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Bridging the health gap
How gender bias effects women in the Canadian medical system Gender bias is the preference for one gender over the other. According to a 2020 global report by the United Nations, nearly 90 per cent of all people have some bias against women. For centuries, implicit and explicit gender bias has affected many industries and sectors, including health care. Unfortunately, gender bias in health care presents a dangerous threat to the well-being, safety and lives of women and must be acknowledged. Sexism in health care can manifest in many ways including gaslighting concerned female patients, misdiagnosing them or dismissing them entirely and failing to include women in medical studies. Women…
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10 Female-founded beauty brands from Ontario
Want to support local brands and look good doing it? Ontario is home to many women-owned beauty brands that are working to make the industry to be more inclusive, sustainable and cruelty-free. Supporting small beauty businesses will not only empower and support female entrepreneurs across Ontario but also help local economies to thrive. Even better is purchasing products from companies that you can feel good about supporting. Listed below are 10 beauty brands to look out for. Cheekbone In 2015, Jenn Harper, an Anishinaabe-Canadian from St. Catharines, Ont. awoke in the middle of the night with the idea to start making lip gloss. At the time, Harper was working in…
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The wellness trap
Rethinking what it means to be healthy in the age of content creators Musician Lorde was burning sage and cleansing crystals in her “Mood Ring” music video that premiered in August 2021. Throughout the satirical pop song, Lorde comments on wellness culture by pointing out the great lengths women—particularly privileged white women—go to feel well. In an interview with Genius, Lorde explained the meaning behind the lyrics in “Mood Ring.” In the lines, “I’m tryna get well from the inside / Plants and celebrity news / All the vitamins I consume,” the hypocrisy of digital wellness culture is revealed. “I had a moment of realizing like I’m trying to eat…
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Women-focused storytelling in “Turning Red”
How Domee Shi’s recent film normalizes womanhood Tamagotchis, boy bands, and unruly emotions take center stage in Turning Red, Chinese-born Canadian animator Domee Shi’s first feature-length Pixar film. Set in Toronto in the 90s, the animated film follows 13-year-old Meilin as she navigates the messy, confusing and sometimes scary milestone of reaching puberty. To add to the drama, Mei turns into a giant red panda whenever her emotions become overwhelming. On Feb. 21, 2021, Turning Red was released exclusively on Disney Plus and generated an overwhelming number of positive reviews. It received a 94 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 83 per cent on Metacritic and 70 per cent on…
