Blog & Commentary
A Tryst of Pain and Art
What about Sylvia Plath’s story compelled you to read her book? What about Kurt Cobain hooked you into his raw, expressive music? If you are anything like me, you were probably intrigued by their haunting stories of pain, trauma, and the appeal of the ‘tortured artist’. But did they need to suffer through irreparable trauma to create genre-defining art?
The Sheer Endurance of the Strong, Independent Woman
In a world churning with change, the best way to push against the once-prevalent, hegemonic portrayals of women as mere damsels in distress is to bring out stories featuring the Strong, Independent Woman Who Don’t Need No Man, right? Well, maybe. But are we going about it in an effective way that actually accomplishes this? Questionable.
Modernized Misogyny, But Make It Traditional
The Netflix original show Indian Matchmaking has taken the internet by storm. This show single-handedly redefined the trope of the privileged class of the Indian diaspora community that I had in my head. It hits hard, watching the stories of people as they pride themselves on being at the pinnacle of privilege, openly scoffing at everyone that falls victim to their acts born of exorbitant ignorance. It hurts to admit, but I’ll take this version of being problematic over the sophisticated and obscured kind.