by Shanzeh Khurram Most of us tend to compare ourselves to others and then determine our self worth depending on how we measure up. This habit of comparing and competing might be addictive, but it can also be very harmful to our self-esteem, and lead to feelings of not being “good enough.” As women, we’re…
Ed. note: in honor of this season of Thanksgiving, some members of the SPARKteam asked to take this week to publicly reflect on their experiences with SPARK and their fellow activists. We cried a lot reading these. We love you, SPARKteam. xoxo by Shanzeh Khurram When I applied to SPARK a few months ago, I…
by Shanzeh Khurram Man-hater. Fanatic. Extremist. These are the terms I usually hear when I tell people that I’m a radical feminist. It’s as if being a feminist has become synonymous with being someone who hates men and wants to establish matriarchy. Most people don’t understand what feminism stands for, and they don’t realize how…
By Shanzeh Khurram Having recently moved to America from Pakistan, I’ve always believed America to be a very liberal, progressive country where people can expect their individual rights to be protected. However, with the Republicans’ “war on women,” I feel like I’ve stepped into the 1950s. It’s shocking how, in this day and age, politicians…
For her homework assignment, SPARK blogger Shanzeh investigated the October 2011 issue of Teen Vogue. Her findings will probably not surprise you. She writes: Every green post-it represents an image of a white girl. Every yellow post-it represents an image of one woman of color. Total pictures of white girls: 150. Total pictures of WOC:…
by Shanzeh Khurram There’s a new type of plastic surgery on the rise. It sounds scary, it’s quite unnecessary if you ask me, and its mere existence might shock some people. It’s plastic surgery for vaginas. Yes, for vaginas. Apparently, women are not only expected to have perfect skin, legs, breasts, hips (the long list…