By Abbey Interrante, Editor in Chief, Emerson College
By Dasha Fayvinova, Staff Writer, Emerson College
We’ve all been there. This dude is hot. He’s semi interesting and single. Maybe he made a lame reference to a TV show you loved when you were growing up, or maybe it was his long-winded answer to why he loves his mother so much that got you all bothered and hot. Either way, you’re into him. Here comes the annoying part: What’s next? Keep in mind I am speaking from the perspective of a single white straight female. Not because I don’t want to include others, but because I have genuinely no clue how any group of people pick up other groups of people. If a spaceship full of Martians landed on Earth seeking advice on mating rituals that would save their species, I would have just as much advice for them as I would for a girl trying to get a guy. Read More Here By Amanda Doughty, Staff Writer, Emerson College
Ever since The Hunger Games started getting really popular, people have been raving about how Katniss Everdeen is one of the most feminist characters to ever hit the YA genre and that she’s starting a new wave of strong female characters. They do certainly have a point. Katniss is heroic, humble, strong-willed, independent, and flawed (which gives off the idea that no one is perfect). Because of this, many argue that Katniss is the ultimate role model for young girls. Again, I agree with this, but I don’t think Katniss is as revolutionary as some try and write her off to be. She’s certainly a feminist, and a great role model for young girls, but she’s not the first of her kind. Maybe it’s because the Twilight series set the feminist movement in YA literature back about a century, but I think there are a lot of other feminist characters being overlooked. I don’t believe she started the wave of a strong woman in the YA genre at all. In fact, here are some other strong women in YA whom I believe could also be great role models for young girls. Read More Here By Rebekah Bailey, Staff Writer, Emerson College
As many of you know, Friday was the National Day of Silence. For those of you who don’t know what the DoS is, “the National Day of Silence is a day of action in which students across the country vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools.” Yes. To call attention to the fact that queer teens are bullied and silenced, we’re… going to silence ourselves. I’ve always had problems with keeping quiet. If I’m told I need to stay quiet, I can’t. When I choose to, I can be a very quiet person. But I don’t want to be quiet anymore about my gender identity or sexuality—I did that enough in my early adolescence. I want to shout it from the rooftops and screw the people who don’t like it. However, I know that that’s not safe for me to do since people like me get killed for broadcasting their identity. I understand the concept of it; however, I think they got it backwards. If you want to call attention to the hate young queer people receive, you should speak up—keeping quiet is the opposite of what you need to do. Nothing changed for queer people until some transwomen got fed up and started throwing bricks and coffee mugs at police officers. Read More Here By Maria DiPasquale, Staff Writer, Emerson College
Let me tell you a story. In late May of my senior year, my friends and I finally decided to extend our constant dialogue about feminism outside of our friend group. Up until then, we’d admittedly been mainly talk and no action. From time to time, a couple of my friends would bring up the idea of writing a feminist zine. We always liked the idea. I’d even been planning once on collaborating with a friend on an “Ode to the Sacagawea Coin.” But nothing had ever come of it all. I’d been seeing “I need feminism because…” campaigns all over the Internet and thought we could easily bring the idea to our school to start a dialogue about feminism. My friends immediately agreed. We finally started to turn our talk into action. I created a Facebook page, made my friends admins. We invited students and asked them to start posting about why they needed feminism. And they did. Students from my high school, across grades, classes, and friend groups, were finally sharing the same ideas my friends and I talked about on a daily basis. Read More Here By Rachel Simon, Editor in Chief, Emerson College By Rachel Simon, Editor in Chief, Emerson College
In times of need, I go to the movies. On Monday night, after the initial shock and devastation of the Boston Marathon bombing, which had occurred just four blocks away from my college dorm, had passed, what I needed was distraction. So I settled in on the couch, made a bag of popcorn, and illegally streamed The Iron Giant onto my computer. Unfortunately, even the 1999 animated classic couldn’t hold my attention. All I could think about was Boston. I thought not only about the day’s attacks, but about all the things I loved about the city – the warmth of its people, the vibrancy of its culture, even the bitterness of its winters. There’s something special about Boston. I’ve only lived here eight months, but already, I’m completely, hopelessly in love. It’s terrible to see the city become a place of terror and violence instead of a center of light and love, but I have no doubt that we’re resilient enough to rebuild. In honor of this city, here are my five favorite movies set in or around Boston: 1. Good Will Hunting This is the ultimate Boston movie. First, you have the locations. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s characters are from Southie (South Boston for all you foreigners). Damon works as a janitor at M.I.T. There are scenes at the Public Garden, Harvard Square, Woody's L St. Tavern. It doesn’t matter that the majority of the movie was actually filmed in Toronto. It feels like Boston, and that’s enough. Second, you have the accents – thick, unintelligible, distinctly Bah-ston accents apparent in each word that comes out of the characters’ mouths. Then, finally, there is the plot. The story of a brilliant but troubled math genius who rises through life with the help of his slacker best friend and a determined therapist, Good Will Hunting is the kind of feel-good success story that’s pure Boston. Read More Here By Gina Brindisi, Staff Writer, Emerson College
ABC Family has become home to overly dramatic shows, wild plot lines, and comedic acting—but who is to say that’s such a bad thing? After all, ABC family did earn the title of #1 Cable T.V. Network for Females between the ages 12-34 in 2012. It also currently boasts the title of #1 Scripted Television Series in 2012 for Females 12- 34, thanks to their hit show Pretty Little Liars.And Pretty Little Liars certainly has its fair share of wild drama, unbelievable scenarios, and less than subpar acting. Yet, it is still a historic hit for ABC Family. This wild and longstanding success of Pretty Little Liars seems to be uncharted territory for the network. Many of the shows ABC Family produces are quickly exhausted. It often seems like the network doesn’t know when to throw in the white flag. The best example of this: The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The show began in 2008 with noble intentions. It was supposed to shed light on a pressing issue: the difficulties piggybacked onto teen motherhood. Initially, it did just that. You would watch as a pregnant Amy Jeurgens tried to balance school and friendships while trying to determine what she should do with the child and the father. However, by season three the show began to take a turn for the worse. Pregnancy hit more high schoolers, the scenarios became unrealistic, and the drama dominated the show, loosing the original intent and much of the audience. Read More Here By Megan Tripp, Staff Writer, Emerson College
John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie were well loved during his presidential term because of their youthful image and nuclear family. JFK, despite being the first Catholic president, was a welcome breath of youthful air after presidents like Eisenhower, and JFK’s Republican contender in the 1960 election: Richard Nixon. Jackie became a fashion and wifely icon for the nation and sixties housewives idolized her. The Obamas, in this sense, are this century’s Kennedys. Politics aside (although there are a lot of similarities there too), the overall national image of the Obamas echoes the nation’s love of the Kennedys. Let’s start with Michelle. Most previous First Ladies have opted for the motherly, and sometimes matronly, image, which was far from Jackie’s glamorous persona. Both Jackie and Michelle have become so idolized that they seem to be more celebrity than political wife. Jackie was a fashionista and so is Michelle. Her gowns at the Inaugural Balls and the White House Correspondent’s Balls were headline worthy much like the red carpet celebrity outfits. Michelle’s “Let’s Move!” campaign championing healthier living has reached not only kids (she had commercials and interviews on Disney Channel!) but also young mothers, the same demographic that idolized the way Jackie raised her family. Read More Here |