This Week in Essays
At Real Life, Emma Healey makes a well-stated case for why Periscope’s Couch Mode may be the escape we all need. Ijeoma Oluo has written an important essay on the legacy of Martin Luther…
Posts by tag
The Establishment
12 posts
The Editing of Anne Frank’s Diary Was Sexist
There’s something very unsettling about the idea of editing someone’s personal and autobiographical journal. After all, it’s supposed to be a portal into the past: Anne’s experience in the annex,…
The Handmaid’s (Cautionary) Tale
At The Establishment, Laura Beans discusses the importance of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale as a predictive novel, drawing many connections between the novel and increasing attempts to control women’s…
Woman’s Best Friend
At The Establishment, Laura Bogart writes a heartwarming ode to her the special type of love that exists only between human and canine—the kind of love she says she’s always…
What’s in a Name?
The power of names is intricately woven into the fabric of our identities. At The Establishment, Jené Gutierrez recounts an argument with her editors over using the correct rendering of…
Written in Ink
In a powerful essay at The Establishment, Evelyn Deshane discusses rejecting the medical narrative around transitioning, and how tattoos allowed them to reclaim their own body: When the physicality of my…
No Cure Necessary
At The Establishment, Mariah Ramsawakh discusses the damaging, unrealistic “miraculous cure” trope often found when the media portrays characters with disabilities: People with disabilities are tired of being lumped together as less…
Why We Love Witches
At The Establishment, Annie Theriault discusses the allure of witches and witchcraft for girls that has lingered since the 17th century, musing on how witches both subvert and uphold gender…
The Power of Zines
At The Establishment, Sara Century outlines the social and political power of zines throughout history, the state of the zine in the digital age, and the connection between zines and…
The Hell of Personal Writing
When I give lectures to writing students I tell them to not get discouraged if they do not enjoy writing. “I hate writing,” I say, “It’s horrible. It’s hell.” They…
Women Shouldn’t Stop Saying ‘Sorry’
At The Establishment, Amelia Shroyer pushes back against the idea that women must self-police their language in order to sound more ‘professional’ (read: like men): Society has always valued the…
Unlinking Mental Illness and Creativity
The idea that “mental illness is the heart of creativity” has persisted for decades. But this idea can negatively impact one’s ability to seek help that they truly need. At…