Design by Grace Gibbons Image description: Images of bananas, the flag of Guatemala, advertising for Chiquita Bananas, and the Chiquita logo are displayed in a collage. Today, the term Banana Republic is explicitly recognized by many in the U.S. as an upscale clothing store. However, it also holds an implicit familiarity as an exoticized notion of life in Central America. Fantasies about the land where we source our bananas have roots in the machinations of American imperialism and reflect centuries of harm communities endured in the battle for hegemony. Through the disparaging pursuit for emp ..read more

Image Description: Scene from “Squid Game” with a giant doll in yellow dress in center with two pigtails. “Squid Game” Guards stand on the sides of a room painted with houses and artificial reeds and nature. Image from Flickr Following “Squid Game”’s release on September 17, 2021, the South Korean Netflix series quickly became Netflix’s most watched, amassing 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first four weeks. Two years later in late November 2023, “Squid Game: The Challenge,” a game show closely inspired by the 2021 Netflix original, unveiled its first episodes, ultimately transforming the me ..read more

Image Description: An image of Timothée Chalamet with a yellow/orange sun behind him. In the background is a white and red calendar. Over the calendar are the words “WHITE BOY OF THE MONTH” in bold red print. Design by Sydney Gaw Have you seen the up-and-coming pale, gorgeously ugly, curly haired stud? You know the one! He’s absolutely to die for, especially in that one edit! Oh, come on, you know him! No, not Timothee Chalamet … where have you been?! Not Jacob Elordi or Jeremy Allen White … Well, if you haven’t seen the recent white boy of the month yet, don’t worry; he’ll find his way into y ..read more

Image Description: A young girl in a matching purple skirt and bra rests her head on her boyfriends lap as his cigarette smoke wafts over her head. They are sitting on her bed in her room, which is adorned with Phoebe Bridgers, Mazzy Star, Slowdive, the Smiths, and Pulp Fiction posters. A red guitar sits on its stand, and a can of Peace Tea sits in the background beside Red Marlboro cigarettes. Her room is covered in shades of pink and purple, the ceiling a dark blue sky with stars. Design by Erin Choi. I am sipping my Peace Tea in a flimsy brown compost cup. I tilt my head back and ..read more

Image Description: Digital art of a small woman with black hair and lab coat sitting inside a test tube. At the top of the test tube, two yellow snakes wrap around the outside of the glass with their tongues out. Design by Kate Vedder The modern-day Wonder Woman no longer wears spandex and gold bangles. She trades her old uniform for a white lab coat decorated with a stethoscope and a much needed cup of coffee after a ruthless night of work. Notoriously known as a “woman in STEM”, she juggles hours of clinical volunteering, rigorous pre-med classes, and extracurriculars designed to aid her gra ..read more

Image Description: Color pencil drawing of two girls fighting each other, one in a pink shirt, purple skirt and jewelry and the other in a blue hoodie and gray jeans. Against a black background and behind the figures the words “YOU REMIND ME OF SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW… WHO ARE WE REALLY FIGHTING?” Design by Justine Charroux Oh, the Pick-Me Girl. There’s just something about her that makes her a little more special than your average woman. She’d never spend an afternoon in an Ulta, she doesn’t need to, she’s a natural beauty. And no, she can’t go out tonight, she’s watching The Game. It doesn ..read more

A photo taken in Holmby Park at dusk. Many hands hold Palestinian flags and signs that read “Ceasefire Now,” “End All U.S. Aid to Israel,” and “Free Palestine.” On the evening of December 8, Westwood’s Holmby Park witnessed an arguably dystopian, horrifyingly ironic scene. On one side, the echoing voices of hundreds of protesters chanted “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.” On the other, United States President Joe Biden attended his glitzy fundraiser, with a guest list composed of names like Steven Spielberg, Lenny Kravitz, and Gavin Newsom. These two distinct spheres ..read more

Design by: Erin Choi Image Description: A demoness experiencing the pain of sadness for the first time. As it breaks her apart a girl is left with the aftermath of her broken demon. I have a demon inside of me. She comes to me at a crossroads, She smiles,  Coaxing me into her world. She lures me away towards an uncharted path, Steeped in treachery. Her laughter leads me. But lately, she’s been crying. Her tears form an ocean,  And overwhelm me with crashing waves. I’m sinking into her emotions. She’s sad, No she’s angry, No she’s frustrated, No.  She’s just surviving. I don’t th ..read more

Artwork by Sydney Gaw. Illustration of Princess Diana holding a candle and Priscilla Presley looking into a small makeup mirror. Princess Diana looks off to the side of the frame, wearing large pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and an olive-colored dress. Priscilla wears a pink nightgown. “Priscilla,” (2023) a biographical drama written and directed by Sofia Coppola, brings Priscilla Presley’s story out of the margins and onto the big screen. The media has long regarded Priscilla peripherally– an accessory that exists solely to compliment Elvis’ fabled grandeur. The work that has centered her ..read more

Photo taken by Sristi Palimar LA-based performance and visual artist Page Person speaking to the audience before her fourth act, “The Feats of Tiresias.” In just shy of 2 hours, LA-based performance and visual artist Page Person (she/her) made the Hammer Museum’s Bay-Nimoy Studio her latest stage in an elaborate ten part performance that comprised live art demonstrations, clever comedy, and true stories from the many chapters in Page’s journey to personhood. The performance, titled “How I Became A Person, by Page Person” took place on Nov. 16, 2023 at the Hammer, in part of the museum’s celebr ..read more