How the male gaze shapes media and how it translates off the screen — You may not realize it, but with every book, movie, or TV show you watch, you’re staring at fiction through the lens of the male gaze or the female gaze. The idea of “the male gaze,” originated in feminist theory in one of Laura Mulvey’s essays. Her theory was that…

There’s nothing “godly” about how Liberty University discourages students who try to report their sexual assaults — Trigger warning: This article discusses sexual assault/rape allegations in detail. In 2017, Elizabeth Axley, a freshman at Liberty University, tried to report a sexual assault to the university staff. Axley had gone to an off-campus Halloween party on Saturday night, where she took shots of vodka with friends. …

Red flags in queer relationships may look different, but they’re still warning signs — Red flags: you may hear about them most often in heterosexual relationships, but they’re not exclusive to straight people — any gender can come with big, glaring red flags, including lesbian and queer people. However, the warning signs you’d watch out for in a straight relationship aren’t always the same…

The real reason that women seem to constantly put self-proclaimed nice guys into the friend zone — Maybe you’ve seen it portrayed in movies and TV shows: the beautiful main character and her passionate love interest ride off into the sunset while her “nice guy” friend gets left behind. Or maybe you’ve seen it play out in real life — despite being a “nice guy,” you can’t…

Especially in a world where people aren’t afraid to push your personal boundaries — Trigger Warning: Sexual coercive behavior is described in detail. Fearless community, please read with care. He was nothing like his pictures. He was several inches shorter than his profile said he’d be and skinnier than he’d looked in most of his selfies. …

Ben Shapiro’s commentary on Cardi B’s latest single is more than just a cringy, viral moment — If you’re familiar with conservative speakers, you’ve probably heard of Ben Shapiro. He’s particularly famous for lecturing college students and engaging in spirited debates about all the heavy-hitting topics: abortion, climate change, and feminism. Most recently, he’s been trending on Twitter for his commentary about Cardi B’s latest single, “WAP.”…

The reason why so many “karens” won’t cover up goes deeper than entitlement — I’ve always known people were ridiculous, but it took a global pandemic for me to realize how much. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of people, are dying each day, and there’s no real cure. All you can do is try not to get it, and hope that your immune system is strong…

Four harmful tropes I wouldn’t mind never seeing again — I’ve previously written about the problematic female and male tropes that plague modern-day movies and TV shows, but these aren’t the only people who get a bad rap. There are a lot of other marginalized groups that get an unfair portrayal in the media — especially the LGBTQ+ community. …