Category Archives: r8

My Favs!

Posted on by
Reply

I have truly enjoyed all the blogs I’ve read. Regardless of whether I thought I would be interested in the blog initially, the unique writing styles of my peers have consistently surprised me – in good ways of course! Two of my favorite blogs are Emily’s Bigger Fish to Fry and Kristin and Tori’s The Durham Dish. I know, I know, it’s a bit odd that my two favorite blogs are foodie ones. I promise – I don’t think about food every waking moment! But the way’s these two blogs are written, and the topics they choose to cover, always keep me coming back for more.

Let’s start with Bigger Fish to Fry. In every post Emily writes about a subject pertaining to food culture and how its changing. From food trucks to chemically engineered foods to discussions about metabolism I truly have enjoyed the journey. As I was reading her most recent work, I found this excellent excerpt about metabolism and the possibility of choosing genes in the future:

There are so many science fiction novels and films, like the Gattaca, which imagine life to be so much easier if we could simply pick the genes we want to have. But as I watch the movie, I must wonder if such a perfect life is something to be desired. It seems like it’s these flaws in our genes that actually make us human and unique in our own ways.

During the post she starts off discussing her own experiences when she meets someone with a particularly high metabolism. She  then weaves in larger problems about the future and our ability to perhaps change what nature has handed us. I think this will become a much more contentious issue in the near future. Her writing is both engaging and insightful. After hooking me in with a topic I may be somewhat familiar with, Emily almost always brings in new information that often leave me with Aha! moments.

I also really enjoy Kristin and Tori’s writing in the Durham Dish. First off, I have to give it to them – the Durham Dish is set up wonderfully! The aesthetics, the simplicity, the variety – I’m impressed every time I go to their blog site. As a vegetarian, I especially love Tori’s take on the world. Her writing is extremely candid and she presents her findings in a way that makes me feel as if I’m conversing with a friend. I take her suggestions to heart and when she’s disappointed in her food choice, oddly enough I am too.

In her post, You had me at free dinner, I felt as if she was describing most students I know:

So last night, I agreed to include one of my photos in the student art exhibition for Duke’s “Exploring the Arts” dinner. At first, when I read the email, I decided against it – I have too much homework, I have a big French test, etc. – but then, I saw that the night included free dinner at the WaDuke. So, shameless as I am, I agreed to go.

I have a much greater desire to attend events when free food is involved – especially if its at the WaDuke. Thanks Krisitin and Tori for taking me on your food journey!

r8: Most Beloved Blogs

Posted on by
Reply

I have always been a sucker for humor…good humor, bad humor, sarcasm, mockery… I love them all! This probably has to do with the fact that I, myself, am not particularly funny. This always used to be an issue at the dinner table as I was growing up; the sequence of events was routine: everyone would be talking, I would crack my best attempt at a joke, I would start laughing, and then my dad would shake his head playfully and tease, “well at least you think you’re funny.” Wah wah wahhhh. No humor points for me.

Thus, it’s not particularly shocking that, over the course of the semester, I tended to gravitate towards the blogs that made me laugh. Lindsay’s listing blog was a weekly staple of mine. I loved her blog because, not only did I know that upon navigating to her page, I would be met with a catchy title and ten succinct points on a list, but I also knew that I was in for some subtle and conversational humor. One of my especial favorites was her article entitled “Things I Noticed During the Oscars, or I’m Really Just Watching This as an Excuse to Eat Kettle Corn.”

Right from the get-go, Lindsay’s prose had me giggling to myself.

“10) George Clooney’s severely underage girlfriend IS A WWE WRESTLER, according to a Huffington Post article called “Stacy Keibler, George Clooney relationship: Where did she come from?” I googled images of this girl to show you, and literally zero of them were appropriate to display.

9) At five minutes and thirty-three seconds prior to the start of the show, the “Live from the Red Carpet” guys ran out of famous people to talk to. So they went into the control room to startle one of the sound guys, who wasn’t at all dressed for national live television and wore an Alfalfa face for his whole segment.”

To make point 9 even better, she made sure to include a photo of Alfalfa. I really admire Lindsay’s ability to bring interest and humor to everyday topics and observations, and I found myself agreeing with her commentary on countless occasions. The fact that her prose were structured in lists, in and of itself, added a unique and captivating touch to her blog.

Chinny’s blog was another that had me enthralled right from the start. I loved visiting her blog because, not only could I expect to find a different subject matter each time, but also a different voice to accompany it. Chinny’s use of multiple voices and personas is truly amazing; it brings such a unique touch to her blog and is a refreshing attribute. Chinny’s blog is also utterly hilarious. While I must say that I am actually in the sorority Kappa, I was legitimately rolling on the floor while I read her post entitled (Mor)bid day.

“It took like, ages for this day to come. We worked really hard, like, you don’t even know. It takes a lot of planning and creativity to run Rush and like, we have to make the girls like us or we won’t get any of the good ones, you know? It’s about reputation and honor and stuff. We have a name and an identity to uphold—people on campus know us and like, we can’t let down our alumni and sisters and the history and our legacy cause like, we have loyalty. Loyalty is like, so important.

It’s like, such a good thing we are so smart or else we could NOT have made a video to compete with something like this: Kappa Rap

Those girls did the best job ever. Snaps, snaps, snaps to them.”

Her exaggeration of each stereotype is implemented to the perfect degree, the content of her posts never cease to amaze me. She literally perfectly embodies and represents each stereotype, so I constantly find myself not only laughing at her comments, but marveling as her skill as a writer.

r8: Blog Favs

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve enjoyed following everyone’s blogs this semester, especially since this was a new experience for me considering I never had much interest in blogs.  Honestly, my favorite blog was probably Jonathan’s.  Sure, this could be because I love basketball (and just sports in general) and so the topic was reason enough to love it.  But his writing style and perspective on certain topics reflected a lot of my own personal beliefs, and thus is was a pleasure to read someone’s writing who voiced a lot of the things that I think about but never really have an appropriate forum to say them.  For example:

That’s one thing that I love about college basketball and about Duke. The team always comes first, period. It’s about the name in the front of the jersey (the college name), not the name in the back (the player’s name). When a Duke basketball team walks onto the court, there is no ego, only what is best for the team. In the 2008-2009 season, a senior Greg Paulus was benched for freshman point-guard Elliot Williams. This is the same Paulus that had started at the point guard position since his freshman year. But there was never a doubt that the coaching staff had faith in Paulus and was committed to improving him. Coach K was just trying to put the five players that gave him the best chance of winning any given game. Aside from transferring colleges, once you chose a college you were dedicated to that program until you left, and the program was dedicated to you.

I was a huge Greg Paulus fan (I watched him play in the state championship in football his senior year of high school… he was an animal), so this entry caught my eye immediately.  Moreover, Jonathan is able to convey his personal beliefs to his audience without getting to pushy or preachy, and without sounding like a snarky Dukie.  I loved the several comparisons between Duke and the Houston Rockets too, as I think it was great to try and bridge the gap between college and pro basketball, as there currently exists a rather large divide between the two.  To put it simply, though, Jonathan’s blog was a great combination of information and opinion… I actually would prefer reading his eloquent write-ups to some of those incompetent ones from the guys at ESPN!

One of my favorite individual posts that I’ve read, however, comes from Keturah’s blog:

I recently read that #Occupywallstreet may be running out of cash…Is it true? The social, grassroots movement that has spread to countries around the world may be coming to end. How unfortunate! I may not agree with everything #Occupy stands for but I certainly support the light it has shed on social inequality. I know, I know – #occupy has been characterized as unorganized, rogue and blatantly ineffective. In some ways, it is! But, honestly, I think that’s okay. Someone needs to stand up to the bankers who were able to walk away with millions while thousands of Americans lost their homes. I’m totally against any system that squeezes millions of Americans to cater to the 1%. It’s unjust and undemocratic.

Keturah takes on a rather controversial topic, and does so in such a succinct and manner-of-fact fashion that it’s almost impossible to argue her logic.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the occupy movement; I thought it was pretty stupid to think that sleeping in tents was going to change the economic status quo in our country.  But honestly, after reading Keturah’s post, I was able to understand.  Her precise delivery and honesty (“I may not agree with everything #Occupy stands for but…”) make it an effective message, one that can’t be easily brushed aside with simple counterarguments.  So thank you, Keturah, for giving me some perspective on something that I was so quick to write off.

 

r8. Blog Posts

Posted on by
Reply

One blog I really enjoyed reading was Sophie’s Novel Terrain. I admired the way Sophie effortlessly brought the landscapes of these books to life. She made it extremely easy for her readers to picture themselves in the setting of various novels. Some of which, I might add, are very heavy and those I imagine were difficult to dissect. In my opinion, at least, Dickens’ is not an easy read. One post that stood out to me in particular was from earlier this semester, In the Land of Pride and Prejudice and Chickens.

Men would have to court women without the help of the internet.  You would not be able to click a button and have a fresh bunch of roses delivered to your lover; instead you would have to saddle your most noble steed and ride for hours (in England, it will most likely be in the rain) and arrive at your lover’s house looking like a drowned rat with a bunch of drooping roses.  What an effort! A good-old Austen-styled ballroom dance sounds fun until I think about the corsets and lack of air-conditioning, and- perhaps most important- lack of deodorant.

Sophie brings a strong voice to her post, one that made me laugh several times. Her interjections are powerful and straightforward. They state the facts that are often overlooked by readers (i.e., “A good-old Austen-Stylend ballroom dance sounds fun until I think about the corsets and lack of air-conditioning…”). Her sarcasm adds spunk to her writing that make her posts very fun to read!

Another blog I looked forward to reading was Nicole’s The Last Supper.  Her tone is conversational and her writing style is amusing to read. Here is an example from her post, “KKC” (aka the Krispy Kreme Challenge):

I was literally the slowest person on the team – okay, I’m not the fastest runner in the world, but in all my years on Track and XC I was never the absolute slowest. That’s why when I heard about the Krispy Kreme Challenge, I knew I’d finally have my chance to shine.

The Challenge: 2.25 miles there + 12 donuts + 2.25 miles back; < 1 hour, no throwing up

I know. I KNOW. Finally – I could definitely out-eat all of these serious runners; I’ve pretty much been training for a race like this my whole life. (My parents felt a weird balance of pride and disgust.)

I like that Nicole doesn’t have to try to get her readers to like her. Her honesty and her wittiness do that for her. Nicole implements a personable writing style that made me feel like I could relate to her. She isn’t afraid to make fun of herself and I think this is a very important factor for good blog writing!

“and the Bloggie Award goes to….”

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve enjoyed many of the posts and blogs that our little family of writers has offered to the interwebz, but a few of us have delivered some affecting, effective prose. Here are a pair of the posts that resonated with me most:

Sophie’s blog, Novel Terrain, has been excellent fodder for her obvious talents as a writer. She has re-imagined historical moments, uncovered layers from some classic works of literature and made them accesible to modern readers, and most importantly, made us excited to read these works. One example in particular from her post, “Have an Adventure!”, makes me remember how fiendishly I awaited moments when I could dive between the covers of my bed and the covers of some girthy tome:

“There are few other novels in the world that paint as vivid a picture for our imaginations as The Hobbit does.  The details are as clear as peering through a microscope at the brush stokes on a van Eyck painting. Rivendell, the center of elf-land, gushes with waterfalls and oozes with magic. And Smaug’s treasure gleans at us from under his heaving belly.  The characters too, and not just their surroundings, are depicted with rich detail: Gollum’s pathetic insanity is so real you can almost smell it, and Bilbo’s sensible and good-natured heart is at hand through all the novel’s terrain.”

In those few sentences I am transported. “Rivendell, the center of elf-land, gushes with waterfalls and oozes with magic. And Smaug’s treasure gleams at us from under his heaving belly,” she writes, and I am ten again; would that I could travel with our heroes, and that more writers had a flair as imaginative as Sophie’s.

 

I had the pleasure of reading this post on Carburrito from Kristin in class one day when we were workshopping, and for the entire time I couldn’t stop smiling. You might think, “Hey, and stupe with a keyboard can write a blog about a burrito and catch your interst, Parker.” And yeah, you’d be right, but, Kristen’s prose in this post made me forget the food she was describing (and the succulent pictures that accompanied the descriptions) because I so enjoyed what she said and how she said it. She was relatable, informed and clearly, clearly biased towards tasty tasty cuisine; her passion was contagious:

“Apparently, I love burritos, or at least I love burrito places.

There is nothing like Carrburritos on a Saturday night before going to see The Artist to make you feel like the hippest kid in Carrboro. I didn’t actually get a burrito though, I got a sweet potato quesadilla, which sounds like a typo but isn’t.

[...] Above, the meal is shown. It was delicious. As we waited for our double order of quesadillas, we snacked on guacamole, chips and salsa. The guac was divine, but if you haven’t noticed, I have a strong desire to eat guacamole for every meal, so I may be overzealous. Lies. I’m not overzealous because Carrburritos is delicious and so is their guacamole.”

She finished that post with arguably the best slideshow outro in the history of photography. “Please enjoy” she declares with little ado, but obvious bliss, “a slideshow of nom.”

Boom.

r8: You’re the best…Around!

Posted on by
Reply

One of the dangers—or guilty pleasures—of reading blogs is that we readers have a tendency to live vicariously through the documented experiences of the writer. I call this a danger and a guilty pleasure because I find myself reading Allison’s blog about exercise, A Crazie Obsession, more than I actually go to the gym. As a lifelong fat kid, I find myself both encouraged to work out, and problematically satisfied with just getting a second-hand experience when reading her post. Despite our different daily lifestyles, however, I think it’s amazing how frequently I read her blog with a sense of empathy or, in the case of her segment on spinning classes, good old-fashion commiseration:

“We all know what it feels like to walk into the gym and think, “dear god, I would give anything to be anywhere but here right now!” Sometimes, it takes everything you’ve got to muster up the energy to stay on whichever cardio machine you chose for the day just a few minutes longer… And, let’s be honest, we all know how easy it is to pick a comfortable machine and settle into an effortless pace. “

I love this post for two reasons: I am a fan of spin class, and I love lists and countdowns regarding format; which is why I’ve enjoyed reading Linday’s blog, Living by Listing. Aside from her Dr. Strangelove-esque titles that always fun and original, I love playing the game of  reading her lists anticipating any matches with my own countdowns. Then, of course, there are items on her lists that make one think or shout “Iknowright?” (one word). Her connection to her audience is achieved through these funny, but all too serious, lists:

8)  Global warming to stop making every allergy season the “worst ever!” I didn’t even know I had allergies until I came to Duke (and I am not alone in this). I have not been able to breathe since last Monday, and this morning I had a nosebleed in the shower, then had to get out to get Kleenex and flooded my bathroom floor. I love spring so much!   -from “Things I can’t wait for, or Spring is too Exciting”

R8: All-star Blogs

Posted on by
Reply

One of the most enjoyable blogs thus far has been Linday’s Lists. Aside from the sheer amusement factor, which honestly is huge, I really enjoyed Lindsay’s extremely vivid descriptions of awkward or strange situations that are easy to relate to. For example, in one of her countdowns for Things I am Doing Instead of Watching March Madness, she writes

Eat handfuls of chocolate chips straight out of the bag, accidentally rip the bag down the middle, get up to transfer the chocolate chips into a Ziploc, pour them in while walking toward the cabinet where they live, decide halfway there that I’m not done eating, and walk back in the bedroom – bag in hand – to consume another 500 calories.

I’m not saying that I’ve ever done that, but I have ripped many bags of various sizes and shapes down the middle, and that situation always ends poorly. If you don’t open certain bags on the ends, then the ripped middle slowly expands downwards until you have a massive leakage problem. And I instantly thought of this frustrating and somewhat hilarious scenario when I read Lindsay’s post. A lot of her material resonates particularly well with me.

 

Another one of my favorite blogs was Emily Shiau’s Bigger Fish to Fry, which addressed a number of interesting topics centering around food. It might be because I enjoy food so much, but I also found Emily’s work to be thought-provoking and entertaining to read. In some ways, she is using similar techniques as Lindsay to invoke comparable real-life situations that we’ve all experienced.

Well it seems as though I should not be so judgmental of the Ancient Greek civilizations. To this day, people tell lies or tales or whatever you want to call them all the time. All it takes is a talented, charismatic speaker or a handful of easily manipulated people to turn a couple of lies into a truth. For example, have you ever collected those Tootsie-Roll lollipop wrappers that have a star and a Native American shooting at it? Well I did–as did a ton of kids in my city. We were all told if we collected a bag of them, we could exchange them for free tootsie pops. I don’t remember if any of us actually ever did this, but we would always try to save a bag full and then lose them all. Either way, cashed prize or not, there was no prize! Tootsie never made the competition as 1/3 of their lollipops have that design. Apparently it was something created by local stores to promote sales of tootsie pops. I am quite distressed to discover this….

Again, I’ve never participated in this particular wrapper scheme, but I do fondly remember being manipulated as a child to perform equally stupid menial tasks for a prize that was never won. And afterwards, Emily rattles of 5 food myths that are not only extremely informative, but also entertaining. I mean she made use of a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Game over.

r8: Jabari & Emily’s Blogs

Posted on by
Reply

Two blogs that I am particularly struck with are Jabari’s, Who’s in the Fridge? and Emily’s Bigger Fish to Fry.

In Jabari’s blog, I especially like his most recent post.  The prose is eloquent,  succinct, and (I don’t know if this was a conscious decision or because the subject of this post is something Jabari is personally attached to) poignant. He says:

My name isn’t Jabari. It’s Parker. And Ahbleza. And Lorenza. And Sonny. And Andrae. And Hashim. These are some of my closest friends, and in many ways, we are all one in the same.

I don’t mean that in a loving “we’re all united” way, I mean that I’ve been called all of their names and they mine on more than one occasion. Why? Because we look alike. Yep. My friend who is three shades lighter than me and has braids that reach his shoulders looks just like me. My brother who weighs 100 pounds fewer than me and who couldn’t grow a beard to save his life, is my identical twin! I’ve had so many non-black friends, teachers, and colleagues call me the other black guy’s name that I’ve lost count. Instead of getting angry, I most feign utter disgust and as whoever has made the mistake if all black people look alike. The guilt and shame on their faces makes up for any hurt feelings. But in all seriousness, do we all look alike? If not, then someone needs to inform about 90% of all comic book artists.

The opening statement of the post is complex.  It is not until one reads the whole post that one sees that the opening statement is at one true and at once false. The statement is wistful, but also truthful.  Jabari is linked to his friends through friendship but not through superficial surface qualities that other people (choose to) see.

Emily’s blog takes a different, yet still personal, tone from Jabari’s.  I particularly liked Emily’s post, Magical Lies.  The writing is fluent, conversational in tone, but still professional, and interesting to read.  Here is a good extract:

Well it seems as though I should not be so judgmental of the Ancient Greek civilizations. To this day, people tell lies or tales or whatever you want to call them all the time. All it takes is a talented, charismatic speaker or a handful of easily manipulated people to turn a couple of lies into a truth. For example, have you ever collected those Tootsie-Roll lollipop wrappers that have a star and a Native American shooting at it? Well I did–as did a ton of kids in my city. We were all told if we collected a bag of them, we could exchange them for free tootsie pops. I don’t remember if any of us actually ever did this, but we would always try to save a bag full and then lose them all. Either way, cashed prize or not, there was no prize! Tootsie never made the competition as 1/3 of their lollipops have that design. Apparently it was something created by local stores to promote sales of tootsie pops. I am quite distressed to discover this….

But these lies, these misconceptions, whatever you want to call them, they’re everywhere. We tell them for all sorts of reasons. To make up for the fact that we don’t actually know the answer. To sell a product. To just look out for your family and friends. No matter the reason, it’s no lie that we do it. It spreads like rapid fire, almost to the point where the truth can get lost. Makes you wonder what you’ve been told is a lie doesn’t it?

 In this post, you can make out the bold, personal tone.  Also in this post, Emily’s poses questions to her readers, which is a good literary strategy to draw in readers and break down the wall between the computer screen and the author’s thoughts.

r8: Blog Favorites

Posted on by
Reply

I really enjoyed reading Jonathan Ho’s blog “Devil in a Clutch City” this semester, despite my total lack of NBA expertise. Even though my interest level in the Houston Rocket’s was pretty minimal, Jonathan’s writing was engaging, funny, and relatable; he drew readers in by striking the right balance between informative and entertaining. His tone was that of a true, self-deprecating fan, always hoping for a better season but realistic about the prospects of his team. As a Minnesota Twins fan who has watched the team lose in the first round of playoffs almost every season I can remember, I can relate to this feeling of “we’ll get them next year” and undying love and disappointment.

A recent notable post of his was Heartbreak Hotel, in which Jonathan discussed and compared the pain he felt about Duke’s first round loss in the tournament and the Rocket’s loss to the Lakers in the second round of playoffs in the 2008-2009 season. He said:

“Duke was a #2 seed, while Lehigh was a #15 seed. In terms of expectations, Duke was supposed to steamroll Lehigh without batting an eye. It was like David beating Goliath, except David was armed with a feather pillow and Goliath had a machine gun. For the Rockets, they were never seeded highly for any of their playoff run. The Rockets had Yao Ming and Ron Artest, so people thought they had a chance to progress in the playoffs. But no one ever expected them to win, especially against the powerhouse Lakers.”

            His love and passion for both teams really comes through, all while adopting a humorous tone. The David and Goliath comment in particular made me laugh out loud, by taking a somewhat cliche parable and adding his own humorous touch to it. By making comments like these, Jonathan consistently illustrated his own feelings about the team while still providing clear explanations as to what was actually going on in the regular season.

For very different reasons, I was also really impressed by Sophie’s blog, “Novel Terrain”. I thought she chose a really unique blog topic, and consistently wrote very thoughtful posts with a format that was both helpful and easy to follow. Sophie is particularly good at describing the mood and setting the scene for the different books she talked about. She illustrates her points without giving too much away, and is very reflective on what type of purpose the books serve. I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit I like reading her posts because you can tell by her wording that she’s British- who doesn’t love reading things in an accent?

One post, A Room with a View (of romance), stood out to me because I’ve seen the movie version a few times, but have yet to pick up the book. In this post she writes:

Forster draws us in with his brilliant imagery.  The day Lucy and George kiss, the morning is singing, the air is fresh, and the sunlight is beating down on Lucy’s white dress…the reader’s stomach drops….something epic is about to happen.  Then Lucy walks onto the field where George is.  Lucy’s pale skin is set against a troop of violets dancing in the warm wind. George grabs Lucy in an embrace that is so real we cringe to be privy to such a private, intimate moment.  But at the same time, we put the book down and smile.  We know George and Lucy work.  Their love is “true.” Not just anyone gets a first kiss in the sun-drenched violet-sploged fields of Firenze.  

Sophie did a great job of setting the scene here, and sharing her own delight as a reader. By reading this description I know what to expect from the book, but still want to read it to find out what happens. Sophie is really great at discussing her book choices in a vivid way, with words like the “sun-drenched violet-sploged fields of Firenze.” I’ll have to pick up this book in the summer!

r8: notable posts

Posted on by
Reply

For my first notable blog post, I am going to second the notion that Chinny’s blog is quite funny. Her use of different voices in #socollegelol is definitely an interesting approach to take, but I think it opens the doors for a lot of social criticism, which is conveniently her purpose. The blog post I admire though is B-sian, in which she talks about Brown kids being the under-recognized portion of the overachieving Asians. Indians are Asians too!

Here’s a blurb:

Speaking of class, that’s what I really wanted to talk about. I am offended when we are discluded from the group of Asians because it is just an unfair distinction. We work just as hard, achieve just as much, and are disliked just as sincerely for it! We will be your doctors and engineers one day. We will do your taxes. Yeah, sure, some of us will also be driving your taxis and working the night shift at the local Seven Eleven but hey, who better to get that slushie from?!

It was actually difficult to choose which section of this to highlight, but I finally decided. The snark and blatant use of stereotypes are just too good. The inclusion of the crazy asian mother video was also great, because I haven’t see it since high school. Turning brown asians in B-sians, which just encompasses a whole slew of jokes, is both memorable and funny. And India is indubitably in Asia.

The second notable post also concerns social criticism, but in a rather focused manner. Jabari’s blog focuses on stereotypes, inequality, and other such social injustices in his blog, “Who’s in the Fridge?” His writings include a lot of excellent points and observations about women in video games and comic books in particular. This is both something I’ve noticed and something I’ve read about and studied. I thought the post called “Pants are Overrated” was great.

Again, a blurb:

As a gamer and a nerd, it took all of my will power to remain in my chair instead of rolling around on the floor. If you have played a video game, looked at any video game art, or read a comic in the last few decades, you’ve probably seen this scenario play out. If the game or the comic is coerced, trying to appeal to its hormonal male fanbase, progressive enough to include a female character, she is automatically turned into a sex object. But this isn’t a new phenomenon; objectification is an ancient pastime. What makes the sexualizing of female characters more horrendous is the weak justifications the creators concoct to explain the need for every heroine to wear a thong or a push-up bra.

Jabari includes an entertaining clip that satirizes women’s clothing in video games and such. He talks about the visible problem at hand, but he goes further to talk about the really annoying thing that creators do: they lamely justify why women are so scantily clad. The real reason is sexual objectification, but they cite speed and agility. I particularly like the point he makes that The Flash and Spiderman are incredibly fast but wear full body suits. Really excellent.