Not Cute: The Sexualization of Youth in Netflix’s Mignonnes
Photo By Jean-Michel Papazian/Netflix The following includes plot details, including the film’s ending. Mignonnes, or Cuties in English, is a French coming-of-age drama that garnered criticism for its hypersexualization of young girls. The scrutiny began in August when Netflix released an explicit poster advertising the movie and has continued through the movie’s release, despite the […]
In The Fight to Defund, Social Media is the Mobilizer
Photo by Sydney Kornegay On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers brutally murdered George Floyd, sparking mass outrage and protests across the United States and around the world. These demonstrations are not just about Floyd; they’re about all of the victims who have died due to the systemic racism that built this nation. The history […]
The New Yellow Peril? — Anti-Chinese Sentiment in the West
On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) a pandemic. Since the outbreak began in December 2019 in China’s Wuhan city, the number of reported cases has increased daily, so it’s no wonder that people are bombarded with news about it every day. While recent news about COVID-19’s mortality […]
Youth Activism in the Age of Social Media
Social media is revolutionizing how youth-led activism gains momentum. Young adults, once in the shadow of their parents, possess a powerful voice, constantly active through mobile technology. The power of that voice was evident around the world, when four million young people—many under the age of twenty-five—protested across 150 countries in September to demand urgent […]
Policy Platform(s): The Dangers of Political Discourse through Social Media
On February 10th, a month into her first term in Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) posted on her public Twitter profile. In months prior, she used Twitter to garner support for her congressional campaign and to share her story as an up-and-coming progressive leader. She later used the platform to celebrate becoming one of the […]
It’s Time to Talk About Smartphone Addiction
Take a moment to remember your first cell phone. Mine was a blue LG env3 flip phone that was virtually indestructible and had a mysterious internet button that I was never allowed to press. In 7th grade, this was the epitome of freedom; all of a sudden, I had the power to text or call […]