Tag Archives: United States

The Fashion Industry: So You Want to Be a Model?

Posted in Pop Culture by

Ok, kittens.  Let’s talk Fashion.

I’ve wanted to write about the harmful effects of the fashion industry for some time now, but it seemed so obvious.  What is there to write about that people don’t already know?  Well, I sat down and made a list of seriously messed up things that I wanted to address, and it was long.  I hope you’re sitting somewhere comfortable, because there’s going to be a lot here.  Before we start, I do want to say that I love fashion.  I love the idea of expressing yourself in a fluid way through clothing, hair, makeup, and everything else.  You can dress a certain way and feel temporarily like a different person (note: Hollywood often portrays this horribly wrong, showing women needing to change in order to get the popular guy).  This is about the completely screwed up advertising complex known as the Fashion Industry. Continue reading →

Trans Acceptance in America

Posted in Politics by

Hello again!  I missed you!  It’s really hard to keep on top of all things internet when I can only use my phone and my office computer and I apologize.  Also, if you are reading this in Boston or have loved ones there, stay strong.  The hearts of the whole world are with you right now.

Earlier this month, we heard many arguments against marriage equality.  Primarily these arguments break down into three major categories:  the Bible says it’s wrong (which only matters in a theocracy), what about the children (they seem fine), and “it’s a slippery slope to bestiality and pedophilia.”  Many have pointed out that these are the exact same arguments used in the 1960s against interracial marriage.  Now, hardly anyone would say that interracial marriage is immoral and harmful.  How did that change come about?  Did people suddenly open their eyes and realize that racism is wrong?  No.  The older generation died out and the younger generations had a very different mindset. Continue reading →

Death by Slut Shaming: The American Honor Killing

Posted in Politics by

Today, the headline that kept showing up in my newsfeed was Jordan Honor Killing: Pregnant Woman’s Throat Slit In Ruseife.  While this is obviously one of the most horrifying things I could read first thing in the morning, what frightened me the most was my complete lack of surprise.  Honor killings, rape, and other murders committed in the name of religion are all too common.  What is frequently ignored in the political rhetoric is how often they occur in the Western world and how in North America we have made them our own.

Sitting at my allergist’s office in 2011, I picked up a copy of Time and was shocked to read about the murder of Noor-al-Maleki and the attempted murder of Amal Khalaf in Arizona.  Not Jordan, not Syria, not Afghanistan, but the United States.  Later on, I was surprised to read that similar cases had occurred in England and Canada.  I was disappointed that the only news sites apparently keeping track of these outrageous murders are conservative watchdog sites, which are easily dismissed due to their rabid anti-Islamic rhetoric.  Honor killings are not sanctioned in Islam.  They are less a part of Islam than witch hunting is a part of Christianity.  They are a socially permissible way to dispose of difficult women in a theocracy. Continue reading →