In the age of Instagrammable smoothies and TikTok therapy hacks, wellness has become less about health and more about branding. What was once a personal journey toward balance and self-care has been repackaged into a marketable aesthetic — one that thrives on curated feeds, affiliate links and aspirational lifestyles. Social media platforms have transformed wellness […]
Tag: Op Ed
Why We Can Smell When “Love Island USA” Is Faking It – And Why We Care
It’s a “Love Island USA” summer. Everybody and their moms (literally) are tuning in almost everyday to watch America’s new sweethearts find their next match. Except, this year it seems a little different. What used to be a show about America’s young, hot singles finding their next true love has become all about, well, clout. […]
F-Bombs and Middle Fingers: The Rise of Unprofessionalism in Politics
Politics look nothing like it used to. President Donald Trump, in an interview talking about the breached ceasefire between Israel and Iran, dropped an f-bomb on live television. On the same day, Vice President, J.D. Vance, raised his middle finger during a speech at a Republican Party dinner in Ohio. These are not isolated incidents. […]
Sylvia Plath’s Enduring Relevance of Mental Illness in Art
Sylvia Plath once wrote, “I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo” – and anyone who has experienced depression understood. Plath’s work, specifically the “The Bell Jar,” shows mental illness in a raw and deeply honest way, so […]
Italian Style Pizza or American Style Pizza?
Pizza is a widely enjoyed food that comes in a wide variety of types, with two of the largest types of pizza being Italian style and American style pizza. Between these two pizzas, people often debate which one is the best, with the general reasoning behind the heated discussion between the two largely concerns authenticity, […]
TV’s Legacy Characters and the Burden of Relevance
In the age of reboots, revivals and cinematic universes, television’s legacy characters are no longer allowed to rest. They’re resurrected, repackaged and reintroduced — often with a fresh coat of wokeness, trauma or even rebranded into a funko pop toy to “get with the times” so to speak. But in trying to make them relevant, […]
Michael Bay to Return to Transformers: Is the Future for the Franchise Bleak or Promising?
With Michael Bay’s “Transformers,” in 2007 being a smash hit, it allowed the franchise to really shine in the eyes of the public, with four sequels being pumped out to recreate the success of the first live action film since. However, with each release, the quality of each film took a hard nosedive and by […]
Ambiance and Music: How They Work Hand in Hand
When considering music as a whole, ambience isn’t something that’s always necessarily recognized or thought of, however ambiance has a major role that a good number of people fail to recognize, not only as an aspect of music, but as a genre of its own as well. Music that utilizes ambiance predominantly could be described […]
More Than Makeup – It’s Therapy
I never thought a tube of mascara mattered much – until I needed it to. I mean it’s silly in theory, but doing my makeup each morning gives me a reason to start the day. And no, it isn’t about wanting to look different – it is a time that is mine, and mine alone. […]
Why Prestige Cinema Can’t Stop Fetishizing Pain
Prestige cinema has a pain problem. Not the kind that invites empathy or understanding but the kind that fetishizes suffering as a shortcut to artistic legitimacy. From Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” to Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave”, the industry’s most lauded films often hinge on the spectacle of agony. Physical degradation, emotional torment and […]
Fantasy Sports and the Commodification of Pain
Fantasy sports have revolutionized how fans engage with games, transforming passive spectators into active strategists. But in the process, they’ve also done something more troubling: they’ve turned real human injuries into little more than strategic inconveniences. When a National Football League (NFL) running back tears his Achilles or a National Basketball Association (NBA) star tweaks […]
Upcoming Shows in 2025 to Look Forward To
With Summer now in motion, it may be a good idea to look ahead to see what options are available for people to binge not only throughout the summer, but the rest of the year. Premiering on July 9, 2025, “South Park,” is returning with its 27th season. With the trailer showing a small view […]
