A few years ago, I wrote a piece called “Send In The Clowns”. As a photography student who was enthralled by feminism and bodily autonomy, I captured my thoughts on makeup through a series of pictures that expressed my confusion- whether weaing makeup was feminist or not. Two years on, I would’ve never thought that…
the other day a sister asked me what does the diaspora feel like? a question i’ve never thought of before yet it invoked fleeting memories of a home that was out of my reach like the sand slipping through my fingers on the island of Borinken i grasp at something that will never be mine…
Genderqueer: Of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity cannot be categorized as solely male or female. The top definition of genderqueer on urbandictionary.com states, “Genderqueer is most commonly used to describe a person who feels that his/her gender identity does not fit into the socially constructed “norms” associated with his/her biological sex.…
Being skinny or fat is not my identity. I am identified by who I am on the inside, a loving, wonderful person.
As of October last year, I stopped shaving my armpits. Of course, I’d heard of other feminists doing it, and thought it was pretty damn awesome. Yet, I never mustered up the strength to throw out my disposable razors and go “au naturale.” Oddly enough, I hadn’t shaved my legs consistently for about a year…
There has been plenty written on how men objectify women and are said to be sex crazed lunatics who have their pants around their ankles when a woman shows the least bit of sexual inclination. But, why do many men behave this way? While some men practice Pick Up Artist (PUA) techniques and succeed in attracting women to…
Whenever going into a space where I know that I’m going to be one of the few black faces, I always think of myself taking two separate paths. The first is a path where I completely overcompensate for the fact that I am in a predominantly white space. I amp up everything about me that…
When I was younger, I was constantly teased for my character, my voice, my personality, and my skin tone. I went to an all-black elementary school and I did not understand what anyone meant when they were calling me an “Oreo,” or that I sounded white. I was not aware of the distinction between the…
Last weekend, I had a very deep and meaningful conversation with an old friend of mine at a bar. I was a little tipsy, but her words were the clearest thing I had heard all week. We spoke about identity. We spoke about coming out. We spoke about finding our true selves. I had no…
The Shits: Kans-ass passed a gay segregation bill while the rest of Americans complained about Russia’s homophobia. Kansas approved a bill this week that allows businesses to deny service to gay couples. I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. Many countries “stuck it to Russia” in their rainbow Olympic gear recently, and America definitely…
