What’s Up Their Sleeves?

There was a recent New York article written by Vanessa Friedman discussing Michelle Obama’s fashion choices when she toured Asia to promote the “Let Girls Learn” education campaign. In the article, Friedman expresses her surprise that the First Lady chose to wear more traditionally feminine outfits such as a bright yellow patterned dress unlike the […]

Not Another Hashtag: Social Media’s Failure to Fight #BokoHaram

The power of social media can only extend so far. While our tweets, Facebook statuses, and tumblr posts may be effective at generating publicity, their effectiveness at actually catalyzing change is questionable. A recent example of social media’s failure to catalyze tangible change is the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign that dominated twitter this past […]

The Snub Heard ‘Round China

My mom and I seldom talk about politics because of the language barrier and also because I need her to pay my tuition. But a month ago, she asked me why Michelle Obama snubbed Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, by not going to the Obama-Xi summit meeting. I told her that […]