Artistic Activism
Art is sometimes seen as useless. It’s certainly widely argued that humanities degrees have less value than those in the sciences and if you’re in it for the money, studying English or Art is generally not advised. Born in China, this narrative was present when Wenqing Yan, a 30 year old artist, illustrator, graphic novelist and co-founder of Axent Wear There’s more for you to read!
The Person I’ve Always Been
First Published in InQluded, a magazine based in New York with the mission to empower QTIBIPoC youth. I never considered myself to be a person of colour. There were other parts of my identity that seemed easier or even more obvious to embrace than my racial identity. The road to understanding and embracing my own sexuality came long before confronting There’s more for you to read!
Shame Only Attends Where We Are Interested
“Shame attends only where we are interested.” I came across this quote in Failing Desire by Karmen MacKendrick, a book I recently started reading because of my interest in societal shame. The book “draws on theology and queer theory to argue for the power of humiliating pleasures in a culture oriented very strongly to denying any enjoyment that is not There’s more for you to read!
The Reality of Covid-19
Diary Excerpt 1 April 2020 I’m feeling sick to my stomach. The sun has set and the streets are empty just like they have been all day. I went skating earlier and it felt really good to exert myself, the sun was shining and I love the smell of spring. Everyone in my community is complying with the social distancing There’s more for you to read!
We need to get rid of gender-stereotyped toys
We need to get rid of gender-stereotyped toys. It sends out the message that girls and boys are different, which makes girls that play with boy toys and vice versa feel weird and abnormal. There’s more for you to read!
The walls of my house
In the first weekend of August, I was lying on my floor after I’d slid down off my chair, shaking and covered in tears feeling like no matter how hard I screamed it wouldn’t be loud enough to change anything. It’s like gasping for air as you’re struggling to stay above water that’s continuously pushing you back under. This wasn’t There’s more for you to read!
I thought you would love me unconditionally
I thought you would love me unconditionally. You wanted me, right? But now that it’s not what you want, you’ve had enough and turned me off like a television screen. There’s more for you to read!
It’s about HOW you handle a situation
I have recently taken on a new mindset to deal with continuous struggles. I used to measure how well I was doing based on the circumstances and on how I was feeling. Say I’d have three breakdowns in a week, had been feeling dizzy every day and been awoken by dreams every night, then I’d say I’d been doing pretty There’s more for you to read!
Fitting in Society’s Beauty Standards
Why do we always worry about our appearances? Why do we worry about whether we are dressing up ‘too prettily’ or ‘too fancy’ for the occasion? Why are there certain occasions in which we can’t be that pretty? It’s like there has been a complete flip of rules since I’ve reached young adulthood. As teenagers, following the fashion rules and There’s more for you to read!
Overcoming the Fear of Failing
Do you remember participating in sports tournaments during your childhood? Let’s say, a tennis tournament, in my case. Or do you remember participating in a drawing or poetry contest, or did you ever audition for a musical? If I participated in any competition, my parents would tell me: ‘Remember, it doesn’t matter if you win as long as you try There’s more for you to read!
Black Pete Shouldn’t be Black
When people ask me about my favourite holiday, my answer is Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas), even though I haven’t celebrated it in 10 years. Holidays like Christmas don’t bring me as much excitement as it does for other people. But if there’s one thing I’d like children to experience it’s Sinterklaas, because it was one of the best things in my childhood. There’s more for you to read!
I published a book when I was 13 and felt utterly ashamed
On 11 May 2009, I published a novella named ‘Een Moeilijke Kamp Ervaring,’ which directly translates to ‘A difficult camping experience’. I was 13 at the time and felt the utmost compulsion to write this story down as quickly as I could. I believe it only took me a few weeks to write and finish it, and once I did, There’s more for you to read!
The Art of Drinking and Going Out
For years I struggled with the idea of going out. Entering a place where your shirt sticks to your back and where dozens of people are tipsy or drunk, dancing and shouting over the loud music has never been my idea of fun and certainly not one of comfort. Yet, this seemed to be the social thing people do once There’s more for you to read!
My Birthday is a Trigger
Birthdays are supposed to be good days; days that you look forward to and wish to celebrate. I liked my birthday a lot when I was a child. Everyone likes receiving presents, eating cake and celebrating with friends, right? I do too, or I used to, at the very least. However, my birthday has turned into a day of expectations. Birthdays There’s more for you to read!