Writing is my swimming. I was born to do it, my brain hardwired to string words together. All my early memories of learning involve language. I could read picture books and write my name before preschool, thanks to a wonderful caretaker who turned my refusal to nap into an opportunity for educational enrichment. And I kept getting lucky, kept falling into the right places and meeting people who fed me stories and encouraged me to share my own.
We still have a long way to go when it comes to humanizing and privileging maternal voices, especially the voices of marginalized and BIPOC mothers, but it is my hope that as more books, television shows, films, and high-profile figures continue to address the nuances of the maternal experience, we will come to see mothers for what they truly are — not labels, not archetypes, not binaries or bearers of the world’s burdens, but human beings.
Not every woman wants to tell her story. As comforting as it is to explain away maternal lies as reactions to trauma or protective acts of love, the reality is many mothers lie with/on purpose. In my pursuit of re-envisioning lying as a potentially ethical act at best and a necessary and practical one at worst, I would be remiss if I did not take an equally serious look at mothers who lie intentionally to their children, who lack zero desire to ever tell them the truth, and whose lies cause immense psychological and emotional suffering in their loved ones
I argue that a lie is not a lie, as in “an untrue statement with intent to deceive,” when it is an unintentional protective measure employed in the aftermath of a traumatic event, as is the case with Celeste, Jane, Elena, Bebe, and Polly. Though each mother has her own story, and thus her own multifaceted reasons for keeping secrets from her children, their lies collectively stem from their inability to confront or process their traumas.
Most moms, like most individuals, lie with purpose. They lie to protect themselves and their children from physical or psychological pain, to avoid confronting traumatic memories, to start over and fashion new identities, to resist the institution of motherhood, or simply because they do not see a reason to tell the full truth. This thesis explores the motives of the mothers in four modern novels.
Notes On A Conditional Form is a relevant distraction. It both is and is not about coronavirus; it’s simultaneously a wake-up call for a world in crisis and a nonchalant departure from that world. Musically speaking, it’s neither good nor bad, but to assign an arbitrary rating to the album is to undervalue it. Healy et. al dropped an artistic pearl in a sea of songs about social distancing and stir craziness.
THIS PAPER LOOKS AT HOW MODERN DIRECTORS AND FILMMAKERS REMEMBER AND REIMAGINE THESE READINGS OF THE PORTER’S ROLE IN MACBETH. THE PORTER’S SHORT SOLILOQUY CONTAINS A MULTITUDE OF TRUTHS THAT, WHEN EMPLOYED CORRECTLY, CAN UNDERSCORE THE PLAY’S BROADER THEMES OF MORTALITY, IDENTITY AND THE REPERCUSSIONS OF SIN.
After a couple hundred plays, Christmas oldies get old. So I did some Spotify sleuthing and found what I think are some of the coolest covers of all my favorite holiday tunes, plus a couple original recordings for good measure.
FRIEDAN WRITES, “THE HIGHEST VALUE OF AND THE ONLY COMMITMENT FOR WOMEN IS THE FULFILMENT OF THEIR OWN FEMININITY” (FRIEDAN). WHILE FRIEDAN POSITS THIS FULFILMENT IN A WAY THAT IMPLIES THAT WOMEN ARE CHAINED TO THEIR APPEARANCES – A NOTION WHICH WAS CERTAINLY TRUE FOR SOME WOMEN, LIKE BETTY – PEGGY FORMS A MODEL OF FEMININITY THAT IS LIBERATING AND UNIQUE TO HER.
IT IS MY GOAL THAT IN ANALYZING HOW SHAKESPEARE ENGAGED WITH HETEROSEXUAL ROMANCE AND MARRIAGE IN THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD, WE CAN SIMULTANEOUSLY ENGAGE WITH OUR PRESENT AND THE #METOO MOMENTS THAT DEFINE IT.
Not all mothers see fashion as fun, playful or comfy; often, putting an outfit together can seem like a burden. But the hope is not to shame mothers into looking fashionable; rather, the hope is that women see style as a form of self-expression — a way to explore who they are as mothers and not who society wants them to be.
Millennial artists are showing a refusal to be tied down, meaning that it may be time to bid farewell to music’s traditional categorical system.
With her wardrobe continuing to be dissected and her face flooding social media daily, it is obvious that the internet society wants to brand Holmes a trendsetter., But even a glimpse at Holmes’ past fashion past reveals that she’s has never been one.
Today, fashion is in the streets, it’s on the beach, online and, apparently, in Woolf’s writings. The designers who find that fashion, and find it fast, might withstand the test of time.
Designers are projecting the message that women can be completely covered (read: swaddled) in fleece blankets but still project power, sophistication and a keen sense of self-awareness.
THE STAUD SPRING 2020 PROVES THAT WHETHER SHE’S DESIGNING FOR INSTAGRAM OR FOR THE RUNWAY, SARAH STAUDINGER IS FOREMOST DESIGNING FOR ALL WOMEN.
Within the national Chi Alpha community, D.C.’s chapter is notorious for its hipster aesthetic, but these four missionaries don’t mind the label. Their similar styles reflect their bond and their roots in the D.C. community, which they are proud to showcase.
IF NYFW TAUGHT US ANYTHING, IT’S THAT DESIGNERS ARE RECOGNIZING THAT THERE’S MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF WOMAN – AND MORE THAN ONE WAY TO DRESS LIKE ONE.
Politicians and businessmen aren’t the only crafty residents of Washington, D.C. Hundreds of art aficionados and cultured consumers swarmed Buzzard Point this weekend for Washington City Paper’s Crafty Arts and Makers Festival, transforming the often-overlooked lot next to Audi Field into a smorgasbord of artisanal goods.
THE RAP INDUSTRY HAS A LONG HISTORY OF USING LANGUAGE LIKE “BITCH,” “SLUT,” “HO,” AND “PUSSY,” TO DEMEAN WOMEN AND EXPLOIT THEIR SEXUALITY. WHILE SEVERAL TRAILBLAZERS LIKE NICKI MINAJ, TRINA AND CARDI B HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENTERED THE INDUSTRY, THEIR POPULAR SONGS OFTEN EMPLOY SIMILAR DEROGATORY SLURS
