Culture

1. If you want vulnerability and honesty from the other person, YOU have to be honest and vulnerable. This is probably the singular reason WTF has been so wildly successful: the interviews/conversations are beautifully real and raw and honest. Guests reveal secrets, fears, and sadness. They open up about tough topics, often prefacing with, “I’ve never talked about this publicly before.” Marc draws out that raw honesty because he’s willing to be raw and honest himself.

As an African-American woman, I sympathize greatly with the plight of Black men in America. The most troubling issue for me is the slanted press and stereotypes Black men endure, resulting in them carrying a skewed reputation of being violent, lazy criminals everywhere they go.

There are only a few people around who haven’t seen the video/picture of the group of sorority girls at a baseball game doing nothing but taking selfies. These women have become the butt of jokes all over the Internet and are being held as an example of the supposed egotism and self-obsession of today’s youth.

Many people think it’s liberating and empowering to say whatever you want with as many “foul” expletives as possible. But did you know that your fondness for what many deem as “vulgar language” might be inadvertently helping the sex-shaming, slut-shaming, and body-shaming patriarchy?

The Martian and Legally Blonde have essentially the same plotline: a deeply likable character is isolated in a hostile environment and faced with a series of challenges to their survival. Elle Woods and Mark Watney both confront these challenges with charm and grace, thriving under pressure.

Mattel’s brand new video featuring empowered little girls will make you cry. But will the toy industry ever change?

Apparently, we Black women have a smell. And it’s been bottled and labeled and is being offered up for consumption by Sunflower Cosmetics. Yep. You read that right. There is a legitimate company out there who is selling a perfume called “Black Women.” If my girlfriend hadn’t posted a picture of it in a local shop, I would have called her a damn liar.

The origin and implementation of the trigger warning is new-ish, showing up on the tumblr scene regularly around 2007. Born out of feminist blogging, the trigger warning was ostensibly put into practice to protect those who may find a specific topic to be “triggering” — most commonly sexual/physical abuse and/or eating disorders. I deeply respect the people whose experiences may warrant a trigger warning (including myself), and yet, I question the effectiveness of the practice.