Let’s Rephrase: Illegal Immigrants
In this series Let’s Rephrase I discuss outdated words or phrases that need to be changed. And in light of International Migrants Day, I thought it would be the right moment to discuss the outdated terminology ‘illegal immigrants’. If we look at these two words…
Can We Live in a World Without Men?
I recently stumbled upon this question on the Internet. Is there a scenario in which we can live in this world without men? However comedic it might sound, there is actually some scientific reasoning behind this, which makes it not an impossible scenario. Let me…
COVID Took a Day Off So That These Celebrities Could Celebrate Halloween
Against government restrictions and moral imperative, people all over the world celebrated Halloween by attending large parties. Obviously, most went unnoticed (and unpunished), but celebrities living under constant surveillance should know better than to be irresponsible in times of global crisis. The Weeknd Abel Tesfaye,…
These Students Are Voting in the 2020 US Presidential Election and This Is Why
The 2020 US presidential election is just a few days away. I spoke to four American students who are voting this year. Why are they voting, what matters most to them, and how have they experienced the months leading up to this moment? So far,…
Pink Tax: The Cost of Being a Woman
Confusing right? Talking about women’s rights and issues when it’s not even international women’s day yet. Oh well, I guess we need to take a break from talking about our patriarchal world issues, to discuss something that actually matters: the Pink Tax. Recently something got…
Cultural Appropriation on Rupaul’s Drag Race
The award-winning reality competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race has been running for more than a decade now. In recent years, the show gained international momentum as several versions and spinoffs appeared in different countries such as Canada and the UK. With more than a hundred…
Transphobia on Facebook: Exploring Hate Narratives in the Comment Section
Trans-related violence and suicide among transgender youth are increasing at an alarming rate. This makes transgender emancipation and visibility progressively more important. With the Internet allowing millions of users online to share their opinion, social media platforms such as Facebook, facilitate some of the most…
What Is White Fragility, and Why Is It Dangerous?
This message is specifically for all white people who feel uncomfortable when discussing racial inequality. You can disregard the way I directly address the (white) reader if this does not concern you. In this article, I will discuss the dangers of white fragility and how…
10 Lessons to Take Away From The Beyoncé Commencement Speech
“Congratulations to the class of 2020. You have arrived here in the middle of a global crisis, a racial pandemic, and worldwide outrage.” This is how our queen of queens opened her commencement speech, today, on YouTube. It is a crazy time, but we can…
Visible Invisibility: Three Black Designers and Their Step Towards the Future of Fashion
3D-ghost-looking runways, Augmented Reality, and drive-in fashion shows. Black fashion designers Anifa Mvuemba, Ommy Akhe, and Kerby Jean-Raymond are taking a step into the future of fashion. During this uncertain time for the world and the fashion industry, designers need to step up their game…
The System Is Not Broken, It Was Made to Function Like This
Riots The death of George Floyd as a result of racialized, excessive police brutality, sparked national and global outrage. Over the last days, thousands of protesters took to streets of Minneapolis, MN, to demand justice for the lynching of yet another black man. Right now…
How the Instagram ‘Name Change Prank’ Exposed Racist and Homophobic Users
Instagram is the birthplace of many online challenges and pranks. We have seen make-up challenges, cooking challenges, and dancing challenges. The most recent one, however, tops all of the above! The ‘Instagram name change prank’ resulted in thousands of users being stuck with a ridiculous,…
70 Years of RMS: Intimidation, Prison, and Abuse for Raising National Flag in Homeland
On the 25th of April, the Moluccan people celebrated that exactly 70 years ago they self-proclaimed their independence. On that day, they declared to be the sovereign state Republik Maluku Selatan (RMS), separated from the Republik Indonesia Serikat (now known as Indonesia). This was however…
