When an accused sexual offender is retained in or appointed to a position of power, a dark message is sent. No matter the extent of your strength, whether you come forward or not, your voice, even if you speak, will never be heard.
Artist. Model. A City Girl.
In this day and age, our identities are painted over and labeled based on our background, our interests. We are known by our roles in society and possessions; we begin to lose ourselves, our personalities slowly dissolving into conformity.
Mental illnesses affect millions around the globe, and represent a spectrum of different disorders and afflictions, which we can treat with varying degrees of efficacy. We view these patients as we would patients suffering from cardiac diseases, prescribing pills to cure sadness, as we would prescribe pills to lower cholesterol. The human brain is a strange beast which we do not entirely understand. Searching for a cure for mental illnesses through a purely biological lens may lead us nowhere.
More plastic in the sea by weight than fish by 2020 - it’s a chilling estimate. Single-use plastics, especially those that can’t be recycled, like straws and stirrers, are the prime polluters of our oceans, and form a threat to marine life. Follow @thefinalstraw.in for more information on the threats single use plastics pose and on what you can do.
This sculpture was made using straws collected over a year by my family. All these straws were given to us despite us specifically saying “no straw, please” or collected to prevent these used straws from ending up in our oceans.
Our education system presents itself as feast of knowledge and collaboration, when in reality, the sword of standardized testing and those fateful acronyms (IB, AP, SAT) hang over our heads. The ropes start to fray as we struggle to conform to societal expectations, and at somepoint, someday, the sword will fall.
The power to spark change in society lies with us. Our education systems, mentality and legislation are outdated, quenching individuality. We, the future scientists and artists, can together help create a world which values innovation over orthodoxy.
The clouds chase the wind over the tops of skyscrapers. Below, the city is drenched in tears of those who are silenced. Still they persevere, hoping someday, their hot air balloon will take flight, leading them to clear skies and acceptance.