Society Tag

Although I wear high-waisted shorts, crop tops, and big-rimmed glasses every day, I am not a hipster! (See: hip-hop, see: I don’t shop at American Apparel, see: don’t like trash ‘staches, see: my intense love for guys who look like thug rappers). At the same time, the one thing I’m really hipster-y about is that I refuse to believe the hype. So much so, in fact, that when something has hype surrounding it, I’m automatically turned off to it. This has caused me to miss out on a lot of awesomeRead More

So yesterday we came across this on the Internet: A Dutch, all-female band named ADAM recorded themselves trying to sing a song…while pleasuring themselves with vibrators and having orgasms. Interesting idea? Yes. Shock value? Yes. Good publicity stunt? DEFINITELY. See what happened below. No word on if the group is going to try this tactic while singing Usher’s “Climax” next…we think they’d be more successful.Read More

21 states and the District of Columbia have either decriminalized marijuana or legalized its medicinal use. Who’s next? Quinnipiac University released a study that found 88% of Floridians are in favor of medical marijuana so long as it is used in accordance with a doctor. Florida will vote on an amendment, Florida’s Question 2, this coming November. The vote requires 60% to pass. In Florida, cannabis possession is slightly decriminalized but the sale, transportation, or cultivation of the drug remain illegal. If Florida votes to legalize medical marijuana, look for them to continueRead More

EnterViews is Hilary’s weekly series with emerging artists via various forms of digital communication.   You might have noticed Jessie Kahnweiler around the internet or even on the streets of LA. Or maybe you recognize this title—I Made a Short Film About My Rape and Now I Can’t Get Laid. Last January in Park City I met Jessie in the offices of the Treasure Mountain Inn after having just seen her film and feeling overwhelmed by the collision of comedy and drama. She wore a fur coat while passing out red stickersRead More

I’m pretty lucky when it comes to dealing with anxiety, because anxiety and I have a fairly straightforward relationship. Whenever I think I’m doing marginally okay, or feeling particularly productive, anxiety pops into my brain and quickly takes the wheel. It doesn’t matter how much I have achieved in my short 24 years of existence, anxiety has this trick that makes those achievements seem insignificant—it likes to remind me that I’m only one of approximately 6 billion humans on a planet floating in a vacuum of infinite space as weRead More

Sorry everyone, it’s time to get out your Butthurt Shields, cause what I’m about to write might hurt a little bit. Here are five idolized cultural icons that really were not that great. #1 – Jim Morrison Yeah yeah I know. The Doors made some decent music. But letsbehonest – that was in spite of Jim Morrison, not because of Jim Morrison. Hell, in interviews his former bandmates have even said that his drug use and incoherent lyrics hurt their artistic visions at times. I mean, it was probably mostlyRead More

Don’t get me wrong; I’m a supporter of the modern day selfie. In fact, I’m a founding member of the selfie sisterhood, dating all the way back to disposable cameras and MySpace mirror shots. See: Mom and me, age 13. Dog and me, age 16. Whatever I’m wearing and me, age 17. I’m all for the self-love and self-empowerment that comes with sharing one’s face (hair, makeup and shoe choice) on social media. Seriously. Let your multi-colored hair down and (for those out of high school) show off that Atlantic City dress youRead More

Don’t judge me for being on OKCupid because I know you’re probably thinking of how to describe yourself in three words at this very exact moment. I mean, I guess much like the “10 Internet Articles” article, if you begin to notice patterns in the online pickup lines you’re getting, maybe it’s time to go on a real date. Or maybe it’s just time to compile those pickup lines into a list that you then proceed to post on the internet. I don’t know. Do you, bbys. 1. The HolidayRead More

The TV Series, “Cosmos,” has shown a new generation of viewers what Carl Sagan did for an earlier one.  New Host, Neil deGrasse Tyson, has shown over the last few weeks how amazing and inspiring our “Cosmos” can be.  However, that sense of wonder and awe is not reflected in the way the United States government views the agency most responsible for this, NASA. The funding for NASA has steadily lost priority in the eyes of the budget makers in Washington.  We are currently at our lowest rate since theRead More

As of Monday, The LA Times published an article condemning a resolution passed by the UC-Santa Barbara Academic Senate intended to ensure that students would receive notice of “triggering” content before it appears in a classroom. The title of this article is “Warning: College students, this editorial may upset you.”   …I am upset. Upset at the victim-blaming that this perpetrates. Upset at the lack of sympathy for our fellow humans who have undergone traumatic events. Upset at the manner in which the writer dismisses the need for trigger warningsRead More

I thought I’d briefly inform you of a show coming soon. You’ll be remiss if you miss it. Called I Wanna Marry Harry, it’s a show that brings 12 man-thirsty young women to a house in Berkshire, England. Of course, they are under the assumption that they are there to meet Prince Harry. The twist? Harry is not actually on the program. Instead, the manly man protagonist is a Prince Harry look-a-like named Matthew Hicks. Well done, Seacrest, well done. We all remember Joe Millionaire (also a Fox show), whereRead More

Alter egos: A lot of stars have them. Beyonce has Sasha Fierce, David Bowie had Ziggy Stardust and now, apparently, Nick Cannon has Conner Smallnut. And people aren’t impressed. Cannon, who is set to release a new album titled, “White People Party Music” on April Fools’ Day, has caused a bit of a stir over the past few days, posting photos and videos of himself in whiteface and skater attire on Twitter and Instagram. Captions underneath the posts include hashtags like “FarmersMarket,” “GoodCredit,” “BeerPong,” and “CreamCheeseEating,” and introduce the pastyRead More

Instant gratification is exhausting.  We are a generation that can get what we desire immediately, we want what we want when we want it, and we can have it.  In a time like this, the word “patience” can be as foreign to us as the idea of mailing hand-written letters for communication purposes; both unnecessary and rather annoying. This instant gratification mentality can leave us in an uneasy state of quantity versus quality, and distracts us from a more meaningful existence full of things out of our control – aRead More

Well, Beyonce continues to live up to her nickname. Queen Bee speaks and everybody listens. Lately, my newsfeed has been buzzing with posts about “Ban Bossy,” a campaign started by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and backed by Bee herself. According to the campaign’s website, “When a little boy asserts himself, he’s called a ‘leader.’ Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded ‘bossy.’” This type of language, according to Sheryl Sandberg, discourages girls from seeking leadership roles, and “Ban Bossy” aims to address this issue byRead More

Kids are getting dumber. Okay, not dumber, but definitely less intellectual. It’s a proven fact. We have such a religious-like belief in controlling a child’s diet; as kids, we’re told that one sugar cookie or half of a coca cola is like a ‘gateway food,’ and it will surely lead to chronic obesity down the road. But as we spend all of our OCD energy on monitoring what children eat, we forget about the importance of a healthy mind. Just go to any high school, or mall, or just aboutRead More