Beauty is a function of consensus. To determine that something possesses beauty, it must align with socially-accepted criteria for beauty. In the Beauty Myth, Naomi Woolf writes that beauty is not a function of evolution, sex, gender, aesthetics or God, yet “women must embody it and men must want to possess women who embody it….
The danger of having a narrow-minded notion of success is that it neglects how different shoes fit different sizes, thereby expecting people to live up to ridiculous standards that are in conflict with their real selves. Lies disguise as truths until they are questioned. For ages, society has lied that a woman’s crowning glory is a…
When Hana Saada, a doctoral female student at the University of Algiers Benyoucef Benkhedda, looks at the news, she barely sees women in science on the pages of the newspaper or on screen. There’s barely a sound of them on radio too. One would be think that there are few or no women in science. The former…
I began working as a freelance writer and journalist in 2018, after leaving my job in HR consulting. I loved writing and I wanted more flexibility: I wanted to spend time with my daughter. After my son was born in 2019, I had less time to work on my writing career. Taking care of the baby…
We live in a patriarchal society, and when we speak of patriarchy, it’s not just about men, but a system. A social system in which men hold the power, leaving women largely excluded from it. And as with all social systems, it has mores, norms and institutions put in place to sustain it. Patriarchy is…
When Patricia Olubunmi Etteh was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in Nigeria in June 2007, she made history. She was the first woman to occupy that position, but media reportage downplayed her achievement. Initial commentary focused on her professional background as a hairdresser and beauty therapist, creating perceptions that she was not deserving…
The birth of the fourth industrial revolution has meant that newsrooms, globally, have had to consider the future of news on a daily basis. As much as new technologies have presented media practitioners with new modes of storytelling, the rate at which new tech grows and emerges has also proven intimidating for some. Where…
As we think about the safety of journalists, let us also consider the risks of sexual harassment and abuse that women journalists encounter at work. More than six months since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, we remain in a state of uncertainty grappling with the loss…
When, in August 2020, celebrated actor Chadwick Boseman succumbed to a four-year battle with colon cancer, the loss was felt globally. A few days after the launch of his final screen performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020), colleagues and friends continue to bear testimony to Boseman’s upstanding character. This year has been one…
