Feminism /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/        noun              the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. This is the definition of a word most often misunderstood. To be a feminist is the want to be equal not inferior. Inferior was a word I struggled to understand. No dictionary could help me understand why Arab women were inferior to men. We are lower in status and value.  In the

CNN recently reported that, nationwide, over 400 rape kits were destroyed by police departments before the statute of limitations expired or before prosecution. According to the report, 80% of the kits were never tested for DNA and kits were kept in police evidence lockers for weeks or months after receiving them. This has been occurring since 2010, and only now is it being investigated completely. The investigation shows disturbing stereotypes that law enforcement has used

Last month, TV giant Shonda Rhimes (best known for producing Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal), teamed with the Dove Self Esteem fund, to launch a new campaign: the Girl Collective. Focused on body positivity and confidence, the initiative aims to address the drastic numbers about negative self image, that are the reality for many young women. 8 in 10 girls refrain from participating in important activities because of low self-esteem.  Statistics like this should simply not have

The famous Victoria Secret Fashion Show last Thursday exhibited a multitude of models and lingerie, but what really stole the show was a published interview Vogue submitted on the same day. Chief marketing officer of L. Brands Ed Razek and executive vice president of public relations at Victoria Secret Monica Mitro discussed diversity. Mitro discussed the diversity at first of Victoria’s Secret, with models using their natural hair and being encouraged to speak for themselves. Razek

I always questioned why my mother trusted me to walk to and from the bus stop alone in 7th grade but not my brother when he reached the same grade. As I have thought of it, I have come to realize the bus stop situation wasn’t an isolated one; growing up every event that benchmarks itself as a sign of growth, walking alone, cooking, taking care of other kids, to name a few, was always

Just last year, #MeToo paved the way for sexual assault survivors to share their stories with the world. Now another hashtag has been created, this one sharing the reasons why many sexual assault survivors never come forward with their assault. Through #WhyIDidntReport, sexual assault survivors are showing the world just how difficult it is to report their assault to authorities and even their own families and close friends, as many survivors are silenced through victim-blaming

On Sunday, Leslie Moonves, CEO of the CBS Corporation, resigned in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations. The initial accusations emerged in a July article by reporter Ronan Farrow for the New Yorker, which detailed the claims of six women. Four said that Moonves forcibly kissed or touched them, while the other two explained “physical intimidation” and threats to ruin their careers. All six women believe their careers suffered as a result of their rejection