By Akshara Karthik (’22) Whether you are writing an essay for a speech competition or working on your college applications, you have probably come across this question: What was a challenge you have encountered, and how did you overcome it? Personally, I can say that I have encountered numerous questions similar to this one, yet I could never come up with a worthy enough answer. … Continue reading Perseverance In The Face of Adversity
By Akshara Karthik (‘22) The beautiful 24-karat gold gramophone Grammy Award was once the most sought-after award amongst the music industry. Today, it still stands as a major music honor, though many artists have begun severing ties with the Grammys amid scrutiny and criticism over the Recording Academy’s lack of transparency and failure to foster diversity in their nominations. Over the past decade, many artists … Continue reading The Grammys or The Scammys?
By Akshara Karthik (‘22) On January 6th, 2021, many Americans watched in horror as a violent mob of rioters stormed the United States Capitol. Personally, I was awestruck and speechless. I never fathomed that something like this could ever happen, especially in this day and age. But, what if I told you that there were hundreds of signs prior to the insurrection? At this point, … Continue reading The Role of Social Media in the Capitol Insurrection
By Akshara Karthik (‘22) The Bachelor’s sordid storyline. Victoria’s Secret’s overtly sensual campaign. Even in today’s day and age, we may believe that we have moved past gender stereotypes, but the more we try to persevere forward, the more we realize that these stereotypes are deeply rooted in the medium of pop culture. We often forget the monumental effect pop culture has on us, and … Continue reading The Pop Culture Platform: Pop Culture and Feminism
By Akshara Karthik (’22) Without a doubt, this presidential election was by far one of the most heated in modern United States history. But that is not the only reason why this election was so memorable. This election thought-provokingly shed light on America’s darkest problems. For one, we as Americans realized the power a vote holds. We realized that racism remains one of this country’s … Continue reading The Impact of Pop Culture on Politics
By Akshara Karthik (’22) In the past 20 years, the face of communication has changed drastically thanks to one thing: Social Media. Across the globe, there are over 3.80 billion social media users as of January 2020. With the touch of a button people are instantly given insight into the lives of other people all around the world. More than a deeper connection with our … Continue reading Pop Culture and Instagram: The Deadly Duo?
By Akshara Karthik (’22) Close your eyes. Pretend the world is back to normal. Imagine that you and your best friend got meet and greet tickets to your favorite artist’s concert. For the past 5 years, you and your friend have been “obsessed” with this artist, buying all their albums, merchandise, and even having a fan account with over 10,000 followers on social media. You … Continue reading The Pop Culture Platform: Fandoms
By Akshara Karthik (’22) Saying that this pandemic has taken a huge toll on our lives, would be THE understatement of the year. However, saying that this pandemic has brought the world closer than ever before? Truer words have never been told. Lately, I have realized that much of my articles have been about celebrities and Hollywood style Pop Culture *cue the flashing lights*. This … Continue reading Hitting Home In The Face of Adversity
By Akshara Karthik (’22) I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us never expected to spend the rest of the school year in self-quarantine, a few weeks ago. In a short amount of time, the world began to slowly shut down, with the enforcement of border closings and strict quarantine rules in countries across the globe. However, though COVID-19 has forced us … Continue reading The Pop Culture Platform: The Power of Pop Culture During An Unprecedented Time
By. Akshara Karthik (’22) Keeping Up With The Kardashians. The Bachelor. Big Brother. These are just a few of the hundreds of Reality TV shows available for viewing today. We have all fallen prey to the hilariously intense catfights Reality TV shows offer, but what makes them so engaging? Two of the most commonly perceived ideas about Reality TV and society is that viewers … Continue reading The Pop Culture Platform: Reality Check! How Reality TV Affects Society
The Overachiever 