Gender Issue | 2017
…and the rest is drag.
Introduction “You’re born naked and the rest is drag” is a quotation from the famous drag queen, RuPaul. The phrase implies that our behavior is simply an imitation and that we construct our own identity by copying behavioral patterns that we have already...
The Trouble with Gendered Toys
One of my earliest memories is of dismembering Barbies. I had a box full of dolls, some inherited from my older sisters and some gifted by well-meaning adults, that I completely overlooked in favor of my brothers’ Legos and Hot Wheels. We decided to finally put them...
Social Media’s Positive and Negative Effects on Gender
Today in the U.S., the use of technology and social media is at an all-time high. From Facebook to Instagram, social media users everywhere are consciously and subconsciously digesting hundreds of photos, videos, memes, opinions, graphics and stories daily. While the...
A New Kind of Bond: Queer and in Drag
Womanizer. Action hero. Manly man. James Bond is an iconic character, originating in 1953 as the lead character in Ian Fleming’s novels and short stories about a British Secret Service agent. The character is most known for roles in dramatic spy plots,...
Digital Communication and Gender Definitions
Digital Communication When talking about new technology, the most standout component today is digital communication. Social media is the most prevalent technological intervention in today’s society; and thus, it is responsible for the most powerful movements in...
We Don’t Have Opinions, The Media Creates Them For Us
Media has a major implication in today’s modern day standards and stereotypes. It has the power to sway the mindset and opinion of any person in our country. Media outlets vary from television shows to Snapchat. Nonetheless, media has been setting the tone for issues...
Building Sets & Girls’ Building Sets
For many years, retail stores have separated any item it can by male and female as far as display and marketing tactics go. Hair products, hygienic products, medical supplies, and many other products are organized and marketed differently in retail stores by gender....
Roller Derby: Alternative, But Still White
“…but it also serves as a reminder of how far the sport has to go – roller derby, while already a very counterculture and revolutionary sport for its take on hegemonic femininity, is simultaneously a whitewashed sport with many barriers.”
#BlackGirlMagic: More than a Hashtag
We’ve heard the phrase, “personal is political,” but how often do we reflect on how politics and the media play a role in our personal experiences? Today, I did just that. It wasn’t until I reflected on how much I’ve evolved as a black woman, that I understood the...
The Personal Construction of Self
The “personal is political” is a phrase that when dissected means that personal decisions are not essentially personal. It suggests that what people assume to be personal decisions are actually decisions influenced more heavily by political and societal pressures than...