Sincerely yours: Music with hopeful messages

MALORIE MCCALL

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I fiddle with the volume as my dad’s BMW slides toward the 110 South on-ramp. My black leggings are covered in dusty paw prints and white fur, remnants of Finley, the therapy cat. Of course, Finley doesn’t have a degree, and I wouldn’t suggest full-time use of his tiny little ears in place of a therapist. […]

Word of mouth: Vagina

Noorhan Maamoon

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If in the world of emojis, a peach represents a butt and an eggplant represents a penis, which emoji would represent a vagina?  The diamond emoji? Vagina. What a weird word! Even in this post-feminist world, where women are in charge of their sexuality and girls are taught they’re just as good as boys, saying […]

When the apology matters: Too late to say sorry?


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A couple months ago, I got a text from my first-ever boyfriend that read, “I know we haven’t talked in a while but I feel like I owe you an apology.” It went on to say he knew it was too late for forgiveness, but he wanted me to know he didn’t feel right about the […]

Redefining stereotypes: gay men and opera


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There is nothing I find more exciting than opening night at the opera. As a former opera singer, I can speak from experience that this elation is shared equally among those on- and off-stage. There is a certain anticipation that inhabits the air, that when combined with the sophisticated attire of the patrons, creates a […]

Embracing the uncomfortable

Noorhan Maamoon

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I often make people uncomfortable. Sometimes, it’s because I’m a hijab-wearing Muslim and that scares the Islamophobes. Sometimes, it’s because of how I write. People say I’m too intense, too feminist, too loud while trying to be heard. When I was younger, I viewed “too” as a negative word. It meant that I should be less […]

Be an adult, break up with everything


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Breaking up sucks. It sucks so much that we’ve made this thing called hook-up culture that never really says goodbye. It’s easier to keep ends ambiguous, unspoken even to oneself because it’s a thousand times less uncomfortable than making the decision to look someone in the eye and say “I’m done.” Even if you have […]

Why I couldn’t finish Love

Minnie Schedeen

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This week, I decided to take a detour from my usual topic of film and talk about Netflix’s latest original series, entitled Love, co-created by everybody’s favorite comedy uncle Judd Apatow and real-life married couple Paul Rust and Lesley Arfin (both of whom you’ve no doubt seen onscreen and/or heard of their work). I had […]

Yellowface in opera is a problematic issue


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This weekend, L.A. Opera will present a production of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. As an avid lover of Italian opera, particularly Puccini, I’ve had tickets for opening night for months now. Since the opera’s original premiere in 1904, Madama Butterfly stands as one of the most performed operas in history. However, in recent years, Madama […]

In response to dialogue regarding collegiate sexual assault

Noorhan Maamoon

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On Feb. 19, a judge declined to free pop star Kesha from her contract with her producer and accused abuser, Dr. Luke. On Feb. 28, at the 88th Academy Awards, Lady Gaga gave a powerful performance of “Til It Happens To You,” which was written about her experience being raped. That same evening, Vice President […]