Pop Culture

I am tired of spunky heroines and one-dimensional love interests. I am neither of these types of woman, and it is not often that I see myself reflected in literature. This is because, like most women, I am anything but perfect. If I were to be a character, I would sleep until noon and sometimes say things I shouldn’t. I would, at times, not be courageous enough to say the things I should. I would procrastinate writing a paper and watch too much reality television.

There is a website I used to frequent called “Who’s Dated Who." Its purpose is exactly what it sounds like: to inform us mortals about the love lives of the rich and famous. In the murky depths of this website I have discovered Cher once dated Tom Cruise, Zac Efron once had an “encounter” with Lindsay Lohan, and that learning about celebrity love lives is an easy and addictive way to avoid the complexities of your own.

A few months ago, our very own Iris intern and my personal style icon, Laura Hinnenkamp, shared with us a number of places she has cried in public. I loved this piece, mostly because I had never felt comfortable letting people know I was very much a crier in public spaces. But f*** that because I am a huge crier.

About a year ago, I started on a journey towards building a sustainable wardrobe. I wrote a final paper for my feminist theory class on how fast fashion retailers (specifically Zara) target the “neoliberal female subject.” I felt like these clothing companies were way too prevalent in my brain, and I needed some distance from the cycle.

It happened again, after my friend and I had finished watching the latest Star Trek movie. I was complaining because the first Star Trek show aired in the ‘60s, and it feels as if the way women are portrayed on screen hasn’t come very far in that time. After all, in the first two remade Star Trek movies from 2009 and 2013, all but one of the named female characters show up on screen in their underwear, and the other woman dies in the first thirty minutes of the movie.

I wanted to find out why the University Salsa Club opted for an all-female dance premiering at its upcoming Salsa Showcase. I sat down with current students, Claire and Jaqui, to explore how Salsa Club balances the sensuality of dance with consent and safety, and how it promotes body positivity and confidence. The University Salsa Club is a student-run contracted independent organization at UVA in Charlottesville, VA. 

Nicky: So guys. Get in here. Introduce yourselves. How long have you guys been a part of salsa? When did you join and why?

With support from Miller Art Scholars and the University Award for Projects in the Arts, I had an amazing opportunity to travel alone this summer and work on an artist’s book. Over the course of June, I backpacked from Madrid to Rome. My project takes the shape of a travel journal and is an attempt to capture the strange, inspiring, and occasionally frightening experiences from my travels.

Need some relief from the insidious creep of approaching midterms? Check out these 8 music videos – some old, some new – made by and for women.

FKA twigs – Two Weeks

As the school year winds down, many have already started asking themselves, “What will I binge watch during exams when I really should be studying, but who am I kidding no time to study when I have all this free time?!!!!” We all do it, so let’s stop pretending we are all in the library “studying” for 12 straight hours. No, we’re catching up on Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO GO, Showtime Anytime, Hulu and whatever other streaming service there might be out there.

As I near the end of my fourth year, I am forced to contend with the repercussions of one of the most important decisions I have made thus far: being a creative writing major. Yes, it comes with its fair share of preconceived notions, like a future involving the barista, the cardboard box, the mother’s basement, and all the rest, but there is one thing that every writer will tell you: they are crazy about writing.