Escaping Loneliness through Music

The sounds of their house, Latin folk, maddening lullabies, heavy metal, and R&B soul come together to make up the soundtrack of Kimberly’s life. For her, music has always been a help with feelings of isolation and loneliness. Using music, Kimberly walks readers through her journey of self-discovery growing up from the age of four […]

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Female Orgasm in the U.S. vs. Rwanda: How Cultural Values Contribute to the Orgasm Gap

Eden Ball expertly navigates the nuance of sociocultural influence on the female orgasm. Ball examines the multipronged way by which social media, scientific bias, and social standards of sexual interaction impact a culture’s view of female pleasure. Ball links her own experience as a young woman participating in Western culture with larger trends and evidence […]

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I’m Walkin’ Here!: Improving Walkability and Public Transportation for All

In this pressing, topical piece, Musayeroh Bah addresses some of the issues with the United States transportation system, focusing on its inaccessibility to many citizens. Coming from New York City, she brings a perspective that values walkability, which not only shines through, but also influences what she sees as solutions to these long-standing and systemic […]

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Drag as Corporeal Spirituality at Smith College

Aurezuh Sikes expertly articulates the parallels between the zealous practices of drag and traditional religion. This work is a beautiful representation of the intimate exercises that bind our Smith community together, and through Sikes’ work, we are able to examine and appreciate the differences and, more importantly, the similarities we have with one another. Sikes […]

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Revolutionary Communal Love: Black Feminism in Beyoncé’s Lemonade

Corin Ford’s essay explores Beyoncé’s groundbreaking visual album, Lemonade, and its themes of Black unity, empowerment, and resilience. Ford walks us through Beyoncé’s sources of inspiration, which include both her own personal experiences and the work of other black activists, such as Joan Morgan and Audre Lorde. Ford also emphasizes Beyoncé’s inclusion of Black men […]

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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! Reimagining Feminine Desire and Consumption in Mrs. Dalloway

Referencing Virginia Woolf’s work Mrs. Dalloway, Boulanger eloquently carries the reader through a current critique of societal takes on feminine consumerism. Since Woolf’s times, she argues, the reductionist, frivolous views of stereotypically feminine shopping habits actually map quite clearly onto both the feminist pursuits of belonging, agency, and emotional freedom as well as onto the […]

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