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Empowerment Through Dance
Amid the noise of flashy reality programming, few shows manage to strike a good balance between spectacle and actual substance. Yet, Street Woman Fighter (SWF), the breakout Korean dance series, manages to do exactly that, reimagining the dance competition genre through the lens of femininity, culture and self-expression. While it plays into the familiar drama of rivalries and high-stakes eliminations, the show stands out for its unapologetic celebration of women in dance, showcasing all-female crews from around the world who bring not just choreography, but their stories, histories and identities to the battle stage. Unlike typical competition formats, SWF centers exclusively on all-female dance crews from around the world including…
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Art as Resistance
By Lisa Manganiello Across different mediums and historical contexts, women have always used art as a means of challenging dominant power structures and articulating alternative ways of being. From art on a page, to the canvas, to sculptures of bodies, here are four women whose artistic work exemplifies how art can be a powerful tool for resistance and change. 1. Mary Ann Shadd Mary Ann Shadd broke barriers with the power of the printed word. Born in October 1823 to free Black parents in Wilmington, Delaware, Shadd became the first Black woman publisher in North America and the first woman publisher in Canada. At a time when Black voices were…
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How The Beauty Industry Keeps Us Poor
Walk down any drugstore aisle or scroll through your social media feed and the message is clear: your face is a project. Pores must shrink, aging is a flaw and “natural” beauty requires a 10-step routine. The demand to enhance, correct and conceal is as ubiquitous as it is costly — which is why deciding to go bare-faced is not simply a preference, but a form of resistance. Valued at more than $500 billion, the global beauty industry continues to expand, largely driven by the commodification of insecurities. Beauty norms become both a trap and a tool for survival, especially for those navigating identity, security and acceptance within romantic, social…
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The Radical Power of Rest
In today’s hustle culture, the idea of rest often comes with a side of guilt. The glorification and even aestheticization of “busy-ness” from late nights to side gigs is so pervasive that even moments of downtime are seen as something to monetize or justify. But a growing number of thinkers, writers and everyday people are beginning to challenge that narrative. They argue that rest is not a sign of laziness or weakness, but a form of soft strength — one that quietly resists capitalist ideals of overwork, inherited guilt and the pressure to have to overachieve. From school to work, many of us are raised to believe that our worth…
