We live in the age of performative inclusion and the political destruction of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Newsrooms, late-night shows and political figures discuss the impact and relevance of diversity, equity and disability rights as casually as a morning routine. And yet some of the most ordinary forms of difference — speech patterns —… Continue reading Who gets laughed at — speech, power and the limits of “inclusion”
In a city just south of Seoul, the government is ordering cafés to erase English from their signs. In France, Le Académie Française continues to issue new warnings against the use of Franglais. Meanwhile, in the UK, the Oxford English Dictionary adds over fifty Korean and Japanese words to its pages. And Spanish Royalty decrees… Continue reading Words of power — how language borrowing reflects global shifts in cultural influence
The superficiality when you may hear, “Can I have a chai tea matcha latcha latte”, is almost as superfluous as the exaggeration sounds. Of course, this is a hyperbolic extension of the real issue; one culture idealised and “Westernised” to become nothing more than a simplified idea with a complete loss of meaning (at least… Continue reading Colonialism on Crack
“Being born a woman is my awful tragedy”, Sylvia Plath journalled in 1959, four years before her death. “From the moment I was conceived I was doomed to sprout breasts and a womb and to adore men who are the enemies of my kind”. A year later, in 1960, poet Anne Sexton underwent an illegal… Continue reading The womb is a haunted house — looking to the works of Plath and Sexton as a woman in our times
In the 1995 cult-classic film Before Sunrise, the main character Celine says: “You know, I have this awful paranoid thought that feminism was mostly invented by men so that they could, like, fool around a little more. You know, women, free your minds, free your bodies, sleep with me”. Although I am strongly opposed to… Continue reading Sexual liberation or exploitation?
In every corner of the world, a new language of defiance is being spoken — and more often than not, it is spoken by women. From the streets of Tehran to the squares of Santiago, from the alleys of Kabul to the boulevards of Warsaw, women have become the moral backbone of modern resistance. Their… Continue reading The female face of resistance — women redefining protest in the 21st century
Three women—Indian, Chinese and Pakistani—walk into a bar. No, this isn’t a racist joke or a UN meeting for developing countries. It’s just Friday dinner, and the premise of where many of my articles stem from: constant conversation with constant friends (I’m a trained yapologist). As I sat across from my two friends, we started… Continue reading A housewife is a slave
High-profile comedians, including Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart, have received backlash for performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. In a world that increasingly cares only about money, why do we still care? It would take an impressive feat of mental gymnastics to view Western comedians’ performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival as anything other than… Continue reading The importance of comedy — why Western comedians’ appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival matters
In 1921, women were banned from playing football. The FA at the time stated, “the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought to not be encouraged”. Now the current record for highest attendance in football is held at 91,648 — the match being Barcelona vs Wolfsburg in 2022 at the iconic stadium… Continue reading The battle for the future of women’s football
This infamous quote from 1984 is uttered by Julia when she offers the most critical evaluation of the psychology behind “the Party’s” manipulation tactics. When Winston ponders why the people around him are so fervent with their zealous marching and obedience towards Big Brother, Julia exposes their passion and infatuation as simply “sex gone sour”.… Continue reading “You’re just sex gone sour” — a commentary on the “Dawah brothers” and their war on hijabis
