And anxiety casts scary shadows — I too lost my breath the day he died. Don’t get me wrong, I always knew he would eventually. I knew he should because of the laws of nature. I knew he could because he kept reminding us that one day, we all will. I still can’t believe he actually…

It’s not just the lyrics, but the energy and delivery — Content and Trigger Warning: Because this post is focused on the subject of mental health, it mentions various aspects of mental health struggles including drug use and suicidal ideation 1. Can’t live with the world- Laura Mvula This song is a lullaby that reminds us of how far we’ve come…

Five things in particular… — I defended my PhD in January 2018. During the four years of my research and writing up, certain things happened that were highly unexpected and unplanned for and these made life and my PhD experience particularly tough for me. The journey left me with five lessons that I keep applying…

As a child, I loved Disney princesses. As an adult, my concern goes beyond the problematic stereotypes — Welcome to “How I Got Radicalized,” a series from GEN that tells the story of a cultural moment that made you drastically rethink how society works. In the fall of 1998, as my big sister’s 15th birthday approached, we both huddled in excitement on the moss-green carpet of our home…

Encouraging vaccination will take patience, accountability, and empathy — and these strategies — Few modern medical interventions have ever been discussed as broadly or urgently as the Covid-19 vaccine, and with the rollout underway, conversations across platforms are covering everything from enthusiasm to fears to doubts to hesitancy. Though hesitancy is on the decline, vaccine mistrust still exists, including among Black people around…

Cyberchondria is real. And largely unhelpful. — For those who live with hypochondria, myself included, this pandemic has added layers to our concerns around health. Many of us have spent hours Googling risks and symptoms. And as science has revealed more information about the virus and illness, some of it comforting (it’s probably not foodborne), some of…

So much mistrust in vaccines stems from misinformation — Healthcare literature tells us that vaccines do a world of good in protecting us against deadly diseases. Yet there are still many people who will avoid vaccinating their children at all costs. As such, conversation surrounding vaccines is currently saturated with myth, mistrust, and increased risk of disease: the World…

This claim is unwittingly part of an agenda to position Whiteness as the beauty standard — In early February 2020, various news outlets reported that the actor Robert Pattinson is the most beautiful man in the world ‘according to science/scientists’. This claim was brought forward by facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Julian De Silva, who used the “ Greek Golden Ratio of Beauty Phi” to crown Pattinson’s…