the festival is celebrated on the full moon of the Tamil month of thai. Even though these caves are constantly housing hundreds to even thousands of people at any given day, the cave retains its natural qualities very well. It somewhat felt like the place froze time, allowing everything to stand still. Even when fallen leaves take flight, it looks like a performance embellished by the low lights in the caves. Everywhere around me were people, but somehow it seemed like all the noise that you would normally get among a crowd was suddenly subdued. It was in this fortunate place that I met a traveling mother and daughter duo from Japan. As we sat in the belly of the cathedral formation of the cave, Shiori Sueguchi said “It’s the first time for me visiting this place. And I think when it comes to Malaysia; there are a few places best for sightseeing. But after coming here PAGE 78
[Batu Caves] I was surprised. It has such good scenery; it’s so amazing and impressive.” She later goes on to say “I’m also happy that I came here now because once you get older it is hard to get here because there are plenty of stairs. I’m really glad I came here with my mother and since I like nature this place is very impressive”. It is quite natural to feel dumfounded at the form, structure and dimensions of this gargantuan cave. It was also one of the times in life where I found myself not minding feeling insignificant compared to this gem of a place. The Batu Caves have captured the zeitgeist of the explosive tradition and culture of the past that continues to buzz within it. The walls within it are natural artworks and the atmosphere is something of Zen-like peace. In the Happy Reader, it was stated that when asked in a television interview to name the most important person she had ever met, Etel Adnan replied “a mountain”. I have yet to see a mountain, but until then these limestone hills will be my mountain.
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BACK TO THE MOTHERLAND:
A Girl’s Quest for Wanderlust BY ROSELINE AKWARANDU
Although I feel I’ve always had a bit of wanderlust in me, I’ve only ever flown twice in my lifetime once to Nigeria when I was three, and another time to Washington D.C. in the 8th grade. I can barely remember the first time, and during the second, the entire trip was structured and set to a schedule. This time, I want to be free. My AP Literature teacher has always encouraged us to get out of the country and visit as many places as we possibly can to explore the world, learn about diverse cultures and expand our worldview. Now that I’m older and wiser, I’ve decided to take a trip all the way back to the motherland - that’s right, I’m going to Africa. While others may go for touristy destinations in Europe or perhaps even Asia, I chose Africa with a longing desire to not only connect with my roots but to delve into a third world demographic, study the effects of class economics and survey the growing technological advances being made across the continent. I plan to use this research to help
develop a better marketing foundation for several countries and in America. Of course, all work and no play is no good for anyone. While in Africa, I would like to take a trip to Egypt. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been fascinated with ancient Egypt, and I’ve always wanted to travel to Cairo to see the pyramids, ride camels and engage with local people. Knowing me, I would probably carry a journal and record as many details as I possibly can. Following my true calling, that of helping others, I also plan to go to Zambia to volunteer at orphanages and get involved in community projects aimed at helping low-income families. Growing up in America and being as blessed as I am, I feel that it is my duty to help those in less fortunate circumstances. Truly, Africa seems to be my calling. I want to make sure that during my time there I get to grow and learn in my ways. After all, everything originated in Africa, right?
Roseline is 17-years-old and wants to major in marketing in college. She is also a Her Campus High School Ambassador and really excited to working as a blog writer and magazine writer!
THE STEREOTYPICAL FRENCH SMILE by Engi Abou-El-Kheir
It’s a very common stereotypical notion from tourists—especially American ones— that one of the things to be wary about the French—especially Parisians—is their apparent unfriendliness.
Although it is untrue that the French as a whole are unfriendly, it is true that there is a cultural reason for not smiling aimlessly in the street or at strangers. This stems from when court jesters were the only ones who smiled all the time—because they had to— and were viewed as ‘fools’, for that reason as well as their job as a whole. If you approach a French person and talk to them for a reason, they will most likely smile. Furthermore, directly smiling at a stranger is seen as a sign that you want to interact. This could cause a problem if the person does not have the time or desire to speak.
This is untrue in many cases. One of the reasons that people may think the French are hostile is because they come from or are used to smaller towns. In smaller towns, people generally know each other or are more open to strangers. One of the reasons for this is safety. France, especially Paris, is a lot like New York in this regard. New Yorkers are also characterized as being brusque or unfriendly, but it’s simply that in many cases, it makes no sense or is just not safe to talk to and interact with strangers.
In conclusion, it is wrong to stereotype any group of people. This includes the stereotype that the French are unfriendly. Many of these assumptions are made by people who have never visited the country or don’t take the time to understand or be respectful of the culture. All of this should be done before making any statements about anyone else. In any case, the smile is universal. Every person—French or not— can use one.
Another valid reason to not believe this stereotype is the fact that France is, and always has been a tourist hotspot. If the French were really that terrible, who would want to visit?
Engi has lived in five countries throughout her whole life, other than the two countries she is from (France and Canada); she's visited over 15 countries and have loved them all. Engi is a writer and a poet and is very interested in fashion, photography and journalism.
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E V O L
D N U O R A
THE
WO R by c
olle
LD
en c
laire
When America celebrates Valentine's Day, the festivities usually consist of chocolates, flowers, a fancy dinner, and for the ladies out there, a much needed spa day. However, the celebration of love is often observed in other countries. Some customs are relatable, while some might be more of a culture shock to us.
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CHINA Falling on the the seventh day of the seventh month according to the chinese calendar, China celebrates Valentine's day by observing the Qi-Xi Festival. The story begins with the Emperor of Heaven separating his seventh daughter, Zihinu from an orphaned cowherd after they fell in love resulting in the birth of their two children. He ordered the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens to bring back his daughter from Earth. The cowherd and his two children tried to go up to the heavens to meet his young wife. However, the Queen mother created a river separating the lovers. With a change of heart, the Queen mother eventually let the couple see each other on the seventh day of the seventh month-hence the Qi-Xi festival. As for the festival itself, the day usually consists of gifts such as candies, dinner dates, and flowers. Young Chinese girls will often use their needlework abilities to emulate Zihinu’s talented sewing skills. It has been said some young girls will drop a pin into a fountain. If it doesn’t sink the young woman is ready to marry.
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JAPAN During Valentines, men are meant to be chivalrous to their sweethearts, but in Japan it’s the opposite. On February 14th, women in Japan shower their lovers with gifts used as an appreciation to their partners. However, on March 14th, White Day is celebrated. The men return the favor giving their ladies, lingerie, white chocolate, marshmallows, and jewelry. White Day is celebrated all across Japan along with it’s neighboring countries (South Korea, Taiwan, and China).
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DENMARK Denmark has a rather obscure tradition in the holiday of Saint Valentine. A tradition for some includes sending their friends white pressed flowers known as snowdrops as a symbol of gratitude. A lovers card is often handed to young women by their partners. Like a typical card you would find at a Hallmark store, the note often contains a romantic phrase. The tradition of Gaekkebrev is a card given to young Danish women by their partners. The man will often write in a humorous rhyme or poem, hiding his name. The woman has to guess who the sender is, and if she gets it correct, she will receive an “Easter Egg� that year.
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FRANCE With the capital city being Paris- “the city of love”, France has a rich history in its celebration of Valentine's day. Historians predict that it was a possibility, Valentines day began in the country. Located in the heart of Central France, there is a village called St. Valentine where it’s quite plausible this was named to commemorate the Catholic Saint Valentine. Now banned, an ancient custom was "une loterie d'amour" or “the drawing of love” This involved single French people of all ages to enter the homes of their neighbors opposite of each other. They would call through the windows until everyone was paired with each other. If the male was not attracted to his partner, the rejected woman would burn images of the picture in a bonfire ceremony. It has been said, the first ever Valentine's day card was sent by the Duke of Orleans. He was captured in the Battle of Agincourt. As a prisoner, he would send love notes to his wife.
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GERMANY Believed to be started after World War II, Valentine's day in Germany is celebrated aiming towards a more adult audience. Contrary to the tradition of kids receiving valentines and heart shaped lollipops, the holiday is celebrated in a mature-more direct way. To make things more interesting, pigs are an important factor in the celebration of Valentines. Yes, pigs. A symbol of love and luck, pigs will often times be messengers for provocative love notes and chocolate.
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WALES Although, Wales also celebrates February 14th, St. Dwynwen's day is the official day of love. Taking place on January 25th, the day is made to honor the Welsh princess, St. Dwynwen. She was faced with a turbulent love life, and became a nun in hopes of blessing luckier couples. The day usually consists of long walks on the beach, sitting near a fire, and romantic dinners. A common gift among couples during this holiday is a “love spoon�. In the 17th century, men would often carve their love into a wooden spoon to profess their love for their women.
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ARGENTINA In the Latin American country of Argentina, Valentines is celebrated through wine and the passionate dance of the Tango. Referred to as ‘Día de los Enamorados’, the holiday is not only celebrated with lovers, but commemorates friendship. Another holiday celebrated is ‘Semana de la Dulzura’ (the week of sweetness). Beginning in the first week of July, this entails a week's worth of appreciation towards one another giving and receiving candies and sweet gestures.
No matter where you are in the world, love for one another is continuously being spreaded. Whether it’s honoring an old romantic tale, or using pigs as messengers of lust the tradition of compassion for your special someone never dies.
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BREAKING UP WITH GOD by rachel spina
I
have always believed in God. My parents were
both fairly religious without necessarily being devout or fanatic about it. My father was raised as an Episcopalian while my mother bounced from church to church during her adolescence trying to find a home. After I was born, I was baptized into my mother’s denomination, Methodist, and thus began my relationship with Him. I don’t remember much of my spiritual life before the age of about eight besides going church and Sunday School every once in awhile. It wasn’t until after my sister’s birth and my parents’ separation that my father became more involved; and thus, so did my sister and I. Church became a regular occurrence every week. My dad became an usher, so I would help him fold programs, greet parishioners and take up the collection. When I was old enough, I became an acolyte, joined the handbell choir and volunteered in the nursery. As I continued to grow in my church, so did my desire to be involved. I jumped at the chance of getting confirmed, taught Sunday school classes, went on mission trips and eventually took on a paying position. I enjoyed it all, but there was something missing. I didn’t have a relationship with God. Despite all of my volunteer work and all of my hours invested into my church, I didn’t have a spiritual connection to Him. It was time to do something desperate. After the sudden death of my grandmother sent me into a deep depression, I found myself wondering where God was. Why hadn’t He saved her? Why wasn’t He helping me get through it? I felt like I needed to do something drastic, I needed to sacrifice even more for Him in order to be blessed with His affection. I decided to go on another another mission trip, this time overseas. That is how I found myself in South Africa. I was cut off completely from my life back home. No internet, no television, no cell phone. I knew no one prior to my trip, so I was completely vulnerable to the experience and to God. I was there for nearly a month, but I never found Him. The trip, while completely life changing, wasn’t successful in that I didn’t grow closer to God. In truth, I felt further from Him than ever before. When I arrived back home, I really began to examine what was wrong. For a long time, I blamed myself for not knowing my Bible enough, for not going to church enough, for not praying enough, for not giving Him enough. However, I changed my thinking somewhere along the way. People end all types of relationships because there is no compatibility.Why should my relationship with God be any different? I realized there was nothing wrong with Him and there was
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nothing wrong with me; we just weren’t meant to be together. That was the day I broke up with God. Despite our parting, I still craved a spiritual companionship. Like when any relationship ends, especially one that lasted for many years, there was a grieving process. I went through all of that: the hurt, the anger, the eventual acceptance. Finally, I was ready to start dating religion again, and that meant exploring what I desired in a spiritual relationship. My journey started with examining what it was about the Christian God that prevented me from establishing a relationship with Him. What it came down to, ultimately, was that He was male. For some reason, there was a wall built up between us because of it. I couldn’t connect with an old man with a long, white beard. I began to research other religions, ones that were completely different than what I had experienced growing up. After a brief fling with Buddhism, I finally began to lay the groundwork for a long term relationship with paganism. Perhaps what attracted me the most was that the deity was not strictly male; in fact, there was a large focus on the Goddess! This immediately piqued my interests, and I began to devour every book I could on the subject. The more I read, the more I fell in love. Slowly, I began to adapt my beliefs and practices. I began to pray again and for the first time, I felt like someone was actually listening to me. I finally found what I was looking for all those years. Not only did I have religion back, but I had a meaningful spiritual relationship. Not only did the Goddess help me find my faith again, but She helped me become a stronger woman, one who fiercely fights for her convictions despite any backlash because of them. The truth is, despite our breakup, I still believe in God. I still acknowledge Him in my prayers, I still make offerings to him and thank Him for the blessings He has bestowed upon me. However, when it comes to fulfilling my spiritual needs, the Goddess is who I choose to be with. It was hard changing my religion. It was tough knowing I had put all that time and effort into God only to have it not work out. It was disappointing and frustrating, especially when I had done everything in my power to have a relationship with Him. But I don’t blame or hate Him. I don’t begrudge Christianity for our lack of compatibility. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out, and that’s okay.
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SHOULD FEMINISTS EMBRACE SAME-SEX SCHOOLING? BY ELIZABETH MEISENZAHL In recent years, feminist movements have taken a divided stance on the practice of single-sex schooling. While studies have historically shown that separating middle and high school students by gender has provided educational gains for girls, some feminists are now pushing back on this narrative. New studies with differing methodologies have seemed to prove that there is, in fact, no difference between coeducational and single-sex schools for girls. Still, many believe, with the support of other scientific results, that educating girls separately provides a better learning environment.
detrimental to their education and social growth. The piece, titled “The Feminist Case Against Single-Sex Schools,” is backed up by the 2006 study, “The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling” that claimed to prove the faults in previous studies that showed positive effects for students at allgirls schools. The study concludes that past evidence in favor of single-sex education has been due to factors like the above average socioeconomic status of pupils rather than the method of education itself. The main issue some feminists have with single-sex education is that it is a relic of the past, a tradition based on age old stereotypes about boys and girls. For example, many proponents of all-girls schools commonly cite the emphasis on collaboration among students in the learning environment, as it is believed girls
In a 2011 article published in Slate, feminists Rebecca Bigler and Lise Eliot argued that not only does single-sex education provide no clear benefits to female students, but it can actually be
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girls learn best this way. However, recent neurological studies have shown that there is little difference between the brains of boys and girls when it comes to learning. Another source of conflict between some feminists and advocates of single-sex education is the lack of socialization in these schools with men that is required in the adult world into which the students will soon enter. Instead of preparing girls for the real world, which involves interacting with male peers, feminist opponents of allgirl schools posit that it instills girls with a false sense of confidence that thrives only in a sheltered, simulated environment of girls. This group of dissenters believes that it leaves girls less prepared than a coeducational school would in terms of navigating professional environments that involve men. However, another branch of feminism continues to take the opposing stance, and is staunchly in favor of making all-girls education an option for young women in the United States and throughout the world. The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, a group that advocates for the growth of and collaboration among girls’ schools, has worked to prove that an allgirls education benefits young women. Its recent survey of girls enrolled in a singlesex school compared to those attending a coeducational school found that girls in a single-sex environment are almost 20% more likely to describe themselves as strongly motivated by a desire to learn. Additionally, students of an all-girls school are more likely to see themselves as PAGE 98
confident in their math, science, and public speaking skills than peers enrolled in coeducational schools. Concrete differences between the two educational experiences were found in the results of the survey as well. Female graduates of single-sex schools outscored graduates of coeducational schools on the SAT by 43 points, and were more likely to attend a college or university following graduation. Political engagement is another benefit of all-girls schooling, as 10% more of single-sex educated girls are politically active and follow current events when compared to young women in classrooms with boys. Graduates of all-girls schools were also three times more likely to major in engineering than their counterparts in coeducational schools. Despite the division among feminist groups, the number of schools that allow for singlesex classrooms is growing. Although many all-girls schools in the United States are currently private, either religious or secular, public and charter schools have begun, in the last decade, to offer single-sex classes in some subjects. Some of these schools now offer classes separated by gender for math or science, both of which have been historically male-dominated fields. However, in 2014, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a suit against Florida public schools for this policy on the grounds that it violated the federal Title IX antidiscrimination law. The group has filed similar suits in other areas where public schools split classes by gender for this reason as well. HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
Even though it is the target of wellintentioned but misguided feminist ire, single-sex schools, are still a growing force in high school education. According to the New York Foundation for Education Reform and Accountability, at least ten public single-sex schools have opened every year since 2005, more than in the end of the twentieth century. Although there are disagreements in feminist circles regarding whether all-girls
education is a tool for increasing the success and confidence of young women or an outdated method of reinforcing gendered stereotypes, the majority of scientific research has historically shown that an all-girls education does give young women an advantage in their careers postgraduation. Based off of these results, it would be a mistake for feminists to focus their energy on dismantling rather than encouraging such an effective tool for girls’ education and empowerment.
ARE DISNEY PRINCESSES OF COLOR MISREPRESENTED? by Rosa Elena Burgos
O
nce upon a time in our childhood, we watched a Disney Princess speak out to us. Whether she found her prince through a glass slipper, love’s first kiss, under the sea, or in a beast, Disney made little girls dream big. Their characteristics are well developed, but when it come to cultural representation, Disney faces a challenge. After Beauty and the Beast, Disney has struggled with representing culture within the princesses. The legends and plots are twisted around from their original versions to appeal to children. Could this affect how young girls view the Princesses, especially those of color who see a part of themselves in the animated characters? Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 as its first animated film, where Snow White made her debut as the first Disney Princess. Soon after we got Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Belle. All their storylines, including Rapunzel, Anna, and Elsa, are based off of fairy tales. In 1992, all of this changed when Jasmine appeared in Aladdin. Disney began to be more diverse with their characters. Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tiana soon followed. These four princesses are known as the “princesses of color” (POC). Those who research the POC have no issues with their daughters having representation in Disney. Put aside the story origins and time period of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve for a minute. The conflict with the POC is the
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storytelling and some of the animation itself. How can that be? Jasmine and Aladdin are based on Richard Francis Burton’s One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. Along with Jasmine being the secondary character instead of the main role like her prior princesses, people had problems with the animation itself. Jasmine is Arabic, yet Disney animators created her and Aladdin in a European standard. Not sure what the critics meant by “drawing Jasmine more Arabic,” Disney received backlash for misrepresenting Arabic women. There is also the stereotypes and dehumanization of the other characters such as Jafar and his guards. Villains are not meant to be beautiful all the time, but the exaggerated facial features of Jafar and his henchmen brings into question what cultural direction Disney meant to go on this film. Pocahontas in the film of the same name has her own obvious cultural problems. We all learn in high school how the Native American princess was kidnapped and raped by Captian John Smith. This was also the beginning of Jamestown, Virginia. The Englishmen sparked the genocide of Native Americans and took over their land. Why would Disney touch this part of history and transform it into a colorful love story? Simple. Young girls needed another nonEuropean female character with leadership skills to admire in the line up. Mulan is seen as the bravest POC in the lineup. Mulan is technically not a princess, HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
but was added for the sake of diversity in Disney. The story of Mulan is close enough to the original Ballad of Mulan poem. The poem became adapted into a play, The Heroine Mulan, from which Disney got the inspiration for the film. The slight differences between Disney’s version and the play is how Mulan’s confidence and physical strength were never an issue. Of course, there were no talking sidekicks and the gender reveal was taken more with respect than the drama the film embellished it to be. Mulan has the same problem Aladdin did with its villain and minor characters. The stereotypes ruled again with the emperor and scribe. The scribe even has a strong Chinese American accent.
Disney has worked hard in trying to provide accurate, compelling, and positive storytelling. The 2-D animated films have their battles with the animation itself, but the 3-D animations are not out of the loop either. Brave received harsh criticism when it comes to Merida’s accent. The film is based on Scottish culture, and yet Merida portrays an Irish accent. 2016 brought in two more princesses from diverse backgrounds; Elena of Avalor and Moana. Disney explained how Princess Elena is a representation of various Latino cultures, but in this case one size does not fit all. Yes, Elena teaches a young audience about different Latino traditions and folktales, and she is even bilingual, but the explanations are vague for children to understand the importance of those celebrations. She also did not start off with her own film until months later, accompanied by Sofia the First, giving off the impression that a minority needed the assistance of a White girl to be free. Moana took the heat not for the Polynesian princess herself, but for her demigod companion, Maui. Maui is portrayed as an overweight character, something Polynesian activists did not agree with at all. They felt disrespected in how Maui was animated, even with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson providing a voice for him. The Polynesian myths were once again twisted to appeal to children.
Disney introduced their first African American princess in The Princess and The Frog in 2009. Tiana is a determined woman in pursuit of owning her own restaurant. The story has a great plot line, but it messed up on culture once again. Many critiqued the film for misinterpreting the religion of voodoo. The setting did not seem appropriate either, since New Orleans was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Tiana working as a cook for a White family brings up the themes of racism and slavery in the south. There were also complaints of Naveen being White instead of African American.
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Not every Disney movie is perfect. Various articles show numerous ways the company hides racism and stereotypes within their animated classics. The positive side is how each of the POC are strong candidates of feminism. All of them demonstrate independence, hard work, leadership, strength, and do not need a prince to come to their rescue. Conflicts happen when stereotypes are used and folklore misinterpreted. What is worse is that POC are not typically added to the line up. Moana and Elena will not be considered official princesses, which Disneys says is due to there already being “too many princesses.” Does this mean there cannot be too many cultures as well? Kida, Megara, Esmeralda, Giselle, Eilonwy, and Vanellope were once part of the line up, but removed because their background did not fit the “usual princess”, or in Giselle’s case, royalties would go to the actress who voices them. This can cause a young girl low self-esteem knowing a princess that represents them was not good enough. Disney still has a long way to go with cultural representation in their princess line up. Extensive research is done by their animators to bring the stories to life, but it will be more successful without racial stereotypes. It's clear more POC are needed for young girls to relate with, and it can be done without being insulting or degrading to their self esteem.
Writing has always been a part of Rosa's life, you can ask the many journals in her closet. She is a music DJ on weekends, and her hobbies include audio engineering, reading, enjoying the company of animals, and visual art.
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FOREIGN FILMS:
THE WHITE BALLOON: AN IRANIAN STORY by ANJALI PATEL
Films from other countries can provide a glimpse of the social and political obstacles people from other parts of the world face. Foreign films can also help outsiders understand various aspects of daily life such as the relationships one maintains, the recreational activities one pursues, and the way one communicates. Watching movies that display another culture is an entertaining way to learn about some of the more intimate details of that culture. While books and research papers can offer knowledge on the culture’s music, art, family dynamics, and cuisine, they usually do not demonstrate the minor yet PAGE 106
distinguishing characteristics that make normal activities unique. I find that people tend to be more reserved about their daily routine and what their weekend plans are in suburban New Jersey, while individuals are extremely open with their neighbors in villages located in other continents. The way someone talks in another nation may sound rude or inconsiderate to one but to the inhabitants, it is simply the casual way of speaking. For the most part, these differences go unnoticed unless encountered by experience or seen in documentaries and movies. HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
Most recently, I watched a foreign film called The White Balloon by filmmaker, Jafar Panahi. The film takes place in Iran and is about a young girl who wants to purchase a pet fish from the local shop. After enough nagging, her parents finally gave in and provided her with the money she needed to buy the fish. Excited to finally satisfy her desire, she ran off and of course did not go straight to the store like her parents preferred. Injected with curiosity, she went into a certain part of town that was not exactly safe for young children to be freely roaming around. She also lost the money that her parents had given her. In hopes of finding it, she meets an old wise woman who helped her find the money. Although the money was stuck in the gutter, she did not lose her hopes so quickly. Determined to obtain the currency her parents gave her, she and her brother talked to anyone and everyone who may have helped their situation. Along with the old woman, the girl meets many different people including a soldier who exchanges details about his personal life with her. One of the last individuals she and her brother meets is a young merchant selling balloons. With a long stick, he eventually helps them physically get a hold of their money again.
through many obstacles to simply buy a fish- a want that seems so insignificant when one transitions into the adult phase of his or her life. This movie reminds older people of the energy and drive young people possess. The drive telling them they can recover lost money. The drive telling them they can buy that fish. The drive telling them that they can accomplish whatever problems they have the urge to solve. This underlying theme is universal and can be applied to people who come from anywhere around the globe. While the film conveyed this ubiquitous concept, it also exposed me to certain traits of the culture in Iran during the production of the movie. For example, in the beginning of the movie, the dad sent his son to purchase shampoo since they ran out. From the start of the movie, this chore exhibits that in Iran and most likely in other parts of the world, it is fairly normal for young children to go to local shops and nearby markets alone. In suburban areas of the United States, one can rarely spot young children even going outside without their parents watching them. Additionally, the young boy selling balloons at the end of the movie looked like a teenager. While in some locations it is perfectly normal to see young vendors stroll down the street selling their merchandise, it is a foreign concept in suburban New Jersey. These components add to the understanding of what it is like to live in the capital of Iran.
Throughout this film, I could not help but notice the young girl’s persistence and dedication. She refused to go home and let her parents know that she had lost the money. Instead, she dealt with adults who did not take her seriously and gave her trouble when all she wanted to do was buy a fish. She did not practice her tenacious behavior for any higher purpose. She went HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
I hope this article has encouraged you to watch a foreign film soon!
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THE PRIVILEGE OF GOING ABROAD
KAYLA JENNINGS RIVERA
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Two years ago, I thought I would never study abroad due to my time, finances, and the feelings of my family members. Today, I am writing this article on a plane on my way to Sydney, Australia; this will be my third time studying abroad.
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fter my freshman year of college, I felt like I needed to getaway from everything and applied to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. When I received my acceptance email, I cried in the hallway of my lecture hall as I Facetimed my mom. I was overjoyed at the thought of being able to travel especially outside of the United States. With upcoming expenses for the abroad trip, I turned to GoFundMe to raise money for program fees, plane tickets, etc. Days before the deadline, I had barely raised any money and my mother expressed to me that she didn’t support me going abroad and wouldn’t help me. I had to reject my acceptance and believed I would never be able to go abroad because I couldn’t afford it and my family wouldn’t approve to help me. Additionally, with my curriculum and activities at school it wouldn’t have been convenient to go abroad for any other semester.
days of the application being released and was thankfully accepted because it changed my life. I took the spring semester off due to a family emergency but the thought of going to London kept me optimistic about my studies. Traveling to London felt like a dream and terrifying at the same time. While I was in London, I decided that I wanted to stay abroad and applied to another program through my university that would take place days after London. I was accepted and spent 7 weeks studying in Greece. I pitched the trip to my mom as a “way to make up credits” from my semester off. From a financial standpoint, by taking a semester off I saved money that I would then use for going abroad. I am now on my way to my third study abroad location. I will be taking a class in Sydney, Australia over 2 weeks. I had planned to take a January class to help balance my credits and when I saw the option to go abroad again, I jumped at it especially since I am registering part-time next semester. I know that I am extremely fortunate to have these opportunities because I know what it feels like to not have the chance. Going abroad is so special to me since I thought I would never get the chance. It looked like everyone else got to do it so I wondered why not me?
I spent my fall semester of sophomore year dreaming of going abroad and being extremely jealous of those who were able to do so. At the end of the semester, an advisor told me to study abroad over the summer to take my general ed classes and I told her I would never afford it or be allowed. I then went to another advisor and he told me that he would be teaching in London for 3 weeks over the summer and that I should look into going there. When I told my mom, she was hesitant but said yes to the idea knowing she would know someone in London with me. As far as finances, I was able to take out financial aid to cover the program and borrowed money to pay for the flight upfront. I applied within a few HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
I am grateful that things worked out for me in the way they did. By taking a semester off, then commuting to school, and now registering part-time I have been able to justify taking the loans out to go abroad and
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and has given me the opportunity to make up credits to be on track with graduating on time. Going abroad is a privilege - not everyone can do it. It is an experience that may truly be once in a lifetime for some. There is so personal and intellectual growth to happen abroad that I wish everyone who wants the opportunity can do it and I encourage those to try. I know how it feels to try and not make it but I didn’t give up and my life has completely changed because of it. I feel extremely fortunate and will cherish the memories I have together. I am glad that I was told no because it has made me appreciate the trips so much more than I would have. I saw others doing it and assumed it could happen to me but didn’t understand what I would have to go through to make it to (literally) where I am today. I want others to understand how much of a privilege it is to go abroad and don’t take it for granted. There will be things you will see that most people won’t come close to in their lifetime. If you are thinking about going abroad for the first time, please do! Even if it is just for a few weeks I promise it’ll be worth it. Cherish every moment. If you are trying to go abroad, don’t stop. There is a time and place for everything and you will learn to appreciate the journey of figuring things out.
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Kayla is studying Film/TV Production at New York University. Her passions include learning new things, meeting new people, educating others, and discovering more about her culture and who she is in this big world.
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The Questions of a Fledgling Catholic Feminist by april federico
I’m part of the age group called Generation Z. For those of you who have lost track of who Gen X, Y, Z and the Millennials are, those of us in Gen Z are the group who were born in the mid-90s. According to market researchers we are multi-taskers, entrepreneurial, and are more likely to be independent self-starters.
accustomed to receiving and processing constant “updates” from various social media platforms and whatever apps are trending. Some say this has made it difficult for us to develop and maintain long-term attention spans, but the neurological jury is still out on that. We were born well after many of the most dramatic developments in the civil rights and gender equality movements, and we were just infants and toddlers when 9/11 changed so much of the world. We were
We have grown up with, and are almost never without our digital devices – unless required to unplug by a college professor or manager -- and, as a result, we’re
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young elementary school students during much of the great recession and the country’s outrage against Wall Street greed and corporate scofflaws. So, some hypothesize that we are less concerned with the value of a dollar (presumably because we’re too young to have understood financial strife).
Sunday morning services are the most popular, well-attended, high-visibility services of the week. It’s “The Big Show.” And, lo and behold, at this one mass, the altar boys are all … well … boys. Readings are more likely to be done by a our male student. In other words, the highest profile services are led by men.
Thanks to the rapid pace of technological and communication developments, we are also the most global generation of this era. In fact, we are likely to have more in common with our peers around the world than we do with other generations within our own culture. Last, but not least, we are a generation that wants to make a difference in the world. We volunteer, want jobs that make a positive impact on the world, are environmentally responsible, and we are distinguished by our unprecedented diversity.
I consider myself a feminist, but this does not preclude me from deriving a lot from my faith. I’m a regular church-goer, and I’m a lector at the Sunday night student masses on campus. Maybe it’s this level of involvement and my Gen Z comfort with diversity and positive social impact that lead me to look into this observation further. I found that the rosters of lectors, altar servers, and Eucharistic Ministers are predominantly made up of women. Statistically it seems that women would have a higher likelihood of being assigned to the higher profile masses.
So, as a Gen Z student at a small Catholic college in New England, I’m pretty sure some of those generational characteristics made me notice that the young women at my school outnumber their male counterparts by roughly 2 to 1 when it comes to our involvement in church activities and spiritual pursuits.
So, the question remained with me when I arrived home for our Winter Break and attended service at our hometown church. While this is pretty anecdotal evidence, I immediately noticed a similar trend at the popular 11:30 AM mass: an all-male cortege of altar servers, communion servers, and deacons.
Throughout the week, women on my campus are in the majority when it comes to reading at mass, volunteering as altar servers, and participating in various spiritually-focused groups. Except when it comes to the Sunday morning mass.
So, I have to ask: What’s up with that? Haven’t we gotten past things like this?
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I know. This is hardly an original question. Sex and gender roles in the Roman Catholic Church have been the subject of controversy and intrigue for centuries. Christians who hold traditional views believe that men and women are created equal in the sight of God. But there is also the traditional (some would say archaic) belief that, while being equally important, men and women are also created to be different and play different roles in society and the church. The church claims to follow the authority of the Bible (i.e. ‘We must obey God rather than conform to modern trends …’) and, for Catholics, there is also the authority of the teachings of the Catholic Church. These influences and definitions of “traditional” gender roles in the church have relegated women to take either no part in Church leadership, or assume limited roles.
nighttime masses are attended almost exclusively by students. Is there a survey somewhere that indicates the public is more comfortable with all-male participants in mass? By contrast, are the evening masses geared toward students lead by more women to satisfy our generational preference for gender equality and diversity? The Bible states that both male and female were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and Saint Paul’s teachings famously state that there is ‘neither male nor female’ (Galations 3:28). Jesus’ own treatment of women – that of dignity and respect – is often cited. There have even been compelling arguments made asserting that Jesus was a feminist. So, here’s one more question: Is it possible to be a Catholic and a Feminist? Or Muslim? Or Buddhist?
It’s been many years since girls and women were permitted to be altar servers. So, female involvement in mass isn’t something new, controversial, or revolutionary any more. But if the high-profile services I attend are any indicators, it also means that the women’s involvement, like my own, in celebrating mass is something to keep on the down-low. We’re good enough to work all week long behind the scenes and “fill-in” for our male counterparts in all but The Big Show.
And I can answer this one. Yes. A Catholic by definition believes in several very specific things: that God is the creator of heaven and earth; Jesus Christ is the son of God, who was crucified, died and resurrected; the Holy Spirit; the holy Catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and life everlasting. These beliefs define members of the Catholic church.
Maybe it’s a PR thing. On our campus, the general public are more likely to attend Church on Sunday morning, and our Abbey is filled with many more non-university students at this service. Whereas the HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
The doctrines of men change, but the heart of our faiths – whether Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, or any other – remains the same. And it is this fact that leaves it up to the individual to follow his/
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conscience when it comes to following doctrines that are not central to their religious affiliations. Even in this day and age, we still can see the vestiges of gender inequality in regular practice – some more subtle than others – and we know that there is a need for the feminist in the Catholic church. Without Catholic feminists over the many decades we would not have women celebrating our beliefs as lectors, altar servers, music directors, or communion servers. And we
would not be able to look forward to futures changes that can only come about through the efforts of feminists today and tomorrow. We’re not at odds with our respective faiths – we are needed by them. I’m a Catholic feminist, and I know I have many Generation Z contemporaries across many religions. Committed to our faiths we are an asset to our churches, not a threat, as we help them evolve and embrace the world as our generation has.
April is an English & Spanish double Major at Saint Anselm College with a minor in Gender Studies because she is redheaded ambition! She is just a New England-er with an appetite for coffee, peanut butter, writing, and service.
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THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM by Sri Varre James Truslow Adams was the first person to publicly define the American Dream in the Epic of America. He wrote that the American dream was, “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”
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The American Dream was never only about being rich and living a lavish lifestyle, but in the 1920’s, this is how people choose to define the term. At its root, the American dream was about accepting one another regardless of their background. Unfortunately the majority of American have lived under the misconception that America was only a land of opportunity. A land for jobs where no man lives in poverty lives with a happy family, and never faces struggles. Many will say today that America has reached a boiling point with its endless problems spanning from foreign issues to environmental issues to social issues, but honestly, people have missed the rare gift America offers: diversity.
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Sri spends her days thinking about how she wants to change the world and making others laugh. She hopes to one day travel the world and have her own non-profit.
There is no other country in the world that represents as many nationalities as America. Yes, America has and continues to struggle to stand united with every ethnic group, but that will change if more people see that all their problems can be solved if they recognize that there are multiple people who are facing the same problem. At the end of the say, everyone wants to be happy, do what they love, and surround themselves with like-minded people. These like-minded people should be the same race of that person.People want to stereotype every race when in reality the majority do not fit the stereotype. It is a civic duty to become friends with people not based on race, but on common interests and values. Additionally, there is no need to agree on every issue. The goal is to respect one another's opinion and be open to another perspective. Hearing a story about one’s life can teach a person to broaden their views on life and realize what they may have thought to be true in his or her life may be false.
distinction from another American. The wealth a man has means nothing unless he recognizes the people who helped him reach that point. Not everyone came from a prosperous household. The few that have been able to live their dream life despite their humble backgrounds have sometimes forgotten the people who helped them reach their success. The most important life lessons are learned when a person has nothing but his or her loved ones. Based on this idea, people should take moment to see what really makes them happy. Is it really that million dollar house, an Aston Martin, their high position at work or is it the work they are doing and the people they are doing it with? Hopefully, more Americans see that they can live a full life if they find what makes them happy and not base it on the American Dream. These people are not certain ethnic groups they are Americans too. Each day people must think about how we can unite as a society not how they can divide. The essence of the American Dream is living as one. All the details are what make each dreams unique but as a whole, they send the message.
In the 1930’s this related more to your economic status than your race whereas today race has become the main factor. Americans would be pleasantly surprised by all the similarities they have to other ethnicities. A person’s skin color and his or her’s skin color is the only
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WHAT MY TRIP TO THE UN TAUGHT ME ABOUT YOUTH BY ALEXANDRA CURTIS In November, I had the opportunity to visit the United Nations in conjunction with Lehigh University. We attended their Youth-Led Briefing on Poverty and Education. The UN has developed seventeen long-term sustainable goals to work towards peace for all citizens of the world. The Youth-Led Briefing was discussing goals 1, 4, and 16, using the catchphrase “1+4=16”. Goal one is the elimination of poverty, goal four is quality education, and goal sixteen is peace, justice, and strong institutions.
All that being said, when I first found out we were going to see the UN Youth-Led Briefing, I expected children and teenagers, not adults aged 18-32. You cannot be on the committee until you are eighteen, and many of the committee members had already completed their master’s degrees. Attending the United Nations taught me that to make true change, you need to be informed and experienced in your field. I long to be able to make changes in the world, but at the ripe age of seventeen, I am simply not experienced enough.
The speakers from the Youth Steering Committee represented the Department of Public Information’s Non-Governmental Organizations. One goal that particularly stuck with me was one woman’s push to educate youth prison inmates. Besides being inspired by what many young people had accomplished, I was also struck by their passion in fulfilling those goals.
I also learned that despite all the negativity taking over the world lately, there are still good people left, trying to make a difference in society. One day, these long-term sustainable goals will no longer be goals, but actualities, thanks to the work of people like the members of the Youth Steering Committee.
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PAYING FOR MY EDUCATION by kayla jennings rivera There is a lot of talk about student loans recently and there is an argument for free education and loan forgiveness. I believe that generally education shouldn’t be free but rather universities should find a way to lower costs and offer better scholarships. With loan forgiveness, I think after years of consistent payments there can be the option but that everyone has to accept the loans at which they take out and be held accountable for them. As someone with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, it would make it easier if my loans were forgiven but it just wouldn’t be fair. I would love to not be in debt but I don’t argue with it because I choose to go to NYU and take out loans because I want the education. I knew what I was signing up for, not to the exact magnitude, but generally I expected college to be expensive. I’ve considered what would happen if I went to another university - would I save money? Would it be worth it? I can’t predict how much financial aid I’d receive at other schools but I am not willing to transfer because I value my education now. Unfortunately, I don’t make enough money or have any savings to pay a portion of my school bill each semester. I have no other option but to take out student loans and I even take out extra money to get a refund that’ll help me throughout the semester. Saying that, it seems like no matter how much my bill is - it is still more money than I have and can pay. The thought is frustrating, I would do anything to turn back time and save every penny I’ve ever received since birth. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible so I just accept the reality. I understand what my monthly payments would be after I graduate and how long I’d have to pay them for. I don’t view my loans as a choice because I’ve had no other options. Most importantly, I understand that the experiences I will have over my 4 years at NYU are priceless and at the same time - exactly what I pay for.
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THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER by stephanie tom
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Once again, the calendars change as January draws in a new year, but for many Asians, the calendars announce the arrival of a new year twice. It’s the arrival of the Lunar New Year, commonly referred to as Chinese New Year, once more. Chinese New Year marks the beginning of another year by the lunisolar calendar, which follows the moon phases and their times during the solar year. It’s a major holiday that is celebrated every year by Asian communities all around the globe, from China and Hong Kong, to its neighboring countries Korea and Japan, to Southeastern Asian countries including Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, among others. The holiday spans fifteen days, halfway through the first lunar month, and starts on the night of the new moon, usually between January 21 and February 20, according to Josie Griffiths in her article “Cheers to the New Year” that was published in The Sun on January 10. This year, the date happens to fall on January 28. Like all holidays, Chinese New Year is welcomed by elaborate feasts with family and friends and time spent with loved ones. The most festive celebrations start the night prior, with a traditional reunion feast between relatives. For many people, especially Buddhists, this meal is vegetarian, and meat is eaten the next day. On New Year’s Day, red envelopes full of lucky money for good fortune and health, are given by adults, usually to kids. Ancestors and elder relatives are honored visited. Some invite dragon dancers into their home or venue, where the dragon is believed to chase away bad spirits and officially welcome in the new year. Celebrations vary from family to family and community to community for the next few days, but the festivities usually end by the fourth day after the start of the month, and people return to their usual routines. Many Chinese traditions that surround the holiday originated from a legend about the Nian monster, a ferocious creature that came down from the mountains once a year, on the day of the Lunar New Year, to eat a village and wreak havoc. Villagers who lived near the mountains were terrified, and grew fearful of the new year, until an old man went to the village and advised them on ways to scare away the Nian monster, by hanging up red lanterns and banners, playing loud drums, and setting off firecrackers, all of which it was afraid. These practices became tradition, and even today, Chinese communities that celebrate the New Year still hang up lucky banners and lanterns, light firecrackers, and dress in red. The legend of the Nian monster isn’t
the only myth that traditions stem from, however. Superstitions in avoiding bad luck are also practiced prior to the day of the New Year: houses are swept and cleaned to “sweep out all of the bad luck;” people go to get haircuts to “cut off all of the bad luck” that may remain from the previous year; and new clothes are bought so that evil spirits won’t recognize the wearer and bring them bad luck. As previously stated, this year, 2017, is the year of the rooster, the tenth out of twelve animals represented in the cycle of the Chinese zodiac, which the years are named for. Legend has it that on the Jade Emperor’s birthday, he invited all of the animals of the earth to his palace in the sky for a celebration, and offered to name years after the first twelve animals that reached the heavens. The cycle, in order, names one year for the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. Horoscopes change for people born in different years in relation to the animal of the current year. People born in the year of the rooster include those born in the years 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, or 2017, and are said to be trustworthy, punctual, and responsible. To all those that celebrate, I wish a very happy Chinese New Year – or rather, 新年快 乐 (xīn nián kuài lèu, in ping ying.)
Stephanie is a high school student living in New York who writes and serves as an editor for both her school newspaper and literary magazine. She has previously won a Gold Key from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her poetry, and her work has either appeared in or is forthcoming in Dear Damsels, Hypertrophic Literary, and Rising Phoenix Review, among other places.
Exploring Acceptance and Love
in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
I
’ve always been a fan of musical theater. Though I haven’t performed in a show since I was ten years old and have a voice that will forever keep me from making it on the stage, I spend much of my time listening to broadway soundtracks and attending school musicals around my hometown. So of course, I was thrilled when I had the chance to see “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway this past December. The actors and actresses had talent beyond imagination, the sets were elaborate and stunning, the music was unlike anything I’d ever heard, and I left the theater in tears. However, it wasn’t the fantastic performance that completely captivated me. Rather, it was the deeply tragic and moving story of the Phantom.
Opera House in order to get her starring roles; he hangs the chief stagehand in the middle of a performance and crashes a massive chandelier onto the stage. Christine, though enchanted by his music, loves someone else, and she ultimately assists in the plot to kill him. While the show is filled with terror, passion, and energy, it is really in the last scene of the musical where the show reaches its emotional and thematic height. The Phantom kidnaps Christine and brings her to his lair, where he forces her into a wedding dress, gives her a ring, and attempts to make her marry him. Christine’s lover, Raoul, comes to rescue her, begging the Phantom for compassion. To this, he replies, “The world showed no compassion to me!” and he traps Raoul with a noose, threatening to hang him as well. The Phantom gives Christine a choice: either she marries him, or he kills Raoul. It is in this moment that Christine comes to a realization; The Phantom wants to be able to show and receive love, but he doesn’t know how to because he has been treated like a monster for his entire life. “Pitiful creature of darkness,/What kind of life have you known?/God give me courage to show you/You are not alone,” she says and, overwhelmed by compassion, kisses him. The Phantom, being shown his first act of kindness, realizes that he cannot force Christine to love him, and he sets both her and Raoul free. Left to his grief, the Phantom laments the loss of his happiness and vanishes into the night.
At its core, “The Phantom of the Opera” comes across as a variation of “Beauty and the Beast,” but with a tragic ending. The story was written by French author Gaston Leroux and was published in 1910. The musical version, adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber, opened on Broadway in 1986. It is now Broadway’s longest running musical. “Phantom” primarily takes place in the Paris Opera House, or Opéra Populaire. The story centers around two characters; Christine Daaé, an orphaned chorus girl with a beautiful voice, and the Phantom, a malevolent and dark being who lives under the Opera House. He is a musical genius, but he is cursed with terrible facial deformity that has caused him to be ostracized from society and feared by all. He teaches Christine to sing under the guise of an “Angel of Music” and terrorizes the HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
While “Beauty and the Beast” teaches us
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the importance of looking past appearances and treating everyone with compassion, “Phantom of the Opera” shows us what happens when we (too often) fail to do so. People fear the Phantom because he is different, both in appearances, and in spirit, and because of that, they never make an attempt to understand him. However, the story of Christine and the Phantom is not unique, and this exact mentality is reflected in our everyday lives. Everywhere we look, we see people preaching about treating others equally. We encourage others to invite the kid sitting alone to eat with them. We champion looking past racial and cultural boundaries to see the person that isn’t quite so different than us. We tell ourselves that we value the “misfits” in our society. And of course, these are serious and important things to be promoting. However, if we take an honest look at ourselves, it’s rare to see others truly doing these things. Because it makes us uncomfortable and afraid. It’s much easier to fit in nicely with our peers that look, think, and act exactly like us. The Phantom shows us what happens when we fail to reach out to others who are different than us and treat them with judgment and cruelty because of our fear. Though the Phantom is a full-grown adult, he has the behavior and attitude of a small child. He throws temper tantrums, is prone to jealousy and anger, and lashes out at the people he cares about. His understanding of love is minimal and awkward at best because he never developed the emotional and mental maturity to truly understand it. However, although the Phantom is a PAGE 132
despicable character who does some truly horrific things throughout the show, he ends the story as a sympathetic character. When he is shown love, he undergoes a deep, psychological change. He begins to show compassion, empathy, and he and Christine understand each other for the first time. The Phantom’s behavior doesn’t represent individuals, but rather, the fear and hatred that can permeate our society when we fail to accept each other. “The Phantom of the Opera” teaches us that when we reach out to those who are different than us and look past exteriors, it is easy to find someone whom we can understand and connect with. It shows us that it is worth stepping out of our comfort zones to speak to those we might never interact with. It is only when we do this that we can truly reach the level of love, compassion, and understanding necessary to make the world a more peaceful and accepting place. If we fail to do this, then all that we will be left with is tragedy.
Talia Trackim is a high school senior from Pennsylvania with a passion for writing, the arts, global issues, and culture. When she's not busy editing her school's newspaper or writing for Her Culture, you can find her with a good book, listening to show-tunes, or planning her next big adventure.
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GRANADA AND THE COEXISTING MUSLIM AND SPANISH CULTURES by Engi Abou-El-Kheir Tiny cobblestone paths and alleys. Green trees lining outdoor cafes with small tea sets on the tables. Steep inclines with crooked stairs leading up to the sky. Ancient castles crumbling at the edges. Majestic. The city of Granada sits between the Sierra Nevada and the vast vega plains in the region of Andalusia. The whole Iberian Peninsula belonged to the Muslims starting in the year 711, and Granada—similarly to Cordoba— had been a central point in the kingdom because it was easy to protect and beautiful to live in. Hundreds of years of on-and-off Muslim rule ended in 1492 when it reverted to Spanish rule under Isabella and Ferdinand after its capture. As the rest of Spain slowly developed into an individualistic country with only touches of the past Muslim conquests here and there, Granada firmly retained elements from both.
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Last summer, I visited Granada. Because we live in troubled times today due to cultural and religious divides, people use race, beliefs, preconceived ideas and prejudices as scarlet letters and use them to mark and divide members of the same country and society. In all the other countries I’ve visited, specifically European ones, there has always been that distinction between people who were different. Because of that, seeing how Granada is a mix of the best of all that is admirable from both civilizations. was inspiring to witness. Granada was the only place I’ve ever been where there didn’t seem to be a barrier between Muslim nationals and other Spaniards. The two groups coexisted because they were the same. I was only there on holiday, but there didn’t seem to be any differences between them. They were citizens in one country that brought them all together.
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Walking through the touristy squares of Granada, one can find the street vendors speaking four different languages. There are Arab Spanish as well as immigrant Arabs and Spanish citizens of all different races, histories and backgrounds. You can walk on one street and find a traditional Arab restaurant and a traditional Spanish next door to each other even though the food has long been melded together to create dishes and meals unique to the province. There are small touches of Arab architecture in both Spanish churches and in the streets. You can hear Spanish and Arabic being spoken by people wearing Arabic garments and hijabs, people wearing traditional Spanish wear and people dressed in Western attire. There are also bits of Turkish and North America cultures mixed into the city as well. It truly is, in all senses, a cultural melting pot.
about a world that looked like this. After all the struggles between these two peoples, there is understanding. I could envision the same for other countries while observing the entire beautiful city, and I felt peace.
Due to torture and clashes that occurred when the Spanish and the Muslims fought over the area, there has been a bitter history between the two sides. Relations have gotten better over time, and 500 years after the fall of Muslim Spain, a mosque was finally given to the Muslims of Granada in 2003. Many things about Granada filled me with a sense of hope: hearing the call to prayer at the top of the whole town while climbing all the way to the mosque’s gates and seeing the historic Alhambra fortress and palace across the hills of the city from the balcony. Nothing is perfect for there will always be tension that arises, but feeling the searing Spanish sun beat down on me, all the other tourists taking selfies and the locals walking by after their daily afternoon naps allowed me to dream PAGE 136
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INDIAN WOMEN & OBJECTIFICATION by sri varre
I have grown up watching Indian movies
human they will never earn the respect they have wished for their entire life. Men will continue to see them as a play toy that they can use as they desire.
because my parents forced me to watch them. In the beginning, I had no interest in these movies, but eventually they grew on me and I became addicted. Today I always stay up to date with all the famous actors and actresses and which movies they are starring in and their release dates. Honestly, I don’t know why I still have this yearning to watch them. Maybe I watch them for the comedy scences or maybe it is because of the variety of songs, but I definitely do not watch Indian movies for the actresses.
Women can not be taken seriously unless she has a purpose in her life. If they choose to, they can become prostitutes, but many women are extorted into prostitution. Her purpose must come from within not from that of a man. Some may feel that the only way they can get the attention of a man is by acting like their servant and conforming to their standards, yet there are many men who really do not care how a woman portrays herself if she has confidence in herself. This one characteristic is what the majority of women lack and it because we think men only like the typical curvy body. For women to gain the confidence, she must believe in her opinions.
Ever since Indian movies became a worldwide phenomenon, women’s role in movies have become even more disgraceful. Before they used to just act as the love interest of the lead actor, but now they also dance in item songs of movies. An item song is defined by the women’s provocative actions and is usually played in bars in India. To be more specific, the women in these songs commonly wear a sari blouse and a skirt or a very revealing dress. The lyrics to the songs are always asking the guy or guys to participate in a form of intimacy. In turn, the lead actor or ‘hero’ usually will touch the woman's waist in a seductive manner. Then the women will pretend to act shy or will try to play a game with the actor to try to increase his interest in her. Also all her dance moves will involve her shaking her hips, moving her chest out, or her butt out. Yes, some people do make the case that when a girl dresses and acts the way she wants, they are invincible. At the same time, when the woman herself is hoping to be since as an object and not a HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2017
The same can be done in Indian movies. There are multiple actresses in the industry that could speak out about this topic and ask why they can’t play the same role of a man. Today in India more women work in rural areas than cities because they do not have the same opportunities that men have. Also, the gender wage gap only continues to widen. Women earn 56% of what their male coworkers earn for completing the same job. This is all a consequence of the depiction of women in Indian films. Women never feel empowered when she sees her role models only acting as the lover, wife, or boyfriend of the hero. Indian films must female's be in lead roles and prove that they do have strength.
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MY SUMMER IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC by talia trackim
I’m fortunate enough to go to a school that values new experiences and exploration. I’m also fortunate to have teachers with a passion for travelling and pushing students outside of their comfort zones. My AP Psychology teacher has been leading student trips for years, exploring Greece, Italy, France, Costa Rica and more. Two years ago during my sophomore year of high school, he presented the student body with the chance of a lifetime; a trip to Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands. Up until that point I had never travelled outside the United States, save a trip to Canada for my brother’s hockey tournament when I was fourteen. However, I had always been fascinated by other cultures and the thought of seeing a completely different part of the world was extremely enticing. A year and a half later, I found myself, as well as nearly sixty other teachers and students, on a plane heading to the other side of the world. It is hard to find people in my home on the East Coast who have visited the South Pacific. The flight takes over 20 hours, a bit of a hike compared to the seven hour flight to London or the six hour trip to California. Nonetheless, the flight was considerably exceptional. After a six hour trip to California (and nearly missing our next flight due to delays) we boarded Air New Zealand, our airline for the majority of our trip. The airplane was big and spacious, with lovely flight attendants, generous meals, and of course, all six movies of the Lord of the Rings franchise ready to go on our tv screens.
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When we finally arrived in Sydney, Australia, we were taken aback by the chilly air. Australia was in its winter season (which is during summer in the United States), and city goers were bundled up in heavy coats and boots, despite the fact that it was just sixty degrees. In its summer months, Australia gets extremely hot, with its record temperature being at 123.3 degrees Fahrenheit in 1960. We were introduced to our tour guides who would accompany us through the duration of the trip; Luke was a tour guide from Melbourne, Australia, and Tiggy was a nomad who traveled the world giving tours and teaching yoga. They were both extremely friendly and kind, and they were eager to show us their home country. We spent four days in Sydney and took full advantage of our time there. On our first night there, we immediately set out to tour the city, spending most of our night in Darling Harbor while fighting jet lag. Darling Harbor is located right out of the city center, and it is a unique and eclectic area filled with energetic restaurants, museums, and gorgeous views. Enchanted by the view of the city at night, a couple of my friends and I decided to take a ride on the Ferris Wheel to get a better view. The ride attendant immediately recognized our American accents and asked us where we were from. “We’re from Pennsylvania. We’re here on a school trip, this is our first night here,” my friend Garrison told him. The attendant gave us a smile. “It seems like
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you guys in the United States are always so stressed out. Always rushing from one place to the next. You don’t see that here. We wake up and think, ‘Maybe today I’ll go for a run or take a swim. Maybe I’ll catch up with some friends over lunch. Who knows what the day will bring?’”
markets with booths selling everything from crystals, to costumes, to bags.
My friends and I quickly agreed, noting that everyone in Sydney seemed much more relaxed and content than those from the busy northeastern cities of the U.S. As our time in Sydney continued, we saw this easy-going, healthy lifestyle more and more. However, our four days in Sydney were anything but relaxed. We visited the Opal museum where we learned about the history of the Opal in Australia, took a view of the city from the Sydney Tower, and explored the vibrant
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We took a harbor cruise, where we saw amazing views of the Opera House and the city from a distance whilst truly engaging in the atmosphere of a coastal city, and we visited two different zoos. The first was a much smaller zoo, containing smaller animals like platypuses, koalas, and young kangaroos. The second zoo, Taronga Zoo, was much larger, housing animals such as elephants, giraffes, wombats, tasmanian devils, ring tailed lemurs, and more. Taronga Zoo was also extremely focused on conservation; they kept their animals in humane, natural, and spacious environments, gave educational lectures about different species of animals and how to protect them, and explained some
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of the culture of the aboriginal people of Australia. One thing I noticed about Australia was that for every group event or tour, such as the educational lecture, the guide always began by acknowledging the aboriginal people that previously inhabited the land. Obviously, one of the most magical moments of the trip was getting to visit and tour the Sydney Opera House. It was grand and elegant, filled with so much interesting history and culture. However, my favorite part of Sydney was partaking in a nature hike on our last day that stretched across six different beaches in Sydney. On the hike, I saw some of the most beautiful scenery one could ever imagine, as well as what was probably the most realistic look into daily life for Sydney’s inhabitants. As we walked, we came across early morning joggers and people walking their dogs, couples having coffee on the porch and watering their plants, as well as swimmers in the ocean and a zumba class in an open studio overlooking the sea.
I was especially delighted by the snack stand on the boardwalk, which sold fruit smoothies, tea, gluten-free cookies, nuts, fruit, and other nutritious snacks, much unlike the hot dog and french fry laden boardwalks you’d find in America. The food in Sydney was much healthier and much more vegetarian/vegan/ gluten-free friendly than popular American cuisine. As our time in Sydney came to an end, I was sad to leave the sunny shores of this bustling
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city. However, I was thrilled to embark on the journey to the rainy New Zealand. After a quick three hour plane ride, we were on a bus heading to Rotorua, a city along the southern border of a lake of the same name on the North Island. New Zealand was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The air was cool and damp, and the land was filled with rolling hills and mountains covered in blankets of fog and mist. We pulled into our hotel in Rotorua after dark, where the first thing we noticed was the scent of rotting eggs, something that none of us had been expecting. Tiggy and Luke explained to us that the scent was coming from the geothermal sulfur springs and geysers that populated the area. Though the scent was intense at first, we quickly began to get used to it as we spent more time in the city and got to see the geysers up close. On our first full day in New Zealand we rose early to the sunrise spreading over Lake Rotorua and then set out to visit Whakarewarewa, The Living Māori Village. The Māori people were the first people to populate New Zealand, coming to the country 1,000 years ago from the mythical Polynesian land of Hawaiki. Today, the Māori people make up 14% of the population of New Zealand, and their culture is an integral part of modern day New Zealand. Whakarewarewa is home to the Tuhourangi/Ngati Wahiao people, and they have been welcoming visitors into their village since the early 1800s to share and preserve their culture. We were led through the village to see houses, shops, a church and meeting hall, and people working around the
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the village. We were also shown the magnificent sulfur springs and geysers. The geothermal activity is an essential part of everyday life in Whakarewarewa, as the hot springs and oil baths are used for cooking, cleaning, and bathing. The Māori people also use the geothermal activity to make hāngi food. In this traditional method of cooking, the food is placed on hot stones at the bottom of a hole and covered to trap the heat, where it cooks for three to four hours. That night, we were given another opportunity to learn more about Māori history and culture when we visited the Tamaki Māori Village, a center for cultural preservation and storytelling. Our night began when we were picked up and driven to the village. The bus driver was warm and
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generous, teaching us key Māori phrases such as, “Kia Ora!”, a Māori greeting, and explaining to us the structure of the night. Upon arriving, we were immediately ushered to a pavilion overlooking the official entrance to the village. We were told to present our “chiefs”, (our school resource officer and our AP Psych teacher), who would represent us to the Māori people. We were greeted by an ancient welcoming ceremony, which was used to figure out whether guests were friends or enemies. This initial ceremony was incredibly intense and unlike anything I had ever seen. Once it was over the team running the village welcomed us and invited us into the village. Once inside, we were shown various parts of ancient Māori culture, including traditional games, tattoo methods, and weapons. We were also taught the haka, an ancient war dance
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used to intimidate enemies and show the unity and strength of the Māori people. After the tour we were brought into an auditorium, where we watched performances of the haka as well as other traditional songs and dances. The night concluded with a delicious hāngi feast.
warm after the frigid New Zealand air. We even travelled to the town of Matamata to tour the beautiful Hobbiton set of the beloved “Lord of the Rings” movies. But our time in New Zealand came to an end, and we set off on our journey to our last stop: the Cook Islands.
Though the visit only scratched the surface of Māori culture and there is still so much for me to learn, it was an incredibly moving and heartfelt experience. The Rotorua Māori who made up the team at Tamaki Māori Village were kind and welcoming, and they seemed truly delighted to share their culture with others. During the hangi dinner we talked and laughed, held hands and prayed, and sung songs about love, peace, and acceptance. When the night had finished and we had said our goodbyes, our bus driver returned us home, where we continued to sing the whole way back. As we pulled into the parking lot of our hotel, the driver sang us one last song to say goodbye, hoping we’d meet again some day. I went to bed that night with a full heart.
The Cook Islands is a nation in the South Pacific made up of 15 distinct islands. We visited Rarotonga, the largest island in the nation. When we stepped off the plane in Rarotonga, we were delighted to be greeted by warm air and a bright sun, and we eagerly shed off the layers we had been wearing to keep us warm from the New Zealand morning. A man played cheerful songs to greet newcomers as we waited in line for customs, and my classmates and I were filled with sentimentality as we realized that this was our last stop on our trip. Once we left the airport, we were picked up by buses from the hotel. My friend, Suki, and I sat in the very front of the bus, where we got a first hand view of the island as we drove to our hotel. The land was mountainous and green like New Zealand, but much brighter and warmer, and the air smelt of the sand and the sea. Our hotel laid right along a lagoon, and over the course of the two and a half days we were there we spent much of our free time there swimming, walking along the shore, and enjoying tropical fruit and live music. However, we still had a full agenda.
Before leaving New Zealand, we had the chance to experience other parts of the culture. We visited an agrodome where we watched a farm show and met over a dozen different types of sheep. We rode a Gondola up the mountain, saw a beautiful view of the landscape, and then rode down on a luge, which is a hybrid between a go-cart and a toboggan that runs on gravity. We took a trip to Hell’s Gate, a sulfur spa, where we bathed in mud and then soaked in a steamy sulfur spring, making our skin glow and our bodies
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Our first full day there was probably my favorite day of the whole trip. We rose early in the morning to the sound of roosters, threw
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on bathing suits under our shorts and tshirts, and boarded a bus to visit a local elementary school. There, we had the wonderful opportunity to watch the students in their end of term performance. The theme was marine life, and they incorporated lessons that they had learned from their classes into traditional songs and dances to drums and ukuleles. After the performance, the students of the school invited us to try some of the local cuisine, taught us how to do some of the traditional dances, and talked and played with us during their recess. The students even asked us to teach them some of the dances from the United States. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience that allowed us to see a more authentic, human side of another culture in an open and relaxed setting. After our time at the school, we made our way to a local lagoon where we changed into our bathing suits, pulled on some flippers, and boarded a boat to go snorkeling. I had never been snorkeling before and didn’t know what to expect, but I can honestly say that it was one of the best things I have ever done. When I dove off the edge of the boat and into the water I was quickly transported into another world. The lagoon was cool and somewhat deep, but extremely clear. It was also home to a coral reef. Everywhere I looked I saw stunning colors and interesting shapes and patterns in the coral, as well as dozens of different types of fish swimming between the coral, moving so close to you that you could almost reach out and touch them. We spent about an hour exploring the reef before
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climbing back onto the boat, tired, but refreshed. Our captain steered us to a local island for lunch, where we were treated to a delicious meal of grilled tuna and tropical fruit. We were also shown some other aspects of Cook Island culture, such as how to open up a coconut, how to wear a sarong, and how to climb a coconut tree, all whilst enjoying the beach and more traditional music. By this point, our trip was nearing its end, and we prepared to depart from the South Pacific. As we were packing our bags and loading them onto the buses for the drive back to the airport, the manager of the hotel came out to see us off. “Here in the Cook Islands, we don’t really say goodbye,” he told us. “We say, ‘we’ll see you again.’” On the plane ride back to the States, I thought about those words and realized that they perfectly summed up the nature of the trip. Throughout my adventures, I had been exposed to such new and wonderful things that I had never dreamed of experiencing. I saw beautiful landscapes and completely different elements of the natural world. I experienced parts of culture that have shaped my worldview and have taken up permanent residence in my heart, and I am so eager to learn more. I met wonderful people who showed me how to live more peacefully, passionately, and lovingly. I connected with friends from my school and became close with them in a way that only travel can bring people together.
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I came out with a love and a passion for travel and culture that I know I will carry through the rest of my life. While sitting in an airport in LA waiting to board my connecting flight to New Jersey, I texted my mom a picture of me in the Cook Islands with Luke and Tiggy, to which she responded, “You look so happy and at peace with the world.” I am so fortunate and lucky to have travelled to these three beautiful countries this summer, and I can’t wait to continue exploring the world. If you ever get the opportunity to travel, make sure you don’t miss it. I promise, it will truly change your life.
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THANK YOU! Thanks so much for reading Her Culture's 18th 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.
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE www.herculture.org @herculture New York, NY FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 Issue No. 18