January 29, 2021

Jojo Siwa’s coming-out story is important for children to see

For a long time, I had no idea what JoJo Siwa was famous for. When I heard her name, the images that would spring to mind were over-exaggerated hair bows, pink Converse high tops, and an over-abundance of glitter. This past week, however, she’s stuck in my mind as the happiest celebrity to come o…

January 29, 2021

‘Euphoria’s special episodes are beautifully unnecessary

When Euphoria announced two unexpected special episodes last November, there wasn’t much indication of what those episodes would look like. The announcement said little more than that two episodes,…

January 29, 2021

‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ does too much with too little

With a mere six-episode season, Fate: The Winx Saga—a teen adaptation of Nickelodeon’s hit Winx Club series—already lacked the space to do much with the vast world it inherited from its predecessor…

January 29, 2021

Clubs taught me what my professors couldn’t

January is almost over, and as Journal readers know, the annual search for new student government and club executives is underway. As much as this time is about new beginnings, reflecting on the pa…

‘Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical,’ the production of all our dreams

January 26, 2021

When the pandemic caused theatre doors to close last year, musical theatre didn’t immediately find its footing in the online world. Fair enough—its appeal draws from the raw power of a live perform…

‘The Crown’ brilliantly portrays the decline of the British monarchy

January 26, 2021

I swore I would never be one of those people who watched The Crown. From the outside, it seemed like another series about the uptight British monarchy, layered with dry political humour and hidden …

The test of friendship during Ontario’s second wave

January 26, 2021

COVID-19 cases have spiked once again in Ontario, bringing a stay-at-home order which has relegated us back to our homes and away from socially distanced in-person interactions with friends. Much l…

Stick with ‘WandaVision’—it’s headed places

January 22, 2021

It’s easy to fall in love with the tried-and-true format that has made Marvel movies so successful and reject anything straying from that formula, but WandaVision is a good reason to keep an open m…

The sole problem with ‘Soul’

January 22, 2021

Disney and Pixar’s Soul could be a perfect knockout, but it plays things too safe. The new film is appealing in all dimensions. The animation is, as we’ve come to expect from Disney and Pixar, stun…

How social media use shapes your sense of self-worth

January 22, 2021

The average person will spend a total of six years and eight months on social media in their lifetime—that’s a staggering commitment. Whether it’s looking through Instagram on the bus or watching …

Regrowing my foreskin

January 22, 2021

This article discusses depression, suicidal thinking, and sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Canadian Mental Health Association Crisis Line can be reached at 1-800-875-6213….

What’s the deal with Squishmallows?

January 19, 2021

In 2017, Squishmallows, a new line of soft toys by Kellytoy, hit the shelves. Only four years later, you’d be hard pressed to find a young person without one somewhere in their bedroom. The stuffed…

‘Hi, how are you?’: Learning to reconnect remotely

January 19, 2021

I can’t believe it will be March in less than two months. It doesn’t feel like it’s been almost a year since I was franticly packing, booking overpriced plane tickets, and finding a way to get to t…

Why normalizing pronoun sharing is a simple but important step

January 19, 2021

Including your personal pronouns in your social media bios, your email sign-offs, and your introductions is a small change that cisgender people can—and should—be making. Why? It’s the simplest ste…

‘The Queen’s Gambit’ doesn’t properly depict addiction

January 15, 2021

While stylish and bingeable, Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit fails to portray an authentic struggle with addiction. Based on Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel of the same name, the hit Netflix adaptation begi…

The Capitol raid could change North American social media for good

January 15, 2021

On Jan. 6, thousands of Donald Trump extremists and white supremacists who believed the 2020 presidential election had been ‘stolen’ from their candidate stormed the United States Capitol. Two day…

‘Fresh Prince’ reunion reveals the emotional journey behind the iconic sitcom

January 15, 2021

’90s Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of my first real crushes: there was something about the way he lit up a room wearing baggy shorts and a ridiculous pattern that somehow looked…

Travesty in the ‘Ton: ‘Bridgerton’ slips up

January 15, 2021

This article contains discussions of sexual assault and may be triggering to some readers. Without holiday plans to look forward to and with the incoming frost chasing us all indoors for good, I en…

I thought I’d outgrown my eating disorder. I was wrong.

January 15, 2021

This article discusses eating disorders and may be triggering for some readers. The Canadian Mental Health Association Crisis Line can be reached at 1-800-875-6213. The story goes that if you put a…

How journaling is helping me overcome perfectionism

November 27, 2020

November 4, 2020: If I’m not my good grades, the hours I put in at the gym, or the clothes I spend hundreds of dollars on, then who am I? I bought my first journal at the beginning of Grade 12. …

Harry Styles’ ‘Vogue’ cover isn’t a threat to masculinity

November 27, 2020

If you opened Instagram on Nov. 13, you likely saw images of Harry Styles shared across your friends’ stories. Styles appeared in American Vogue as the first ever solo-appearing male celebrity t…

‘You’ and ‘Barry’ are quiet commentaries on white male privilege

November 27, 2020

Joe Goldberg, the protagonist of the television show You, and Barry Berkman, the titular character from HBO’s Barry, have a lot in common: they both want nothing more than to fit in and feel loved,…

Three safe ways to be social during winter break

November 27, 2020

This winter break, I’ll be spending my holiday apart from my friends—but that doesn’t mean we won’t still hang out. My hometown is a COVID-19 hotspot, so like many other students returning home for…

‘Supernatural’ shouldn’t have buried its only gay lead

November 20, 2020

If you’re a fan of Supernatural, you might be feeling down for two reasons: last night’s series finale, and the show’s disappointing execution of its final bid for positive queer representation. Be…

A Muslim girl’s favourite Christmas movies

November 20, 2020

Culturally and religiously, I grew up Muslim. As much as I love celebrating Eid, Ramadan, and other Muslim holiday—I’m sure they exist, and I ask you don’t make fun of me for not knowing any—I was …

The rise of the virtual concert

November 20, 2020

The year 2020 has been the year of cancelled events. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of concerts, festivals, and tours have been cancelled or postponed. With touring being the largest sou…

Feeling beautiful in white-dominated spaces

November 20, 2020

I came out of high school dripping with confidence. I was secure in the body I had, proud of my features—moments of insecurity were present but bearable. In my first year at Queen’s, I felt doubt l…

Learning to embrace my natural hair

November 13, 2020

One of the most tumultuous relationships I’ve had in my life is the one I have with my hair. It might sound superficial, but my perception of my hair runs much deeper than a few bad hair days. W…

Clare & Dale’s romance highlights the odd format of ‘The Bachelorette’

November 13, 2020

As the almighty Chris Harrison has stated many, many times, this season of The Bachelorette is “unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.” The reality series’ latest season has not only contended …

In global politics, this fall feels like a step backward for women

November 13, 2020

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone use the word ‘feminist’ as an insult. I’ve been told feminism is greedy, it oppresses men, it’s obsolete. We have the vote—what more could we…