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Opinion Writer of the Year Portfolio
The Snow-White Apple of Our Eyes
West Side Story
September 7, 2023
This piece was written in response to the backlash the actress, Rachel Zegler, faced after her comments about Disney's upcoming Snow White live-action film. All of the discourse online made me reflect about how we tend to try to hold women to the same standards in terms of feminism, without regards to their individuality as people. Media, in particular, has difficulty when defining a "strong, independent" woman, and traps female characters into a single archetype for the sake of appearing "progressive." This is the sentiment I wanted to be able to express when writing this column.
September 7, 2023
This piece was written in response to the backlash the actress, Rachel Zegler, faced after her comments about Disney's upcoming Snow White live-action film. All of the discourse online made me reflect about how we tend to try to hold women to the same standards in terms of feminism, without regards to their individuality as people. Media, in particular, has difficulty when defining a "strong, independent" woman, and traps female characters into a single archetype for the sake of appearing "progressive." This is the sentiment I wanted to be able to express when writing this column.
Rated X
West Side Story
October 29, 2023
I was inspired to write this piece after reading about some online discourse on the necessity of sex scenes in media. Society's view towards sex still remains as a polarizing topic and media's approach on the subject has been wide and varied. It occurred to me that as both an art form and an entertainment medium for the general public, media as a whole struggles to find the balance where people can express their feelings through sex without causing offense or lacking depth. Therefore, the purpose of this column was to express how instead of taking sex scenes at face value, it's more important to view them through a critical lens.
October 29, 2023
I was inspired to write this piece after reading about some online discourse on the necessity of sex scenes in media. Society's view towards sex still remains as a polarizing topic and media's approach on the subject has been wide and varied. It occurred to me that as both an art form and an entertainment medium for the general public, media as a whole struggles to find the balance where people can express their feelings through sex without causing offense or lacking depth. Therefore, the purpose of this column was to express how instead of taking sex scenes at face value, it's more important to view them through a critical lens.
L(ove) G(ays) B(eing) T(errible)
West Side Story (WSS)
October 31, 2023
This piece was written as a Halloween special. I have always been very fascinated with the history of queer-coding in media, especially when compared to other representation, sexual orientation can be interpreted from the subtext alone rather than being directly confirmed. Villains and antagonists, in particular, are infamous for portraying stereotypical queer traits because of the association between queerness and evil. While this pattern of storytelling is not unfamiliar to most people, I was more interested in the fact that the queer community chooses to take these stories which seemingly places people like them in a negative light, reclaim the narrative and instead celebrate these characters for the sake of how far the world has come. This is what I wanted to explore through this column.
October 31, 2023
This piece was written as a Halloween special. I have always been very fascinated with the history of queer-coding in media, especially when compared to other representation, sexual orientation can be interpreted from the subtext alone rather than being directly confirmed. Villains and antagonists, in particular, are infamous for portraying stereotypical queer traits because of the association between queerness and evil. While this pattern of storytelling is not unfamiliar to most people, I was more interested in the fact that the queer community chooses to take these stories which seemingly places people like them in a negative light, reclaim the narrative and instead celebrate these characters for the sake of how far the world has come. This is what I wanted to explore through this column.
Criticisms to the Chef
West Side Story
December 18, 2023
This piece was written in response to South Korea's legislation to ban the consumption of dog meat. As a Korean-American, I'm used to the negative perception dog meat has in the West. However, I felt as though most people were judging the topic of dog meat consumption without considering the full picture, especially in terms of ethical values and cultural differences. I wanted to express through this column how different foods can't always be held to the same standards. Or, at least, that it is in no one's right to control what others choose to eat, much less the government's.
December 18, 2023
This piece was written in response to South Korea's legislation to ban the consumption of dog meat. As a Korean-American, I'm used to the negative perception dog meat has in the West. However, I felt as though most people were judging the topic of dog meat consumption without considering the full picture, especially in terms of ethical values and cultural differences. I wanted to express through this column how different foods can't always be held to the same standards. Or, at least, that it is in no one's right to control what others choose to eat, much less the government's.
Tough Crowd
West Side Story
March 4, 2024
I was inspired to write this piece after reading other people's thoughts on Jo Koy's jokes during the 2024 Golden Globe awards. It was a surprisingly divided debate on whether the jokes itself were poorly written or if Koy's delivery of the jokes that resulted in them falling flat. I've always felt that comedy, as a whole, is often underestimated for its influence and wanted to write a column which discussed how people use the idea of "offensive comedy" as a defense rather than a tool. When looking back at the history of satire and how it's utilized, I wanted to examine the pattern of how comedy has successfully managed to offend people and still make an insightful commentary on society.
March 4, 2024
I was inspired to write this piece after reading other people's thoughts on Jo Koy's jokes during the 2024 Golden Globe awards. It was a surprisingly divided debate on whether the jokes itself were poorly written or if Koy's delivery of the jokes that resulted in them falling flat. I've always felt that comedy, as a whole, is often underestimated for its influence and wanted to write a column which discussed how people use the idea of "offensive comedy" as a defense rather than a tool. When looking back at the history of satire and how it's utilized, I wanted to examine the pattern of how comedy has successfully managed to offend people and still make an insightful commentary on society.
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