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Thursday, November 30, 2023

Opinion

OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Your ideal body shape should be your own

As a society, we must stop making certain body shapes and sizes trendy. This isn’t a revolutionary or unpopular opinion, but it is something I constantly see and am affected by daily. I am imploring us, as human beings, to stop accepting unhealthy body ideals. Young women are constantly bombarded with images of thin bodies with perky breasts on social media and ad campaigns. These body types are by no means average — or even healthy — yet, women grow up desiring to look like supermodels. We must put an end to the fetishization of certain body types. We shouldn’t only praise one breast size, as this is something no one has control over. Thigh gaps aren’t an indicator of health, and plenty of healthy people don’t have thigh gaps. We should begin to promote healthy bodies, not idealistic bodies. Regardless of body shape, you should celebrate your body. 


President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend ceremony at the New York City Veterans Day Parade at Madison Square Park in New York, Monday, Nov. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The truth behind feminism today

The fight for gender equality is ingrained in the United States’ history. Beginning in the mid-1800s with the battle for women’s suffrage, feminism has been in the spotlight of politics. Unfortunately, in today’s society, feminists’ efforts have become extreme. 


OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The stigma of going braless

What comes in pairs, is beloved by babies, but hated by the media? Nipples! In the age of the #MeToo movement and feminism, women are taking ownership over their bodies, including their nipples.  


OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: The stories our father told

When you grow up in a house of journalists, you are born into a world of stories. Many of them are filled with villains, heroes and impossible twists of fate. In his 40-year career in journalism that started at The Alligator, our father Barry Klein accumulated too many stories to count. He is retiring this week, and to demonstrate his commitment to critical journalistic values, we figured it’s time to tell a couple of his.


OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Talking about mental health disparities in minority communities

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), ethnic and racial minorities often bear a disproportionately high burden of disability resulting from mental disorders. Yet, by 2044, models show  more than half of all Americans will belong to a minority group. Taken altogether, this seems to indicate troubled waters on our horizons, and it should speak to the importance of cultural sensitivity in mental health training. 


books
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Avoid the temptation of all-nighters

It’s exam season at UF. Students are crowding the libraries and voraciously consuming books and study guides to prepare for the big day. Some of these students pull all-nighters to study, forgoing sleep and staying up all night to prepare. I’m here to tell you that not only are all-nighters a poor method of studying, but that there are much better options available.


spooky
OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Be safe and spooky this Halloween

Halloween may be fun, but sexual assault isn’t. With the number of reported incidents of nonconsensual sexual contact increasing this year at UF, we urge everyone to be careful this weekend. Try to have fun with your friends, but make sure to keep an eye out as well. Most sexual assaults reported by college women are caused by someone they know. These monsters are human.


The legs of costumed people participating in the annual Gay Pride event in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday Oct. 26, 2019. Thousands took part in this 30th edition of the Gay Pride. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

All about coming out

On Oct. 11, we celebrated National Coming Out Day. Oh, how happy I am to live in a time and place where coming out as LGBTQ+ is not only tolerated, but something to be proud of. 


OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Counseling is for everyone

I went into counseling not knowing what I would get out of it or how it could really benefit me. This might sound naïve, but it’s easy to convince ourselves that we’ve thought through everything and don’t need anyone else to explain what’s going on. In reality, just about everyone can benefit from therapy, even in a totally stress-free life. 



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