Growing up, I was taught that sex is something you experience with someone you love. The infamous “talk” my mother gave me, complete with a birds and the bees book, ingrained in my mind that the act of sex was equivocal to the idea of “making love.” I became attached to the concept of sex […]
The Independent’s annual Sex Issue aims to do two things—uncover students’ sexual experiences and then report those experiences back to the student body. Accordingly, this year we wanted to gauge the perceptions of Harvard students as it pertains to “sex appeal.” In other words, we asked students if their peers are hot. The survey began […]
In recent years, meme culture, or the culture surrounding the internet’s breed of comedy, has become analogous to various online subcultures—including gaming, incels, and, most damagingly, the alt-right. This association, while not universal, makes sense: a high degree of cultural cross-pollination is an inherent characteristic of the internet. In true parasitic fashion, the alt-right has […]
After four years of conversations revolving around politics and the man in the White House, the United States is now two months into Joe Biden’s presidency, and conversations about politics at Harvard are seemingly few and far between. It’s not as though there isn’t anything to talk about. The nation is still in the middle […]
On Thursday, March 4th, we woke up to our phones buzzing. As we opened our eyes and rolled over to look at our screens, we saw an email notification with a subject line that read Welcome to Lowell! Elated by the relief of not having been quadded, Grace called her mom to tell her the […]
I dial up Susanne Greelish, co-founder and creative director of GingerGems, a candied ginger brand delivering treats like turmeric, and sesame coated ginger bites, on a Thursday evening to see if I might be able to catch the always-busy woman between tasks. Sure enough, when she answers the phone she is stringing bracelets for her […]
As a winter storm descended upon the central United States, one state proved itself unfit to handle itself amid the low temperatures: Texas. The Lone Star state’s inability to function in the wake of inclement weather is not a fault of its people; rather, it is a product of self-isolation and deregulation.
I wrote a previous article detailing Harvard and Harvard affiliates’ connections to CoreCivic. I explored some of the ethical particularities of private prison investment and some of the documented abuses at CoreCivic facilities. However, the public carceral system has had its fair share of documented abuses as well. When the Independent spoke to Dr. Anna […]
It’s hard to exist in this semi-digital reality without hearing of “strategies to avoid Zoom fatigue” and “the importance of daily walks.” The self-care suggestions come from our family and the news, and they are all over the internet—even TikTok recommends you take a break and get some fresh air when you’ve been scrolling for […]
The trials and tribulations of long-distance relationships are nothing new, but what do you get when you mix them with a global pandemic? COVID-19 has tested couples in unforeseen ways, causing a sort of “make or break” mentality for their relationships this past year. Couples have been forced to either quarantine together or remain distanced […]