A trope, as it pertains to stories, is a plot structure, theme, storyline, character arc, etc. They are commonly defined with a few easy words, and more recently, have become something to seek out as an author. There are many, but a few of the most common ones are: enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, or even specific scenes like the “Who hurt you?” or an angry love confession.
Continue ReadingWhat Kind of Girl Are You?
Tennis Girl Summer, Parisian Girl Summer, Cool Girl Summer. Which persona do you want to take on for the next two months? You better buy new clothes, adopt a new personality, and change your likes and hobbies for the season.
Continue ReadingWhy Are We Getting Meaner?
When everything’s an arms-length away, what happens? We’re seeing it firsthand with Generation Alpha. Gen Alpha’s oldest are twelve-year-olds and they’re taking the world by storm, and not in a good way.
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Iowa City: ‘The Writers’ City’
People, writers, often refer to Iowa City as the city for writing. This expectation was thrust onto me too during the weeks leading up to my stay in Iowa City. I went to the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio (IWYS) for 2 weeks. It’s at the University of Iowa and all of the faculty are graduates or students at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Continue ReadingHating on the Romance Genre Is Misogynistic
The romance genre, assumed to be a woman-only genre, is riddled with stigma about its “literary merit”. The romance genre has been predominantly written by women with women leads, but that doesn’t mean it is only for women. Often times, when referring to the genre, many defend their hatred of it as to why it’s ‘bad’ or not as worthy as other genres. But why all the hate? Misogyny.
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How Reality TV Betrays Women
Across the world, self-proclaimed feminists don’t support other women. And where do we see this more than on reality TV, in which women fight and others watch for their enjoyment? Recently, the sixth season of Netflix’s Selling Sunset aired. If you don’t know, the show is set in the real estate world of LA, with models for agents and enough bitch fights to go around. Throughout the long-winded show, women have come and gone, replaced each other, and gotten into fights about love and loss and the complications of female friendships. And among petty dramas, Netflix reaps the profits and viewers reap the satisfaction of watching women fight on screen.
Continue ReadingSorry to Disappoint, but you can’t Become ‘Old Money’ Through your Clothes
Hypergamy, or the act of marrying a social class higher than one’s own class, has been a common trend throughout societies for centuries. Dating back to India’s caste system, hypergamy has had a relevant position in the idea of gaining power in the world, especially for women. In most cases, hypergamy applies to a man […]
Continue ReadingThe Met Gala: Forgiving and Forgetting Karl Lagerfeld’s Past
The term “separate the art from the artist” has never been truer than at the 2023 Met Gala, which sought to pay tribute to fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld through its theme: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”. Most known for his contribution to Chanel, Lagerfeld became an international success from the 1980s to the early […]
Continue ReadingWomen are Emerging as Villains: The Demonization of Women in Film
We’ve all seen them. The overprotective, obsessive, and frankly evil mothers-in-law to their perfect sons. They stand in the way of the beautiful wife, who they must be jealous of because she is so much younger, prettier, and more intimate with her son. It’s not as though they have spent their entire lives taking care […]
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