FEM Newsmagazine – UCLA's Feminist Newsmagazine Since 1973

Feminism 101

Feminism 101: What is Modernity?

What began as a belief in individualism and reason led to the creation of a far-reaching and global system of neoliberalism, and there is no telling where we will next “progress.”
Feminism 101: What is Intergenerational Trauma?

Intergenerational trauma refers to the transmission of trauma from survivors to subsequent generations.
Feminism 101: What are Safe Spaces?

Safe spaces are generally intended by their creators to encourage identity-focused conversation without risk of physical or emotional harm.
Feminism 101: What is Emotional Labor?

Have you ever felt drained after working to continue smiling at disrespectful customers or faking interest in a coworker’s relationship issues? This type of effort has a name: emotional labor.

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Angela Davis

Davis has since become the figurehead for the prison abolition movement, a movement that calls into question what it means to be a criminal within…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Patricia Hill Collins

Patricia Hill Collins is an acclaimed social theorist known for her intersectional approach to the sociologies of feminism, Black liberation, and nationalism.

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Gayatri Spivak

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is an Indian scholar who continues to add to many academic disciplines. She is known mainly for her work in post-colonial studies,…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Simone de Beauvoir

“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” This provocative assertion from Simone de Beauvoir’s acclaimed book, “The Second Sex,” helped destroy the notion…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Adrienne Rich

In her letter to the NEA chair, Rich stated: “There is no simple formula for the relationship of art to justice. But I do know…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Gloria Anzaldúa

Throughout her lifetime of writing, Anzaldúa consistently contributed to theories countering social oppression, spanning topics that encompassed her intersectional identities. She let her spirituality and…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Assata Shakur

A teacher, healer, freedom fighter, and aunt to hip hop legend Tupac, Assata Shakur has organized against the prison-industrial complex, police brutality, discriminatory education, poverty,…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Adichie, a Nigerian novelist, is one of the latest women to join the lineage of iconic feminist writers like Maya Angelou, Adrienne Rich and Toni…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Judith Butler

In her 1988 essay “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution,” Judith Butler—philosopher, gender theorist, and professor at UC Berkeley—proposed the theory that gender is behavior, rather…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Kimberlé Crenshaw

Crenshaw’s great theoretical contribution, that of intersectionality, is a call to action at every moment. In light of the Trump regime’s past few weeks in…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Susan McClary

Susan McClary is one of the most important musicologists responsible for introducing feminist critique to musicology. Her work, though controversial, was some of the first…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Cynthia Enloe

Cynthia Enloe’s book was and is part of the movement to open political spaces to women, deconstructing the exclusionary structure of international relations. This remains…

Gendertainment

P.S. Biracial Representation Matters Too

Though Lara Jean’s biracial identity plays a minor role in the overall plot of the story, it plays a major role in her characterization, helping…
My Movie Valentine: ‘A Wrinkle in Time’

At the kickoff of yet another year of high-budget studio films, I find myself celebrating the anniversary of “A Wrinkle in Time” with a re-watch.
A More Ethical Audience: On Bryan Singer’s Sexual Assault Allegations

The question that begs to be asked in the case of Singer and “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one that has been debated hotly since the #MeToo…
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Proves There Are No Barriers to Becoming a Hero

The vast majority of Spider-Man coverage presents Peter Parker as the only Spider-Man, despite the huge quantity of different manifestations of Spider-Man from alternate universes…
Not Another Queer Movie: The New Normal of Queer Trauma in Films

The combination of queer people and comedy must seem foreign to straight people who think queer people only suffer in life.
‘Assassin’s Creed’ and The Importance of A Female Odyssey

Even if heroes and their journeys are typically imagined as male-centered, stories should not be afraid of breaking the mold and depicting women having their…

Campus Life

Housing Justice in #Unequal Cities

On Feb. 1, the Institute on Inequality and Democracy at UCLA Luskin hosted their Housing Justice in #UnequalCities Conference to bring together research communities to…
Events on Campus: Feb. 4 – Feb. 22

UCLA is a campus full of diverse events, art exhibitions, and speakers. Here are some upcoming events that FEM’s Campus Life staff is looking forward…
Undocumented Bruins Face Uncertainty with UC Funding

Undocumented Bruins need greater support from their university, and UCLA students must use their voices to advocate for undocumented rights now more than ever.
Fighting Gun Violence: Bruins for a Safer America

On Jan. 25, BSA partnered with TOMS to offer students the opportunity to sign a postcard that will urge congressional representatives to pass universal background…
Coloniality of the US/Mexico Border: Book Talk with Roberto D. Hernández

Roberto D. Hernández presents his new book, “Coloniality of the U.S./Mexico Border: Power, Violence, and the Decolonial Imperative,” and discusses how the violence occurring within…
A Conversation with Angela Davis and Common

Detailing and reflecting on the conversation between Angela Davis and Common, two prominent activists, and the implications of their actions during the 2019 Social Justice…

Politics

The 2018 Midterm Election: We Need to Do Better

Due to voter suppression tactics and white women again refusing the call to action, the midterm elections were disappointing. While there were definitely some major…
Fear of the Migrant Caravan Helps to Bolster Public Approval of Anti-Immigration Policies

The violent criminalization of migrants and those seeking asylum in the United States is a trend that portrays Central American migrants as criminals, rapists and…
To Vote or Not to Vote

“To vote or not to vote” is the popular argument that arises cyclically with every election, big or small. Voting is a nuanced and complicated…
Proposition 10 on the California Midterm Ballot: What It Means for Communities Everywhere

Homelessness, and therefore the California Housing Crisis, as an inextricably intersectional issue. Proposition 10, which will be on the ballot in the November 6 California…
Trump Visits Pittsburgh, In Spite of Residents’ Wishes

President Donald J. Trump visited Pittsburgh, PA after the October 27 mass-shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and drew further attention to the surge…
Amazon’s Wage Raise and What It Really Means for the Company, Its Employees, and Labor Rights

How beneficial is Amazon’s wage raise to its employees? To the corporation itself? And just what is the company doing about its poor working conditions?…

Dialogue and Opinion

It’s Time to Stop Turning a Blind Eye Toward Sweatshop Labor

Image by Jenny Dodge. When Nike released its controversial advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick, the NFL player who began kneeling during national anthems to protest racial…
Piercing Politics: Deconstructing Beauty Norms

Design by Emily Farag. “Are we actually going through with this?” asked my longtime partner in crime, Kelli Hsu, as we strutted into Santa Monica’s Ancient…
Beta Blasting and Biceps: Women in Climbing

Women climbers quickly learn how to navigate sexism in the climbing gym in order to create a space that feels like their own.
An Honest Note on Anti-Semitism After Pittsburgh

I am heartened by the support that the Jewish community is receiving from other marginalized groups who are standing in solidarity without disclaimers. But I…
What I Learned from Sex Work

Contrary to what many people believe, sex work is a legitimate career.
The Isolating Conditions of Work

The alienation that we experience as students isn’t just a “personal issue”; it’s a consequence of our overbearing social structures.

Arts and Creative

Cicadas

I turn off the shower and long to follow the water down the drain it stares up between my feet what a promise!
Moving Day: 2018

she is the house, her body and mind run through it, her face will stay here forever. this is her house: it belongs to her…
Before Double Digits

Bring me back to when Stars held wishes Watermelon seeds grew in bellies Tooth fairies tipped generously.
Hannam Chain or Market World?

My Halmuni liked to cook, so she went to the market more often than just on the weekends. She would take me, so I could…
8 Essential Feminist Filmmakers

Despite the biases and challenges that come with being a feminist filmmaker, countless filmmakers throughout history have worked to express themselves and create iconic, paradigm-shifting…
Artist Profile: Luisa Valenzuela

Luisa Valenzuela is an Argentine novelist and short story writer known for her work produced during the years of dictatorship in Argentina.