I remember flipping through the glossy pages of the September “Vogue” issue on a chilly middle school day and feeling like I was glimpsing into another world. The sheer opulence looking up at me from the magazine — all the sophisticated models adorned by beautiful material luxuries — was so foreign to me. Still, all … Read more
There is a new hit called “Dynamite,” and it’s not by Taio Cruz. Breaking records in the last month, BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), also known as Bangtan Boys, became the first K-pop group from South Korea to reach the No.1 spot in the Billboard Top 100. Their hit “Dynamite,” a fun ’70s disco-pop song that broke … Read more
I first read Jhumpa Lahiri on a plane ride back from my first trip to India. Lahiri is a pulitzer-prize winning author, recognized for how her works address immigrant experiences, emotional adversity, and assimilation in America often from an East Indian perspective. In the cold, black cabin I sat with a reading lamp illuminating her … Read more
Since starting Harvard, I feel as though being from the Bay Area has become an annoyingly significant part of my personality. Whether they ask or not, I feel compelled to divulge this fact to almost every new individual I meet, as if I’m explaining and justifying my strange reaction to my surroundings. As I’ve come … Read more
The live-action “Mulan” movie is no stranger to criticism. #BoycottMulan began trending in August 2019, more than a year before the live-action “Mulan” release. Protestors lobbied against the movie because Chinese star Liu Yifei, the actress who played Mulan, reposted a pro-Hong Kong police comment during the democracy demonstrations last year. This year, much of … Read more
The protests which shook the world this summer have left U.S. cities and their systems rattled by the shouts and demands of justice for Black Americans. From Minneapolis to Chicago, Los Angeles to Louisville, and countless other major cities, we have seen mainstream news and social media coverage of individuals demanding police reform. These calls … Read more
Imagine sitting in an audience in a theatre, waiting for a musical to start. The lights go up and a cheerful song starts playing. Actors cluster onto the stage, and you notice something rather unusual. Some of the performers are in wheelchairs, some are using other aids, and some are only using sign language. You … Read more
The origin of street art is as mysterious and obscured as the people who create it. Historians have traced its roots back to the 1st century B.C.E. when Roman citizens scribbled messages to each other on the dry brick walls. Yet, it wasn’t until the French Revolution’s iconoclasm era, when rebels defaced high-end art to … Read more
With our attention focused on scientific and technological innovations in response to COVID-19, there is much missed with respect to cultural innovation during this time. We often think of culture as stagnant, but the truth is that as we evolve to meet the challenges of life, the cultures we nest in evolve with us. The … Read more
The cafeteria at a high school debate tournament is a cavern echoing with strategy and spit. A coach whispers an opponent’s shortcomings on the right. On the left, a boy practicing his speech sprays saliva like a lawn sprinkler. Teenage athletes and artists who happen to be at school may try to avoid the noise, … Read more