Sign of the Times

February 1, 2024

Diversity hire: the diversity fires

By Amanda Marroquin

Amanda Marroquin reflects on the recent LA Times workforce changes and what it means for the organization.

January 23, 2024

Spotify Users: Your Playlists are Performative

By Phoebe Mitchem

Phoebe Mitchem thinks Spotify has just become another social media.

January 18, 2024

Where’d All the Time Go?

By Haley Joseph

Haley Joseph explores why we feel like time is going faster and faster.

October 26, 2023

Stories from Storke: Encounter with a ghost

By José Suarez, Maya Salem

José Suarez and Maya Salem share some run-ins with the supernatural.

August 29, 2023

Powerhouses versus props: the “it” factor in female representation

By Haley Joseph

Haley Joseph critiques common caricatures of women in the media, and wonders what makes a character, as the kids say, an "It Girl".

July 21, 2023

The restoration of history: how art transforms the narrative

By Haley Joseph

Haley Joseph takes inspiration from curator Diana Nawi’s guest lecture and reflects on how art informs the present.

May 25, 2023

Authentic cuisine is overrated: a brief history of Chinese American food (and why there’s no shame in loving it)

By Elizabeth Lee

Elizabeth Lee dishes on how authentic food is a misnomer and embracing the immigrant experience.

March 4, 2023

Kardashian Kontradictions and the business of self-commodification

By Riley Burke

Riley Burke delves into the self-commodification of the Kardashians and the accompanying effects.

February 23, 2023

Drag her to the mainstream: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the commodification of queer culture

By Suryaansh Dongre

Suryaansh Dongre considers how the representation of queer culture in media balances marketability and authenticity.

February 13, 2023

Beauty and the beast of Eurocentric standards

By Zuri Wilson

Once upon a time, Zuri Wilson writes of a world in which representation is much more than appearance.

January 26, 2023

Monster: The ethics of true crime

By Elizabeth Lee

Elizabeth Lee weighs the ethics of true crime media.

January 12, 2023

Haute couture for everyone: democratizing high fashion through diversity

By Suryaansh Dongre

"As we move forward into a new era of high fashion, the industry should reposition itself as something for everyone and every body," writes Suryaansh Dongre.

November 17, 2022

Tomato soup for the soul (and for the Earth)

By Ashna Ahmed

Ashna Ahmed considers how the public reception of recent climate protests reveals our desensitization.

November 10, 2022

Not so seamless: transferring as a nontraditional transfer

By Riley Burke

Riley Burke leads us through the transfer student process, bureaucratic red tape and all.

October 6, 2022

Argument in the Office: Passion’s place in the workplace

By Toni Shindler-Ruberg, Amitha Bhat

Amitha Bhat and Toni Shindler-Ruberg debate passion's place in the workplace.

September 27, 2022

Turning Red Makes Me Turn Red

By Zoë Lo

Zoë Lo expresses her skepticism of Hollywood's tendency to portray protagonists of color as animals.