Body Politics: In Conversation with Drew Davis
On this Free-Thought Podcast, we have a conversation with special contributor Drew Davis about the Shuddhashar Body Politics issue.
Body Politics
“মাগী মাইনষের কথা শোনাও যা, না শোনাও তা ”- ভাষার লিঙ্গীয় অসমতার একটি পাঠ
Abstract in English Do women have any language? Is the language a woman speaks is her own or imposed upon by the patriarchal society? This article explores the role language plays in demeaning women, how it is used in taking away their human dignity, constructing them as inferior, less than equal beings with little agency, …
“মাগী মাইনষের কথা শোনাও যা, না শোনাও তা ”- ভাষার লিঙ্গীয় অসমতার একটি পাঠ Read More »
Ryktene, æren og frihet: Å være somalisk i Norge
Abstract in English For Somalian women living in Norway, it can be difficult to live as freely as Norwegians can. In this article, Amal Aden describes the challenges she and other Somalian women face if they stop wearing a hijab, or if they drink or have a boyfriend. They are threatened by rumors about their …
Ryktene, æren og frihet: Å være somalisk i Norge Read More »
A Letter for Dark Skin Girls
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been told “you’re pretty for a darkskin girl”. Make no mistake, that there is no compliment in these words. As if Black beauty must be light, with green eyes and soft hair. It took me years to appreciate my skin. Sometimes, I still struggle to do so. …
Body politics in the Indian Subcontinent: “The worse a woman feels, the better should she look”
Manu says, “Do not marry a girl whose hair is pale, whose body is flawed, who is eternally ill, who has no body hair at all or has too much hair, who speaks too much, or whose eyes are brown. Discard her, who is named after the stars, the trees, the rivers, the barbarians, the …
A Fight with Ableism
I was born with a rare disease called Ullrich Muscular Dystrophy. At the time of my diagnosis, I was the only one in the state of South Carolina with my disease and number ninety-six in the world to have it. My disease affects the skeletal muscles, the muscles used for movement. I’m able to walk …
My Body is Too Much
I learned early in life that my body is too much. Too dark. Too tall for the room. Too opinionated. Too loud. Too domineering. Too uncovered. Each time, I stubbornly confronted the norm— who gets to define what is too much, and what indeed, is the measuring scale? Of the many identities I have metamorphosed …
Food for the SO(u)L
As a Black, non-binary, trans-femme fierce entity, I often contemplate how revolutionary it is to be me. I wake up each day prepared to fight, to present my most authentic self to the world. A world that doesn’t see me even when I slay them with all my finery. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t …
The Role of Media and Fashion in Promoting Fatphobia
The concept of body politics has been traditionally and culturally practiced in our society through ages. The concept suggests how the outer appearance of an individual is policed by the ones in power based on the societal standards of what is considered acceptable. Many factors figure into the idea of the ideal body. The classification …
The Role of Media and Fashion in Promoting Fatphobia Read More »
And Then There’s Me
The first thing my seat partner says to me in Spanish I class is, “It smells like curry in here.” I take a whiff. The room smells of old carpet and hand sanitizer. Ms. Wieland, the Spanish I teacher, has a Glade plug-in sitting on her desk. Occasionally it sends out vanilla-scented puffs that waft …
The Second Skin: Caste in India
“Bioscopic frames of noncity-scapes. Asphyxiation induced anxiety tunnelling an end to our aspiration. Funnelling 12 sweaty bodies through a 180sqft hole, our mothers overlooking hope in MHADA’s redevelopment plan. Such are our dead eyes. Such are our brightest dreams. The pitiful sigh of a middle-class Jai Bhim! I’ve recently switched from Charcoal to Black Brush …
