In the month since Russia invaded the sovereign country of Ukraine, the world has watched in horror as Ukrainian cities have been destroyed, civilians have been caught in the crossfire, and millions have been displaced. As of March 27, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that there have been 1,119 civilians killed, including men, women and children, although they believe the actual number to be much higher. This number does not include military casualties. To date, more than 3.7 million Ukrainians have fled to surrounding countries as refugees, the sixth-largest refugee outflow over the past 60 years. Most Ukrainian men ages 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving the country.

Over the past weekend upon the re-release of Red (Taylor’s Version), I found myself re-listening to Taylor Swift’s extensive song catalog in the order in which I first heard it. To catch up any readers wondering why Taylor Swift is releasing new versions of her old albums, the long and short of it is that much of her musical catalog is owned by others than herself, and it has been sold more than once, including to parties she doesn't quite like, as well as without her knowledge. The only way for her to own those past records she wrote, she determined, is to re-record them anew and hope fans will support her newer versions. I was 11 when she released her first, self-titled album, and “Our Song” became the joyful jam that made me think about my crush but also served as a bop for me and my friends in our youthful and hopeful joy. Four years later in 2010, Speak Now came out and served as the background to emotions and anxieties that I still couldn’t fully understand.

For a year, I have been planning my May 23 wedding. Truthfully, I’ve been planning this wedding my whole life. I always knew that I wanted to get married, and ever since I was a young girl I had ideas of what my wedding would look like. When I was introduced to Pinterest as a teenager, that idea began to visually take shape as I carefully curated a wedding board full of floral arrangements, wedding dresses, Italian wedding traditions, and color schemes. Shortly after my fiancé and I got engag

As 2019 winds down and 2020 waits in the wings, I have taken some time to reflect on the last year: all the ups and downs, triumphs, the moments of laughter and tears. As I reflect, I also look back on the music I listened to, which made up my soundtrack for 2019. There are some old constants (Fleetwood Mac) and some new pop sensations (Julia Michaels), but I realize that a huge part of my year was peppered with the ear-worm, top-of-the-charts hits that play on a loop on the radio, at department

Loving, and even accepting love, is ultimately a choice Miley Cyrus’s name has been in my newsfeed so much lately for reasons regarding her personal life, that I almost overlooked the fact that she released new music. At the end of May, Cyrus released a six-track EP titled, She Is Coming. The album itself is a hodgepodge of all the different styles that Miley has tried over the years, and personally, I thought it lacked the cohesive storytelling that an album needs for listeners to stick with i

Light spoilers ahead . . . although if you were going to see Avengers: Endgame, you’ve probably seen it by now, right? Avengers: Endgame, the final installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avenger series came out weeks ago, and unless you have been under a rock or have zero interest in the franchise (Nebula, who?), you’ve probably already seen the movie. For fans, the movie was such a compelling final saga and provided such satisfying closure, that it’s hard not to continue reflecting and

The 26-minute documentary that sheds a light on the period taboo That Time of the Month. A Visit from Aunt Flo. My Monthly. The Red Devil. So rarely do women directly say what they mean when it comes to their periods; rather we choose to refer to it by funny or mysterious monikers. This is why the documentary, Period. End of Sentence., the 2019 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Short, is so important. The title alone makes clear that the film doesn’t sugarcoat what the average woman deals with

Selena Gomez teamed up with Julia Michaels to sing, “Anxiety,” a track released just weeks ago, on Michaels newest EP, Inner Monologue: Part I. If you are wondering who Julia Michaels is, you will might recognize her from her 2017 pop single “Issues,” but honestly if you are familiar with radio pop hits, you’ve heard her work before. Michaels is a songwriter, and she has been composing songs for pop stars such as Gomez, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato for quite some time. In “Anxiety,” the album

We've watched it for you. The Oscars forged ahead this year without a host, following the step down of former host pick, comedian Kevin Hart. Nevertheless, as the old adage goes, the show must go on, and fears that the broadcast would be a total trainwreck were quelled, following a rocking opening by Queen and the hilarious onstage banter of three of our “Favourite” funny ladies, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler. While the evening’s entertainment value was mostly lackluster, this year’s

In the #MeToo era, we have seen countless women bravely come forward to share their stories of sexual assault and harassment. Many of these accusations have been brought against powerful men who have used their status and rank to take advantage of vulnerable or young women, holding their lives, careers, and emotions hostage. One of the most depressing but important things to come out of this movement is that it has changed how we talk about the sexual exploitation of minors, from reanalyzing Woo

If your New Year’s resolutions involve watching better TV, then look no further. This spring will bring a host of excellent show options—some brand new, a few reboots, and a returning series. While not a new show, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is always worth adding to any TV listicle. The second half of season four will be released in January, and we couldn’t be more excited. The show follows Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), a woman held captive by a cult leader in an underground bunker for fifteen y

On January 1, the Washington Post published a report titled "Women’s magazines are dying. Will we miss them when they’re gone?" In the lengthy feature, Lavanya Ramanathan details the history of women's magazines that began in the 1960s, noting their rise to prominence at a time when women's ideas in society were less likely to be taken seriously. Sexism was much more rampant than it is today, and feminists like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem were pursuing avenues to spread their messages of eq

When I was younger, I attended a sewing camp where I was taught the basics of sewing techniques. Each summer, while other kids went away for weeks of roughing it in tents and cabins, and chowing down on classic campfire fare after long days of physical activity, I would pack my pattern and fabric and gear up for a week of non traditional camp complete with sewing lessons and a fashion show to flaunt what we had made. I attended this camp for more than five years until I aged out. After my camp

Ever since I was a little girl, I have witnessed my father’s simple yet incredible treatment of people who live on the margins of society. He has always been incredibly generous, but particularly with people who are poor or homeless. I would skip alongside my dad as we walked through the streets of the city where we lived, and observe as he greeted by name the homeless men and women who sat on the sidewalks. He would stop and joke like an old friend, and ask what they needed or if they had e

I watched all four versions of the iconic film this weekend, and here's what I think. This past weekend, the much anticipated, “A Star is Born” starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper was released, bringing in a whopping $41.3 million. I was one of the many who sat in the theater, completely locked into the story for the over two-hour run time. To say I enjoyed the movie would be an understatement. A Star is Born tells the story of Jackson Maine, an alcoholic country-rock star, whose career is q

Be sure to set your DVRs. Fall is undeniably one of the coziest seasons, and lucky for us we have an amazing lineup of television shows to cuddle up and watch as the weather changes. This fall our TVs will be graced with some exciting reboots, new releases, and series returns. The Good Place starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, is a lighthearted comedy about a group of deceased characters that all find themselves in the Good Place, aka heaven or paradise. Bell’s comedy will be returning for i

This past weekend marked the release of Star Wars: Episode VIII, The Last Jedi. This is the second film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which has introduced a whole new generation to the joys of Star Wars fandom. This movie has received mixed reviews, which, as a loyal Star Wars fan, baffles me, but as a general media consumer I understand the critiques. Even though the franchise is becoming more inclusive and diverse, the story stays basically the same; good versus evil, beautifully choreogra

Thor: Ragnorak, the third installment in the Thor series and the seventeenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuted this past weekend, and as an avid fan of superheroes in general, I made sure to see it right away. Nearly three hours after sitting down in the theater, I walked out disappointed, popcorn bucket hanging limply at my side. The movie was so over-saturated with comedy that it failed to be funny. In our nearly full theater, laughs were scattered, even though there was nary a mo

Recently, Netflix released a new original series, Mindhunter, exploring the minds of serial killers. In 1977, F.B.I. hostage negotiator Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) begins to question the troubling nature of criminals who seem immune to all reason. Along with agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), a behavioral science specialist, Ford interviews some of the United States’ most notorious convicts in order to better understand how their minds work. The show is a cerebral thriller, based on real events

I did what I thought I could never do. For nearly two weeks, I have watched as outrage over Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct has been broadcast all over social media. The exposé published by the New York Times created a domino effect, leading one A-list celebrity after another to speak out about their experience having been assaulted or harassed by Weinstein. The brave testimony of one woman led to the empowerment of many—including myself. Just when it seemed Weinstein and his sexual misde