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Posts published in “Opinions”

Let’s Talk About Blackfishing

Jesey Nelson, former member of British music group Little Mix, was recently criticized for “Blackfishing” in her music video for her debut solo single, “Boyz.” Critics called Nelson out on her exploitation of Black cultural aesthetics, such as darkened skin, curly hair, and other visual signifiers of Black culture like clothing style.

Smith Has a Period Problem

The horrifying middle school classroom paranoia that your period has started fades away mostly in high school, and nearly completely at an institution like Smith. However, I think we need to do more than simply remove the stigma around periods. Smith College, which has posited itself as a progressive institution for gender and sexuality has to understand that accessibility remains a serious issue for menstrual hygiene. 

Waxing Poetic

This Tuesday, I, a twenty-something lesbian, got my first brazilian wax. I reached this decision after a great deal of deliberation — is it “un-feminist” to get a bikini wax? By paying someone to tear out my pubic hair, am I perpetuating pedophilic Eurocentric beauty standards? Will it hurt a lot and just lead to me getting a bunch of ingrown hairs? But eventually I decided that getting waxed is an experience, and I’ll try anything once.

The Latin GRAMMYs are a Flawed Redemption Arc

The highly anticipated 2021 GRAMMY awards took place last March, but the much less hyped up Latin GRAMMY nominations were announced last Tuesday for their Nov. award ceremony. Nominees include fan favorites like Karol G and Rauw Alejandro alongside newer artists like Paloma Mami and Bizarrap; a fine lineup that makes me wonder why none of our favorite Latinx artists can make it onto the “real” GRAMMYs.