Looking back now, I can say with certainty that I would not be here today, in the United States, pursuing an education and a dream, if not for my aunt. Her hands were roughened by work that should never have been hers. Her dreams of education were traded for a life of sacrifice. She shed her blood, sweat, and tears so my father could learn, so he could build a different future. He did just that, but unfortunately, not with her. My aunt was born five years before my father.

Art is often described as a mirror, but for some artists, it functions as something more powerful. For Indianapolis-based photographer Jordan Connor Christie, the force of art lives in the act of embodiment. Through her work as Animal in a Dress, Jordan uses boudoir photography to help people step fully into themselves, reclaim their stories, and see their own beauty reflected in lasting images. Jordan did not set out to be a boudoir photographer. Her journey began with se

As a photographer documenting the intersection of culture and style, I've witnessed firsthand how Black culture has shaped the fashion landscape. The contributions are endless—from the artistic explosion of the Harlem Renaissance to the bold statements of the Black Power movement, Black creativity has been a driving force behind countless innovations in style and design.

My Power Was Never Hard to Pronounce—Just Hard to Contain Growing up in a predominantly white community in Wisconsin, I was one of only three Indian students in my entire high school. For four years, I faced racism, bigotry, adversity, and xenophobia—experiences that made me acutely aware of my differences. My name, Alabhya, meaning "one who is invincible," was constantly mispronounced or reduced to nicknames for convenience. Instead of making the effort to learn my name, tea

In popular media, people’s background context is often told explicitly to help us, the audience, understand characters quickly and get focused on the storytelling. Blockbuster movies tend to quickly attribute the highest influence to those characters who have an Ivy League education or surged to success within their careers in record-breaking time. Iron Man is a great example because he’s a super genius who went to MIT, and that equates to inherent goodness as a superhero. Wh

Sometimes going sober means that “one day at a time” is even too big to manage. Breaking it down to a few breaths, a few hours.

Menopause is a natural transition in every woman’s life, yet it remains a topic that’s often hushed, misunderstood, or stigmatized.

We all deserve to come out of the closet, and not look back. Regardless of institutional sexual education, sexuality, and gender identities.

There’s a reason that the story of Beauty and the Beast got so popular. The shock of something so seemingly lovely, meant to be preserved...

While growing up, I envisioned love by finding that significant other who felt like the other half of you was finally found and...

I am a Pinterest gal, so I usually tend to start all of my writings with a quote, but this time, I couldn’t find one as relatable as I...

Every child says something to their parents that they regret and want to forget. The thing I said, I can’t forget it and I’ve come to...

I was six years old when I got on the school bus I wore my purple and white dress with a woven rose in the middle of my chest. My velcro...