Conrad or Jeremiah? Who do you think Belly will end up with? This is the discourse that surrounds a fan favorite show titled “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” Based on Jenny Han’s bestselling novels, this show follows teenager Belly Conklin as she spends her summers at Cousins Beach with family friends Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. […]
Tag: Op-ed
Celebrating Global Taste Vs. Local Gatekeeping
In a city where tacos are topped with kimchi and ramen comes spiked with truffle oil, the American palate revels in global mashups. International flavors are everywhere — from upscale food halls to fast-casual chains. But as culinary borders blur so do the lines between celebration and appropriation. What’s being served often differs wildly from […]
James Gunn Is Reportedly Thinking of Two Superman TV Spinoffs
James Gunn’s “Superman,” began showing in theaters today on July 11, 2025 and according to Variety, “The latest take on ‘Superman,’ starring David Corenswet, has made a huge $22.5 million in box office previews, which is the biggest of the year so far. It beats the preview grosses for this year’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ ($14.5 […]
Will Hollywood Ever Get Female Characters Right?
Why is Hollywood still struggling to create female characters that aren’t so one dimensional? Although there have been decades of progress, too many women characters are left as almost underdeveloped ideas. We’re often presented with the overly competent “strong” woman who lacks emotional depth, or the romantic interest whose only function is to support the […]
The Deconstruction of Smartphones As A Status Symbol
Every Spring and Fall season, like clockwork, phone manufacturers roll out the newest model. People race to buy it, even if their current phone still works fine. It’s not always about better features — it’s often about feeling like you fit in. Having the newest phone tells the world you’ve got money, taste and status. […]
One Size Fits… No One? How Brandy Melville Capitalizes On Exclusion
Anybody who has been inside a Brandy Melville knows the experience of finding the cutest top, looking through the racks for your size, only to find that they all say “one size.” One size fits who? You ask yourself in the dressing room when this top is clearly pinching your sides. That’s Brandy Melville for […]
How Dribbling Became Art, Protest, and Persona
In today’s era of hypervisibility and cultural expression, the act of dribbling — once a technical necessity — has evolved into something far richer: art, protest and persona. It is no longer just a means to advance the ball. It’s a form of personal choreography, a message and for some, a manifesto. From Allen Iverson’s […]
Why Ranked-Choice Voting Could Save Democracy
Today’s political landscape faces a dangerous crisis – worsening division and lower voter satisfaction. Polarization is the main enemy. Americans are forced to back one of two candidates, who are often on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Being moderate seems to have no place in politics anymore, and, with that, comes an increase in […]
Nate Dogg: The Purveyor of Melodic Hip Hop
On this day in Hip Hop, I feel we as an audience take for granted the contributions that our rap forerunners have set. We love what we love, right? However, I don’t think many bother to care or appreciate what came before that transpired the now and present. That’s regarding the different styles that have […]
Why Do Youtubers Keep Going Into Music?
Online content creation is a very lucrative business, especially on YouTube. Due to the platform’s sheer versatility, it allows for a wide variety of different forms of content to be made and music is often one of these. While YouTube already has a wide variety of music channels already in existence, it isn’t rare to […]
Why “Beach Reads” Don’t Deserve the Hate
Every summer, it feels like the literary snobs are reawakened to criticize our beloved beach reads. You know, those breezy, feel good books we toss into our beach bags. Critics write them off as playful, formulaic and even a bit embarrassing. But, why is it that a book’s worthiness depends on how serious it is? […]
School Breakfast Programs: Nourishment or Surveillance?
In classrooms across America, lunchtime trays reflect more than dietary guidelines — they reflect institutional power. Public health initiatives in schools, framed as educational interventions, often serve as tools for surveillance and behavior conditioning under the guise of wellness. Federal policies like the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” position nutrition as a moral imperative, championing low-fat […]
