Not Your Model Minority

In the last few years, the “girlboss” has come to represent contemporary mainstream feminism for many. “Girlboss feminism” suggests that the professional success of individual women is intrinsic to collectively achieving equity for women. Is this true? Is “girlboss feminism” actually feminist? Is it intersectional? And what is its relationship with capitalism? This week, we have two special guests joining us - Monica Ahmed and Onah Osemeke - for a discussion about the “girlboss”, corporate fe...

When COVID-19 ravaged the world a year ago, it was touted to be the “Great Equalizer” - it was referred to as the disease that transcends wealth, fame, or prestige because everyone is equally at risk. However, over the last year, it has become very evident that we are not equally affected by COVID-19. And this inequality became even more apparent when it came to immunizing populations against the disease. This week, we’re discussing Ontario’s vaccine gap with the help of some of our family, f...

As Canadians, we often believe that Canada is a welcoming safe haven for immigrants and refugees. Unfortunately, Canada has a long history of placing migrants - including young children - in detention for extended periods of time under the guise of protecting national security. How do we reconcile arbitrary detention with a country that is purportedly a free and democratic society? And why are immigration detainees treated so differently from detainees under the criminal law regime? This week...

For as long as many of us can remember, man/woman, male/female, and masculinity/femininity have been construed as idealized opposites. And so much of Western society has been organized by this binary - from gender-specific bathrooms to fashion to even colours. But is this how it’s always been? Have “men” and “women” always been divided into distinct categories? Is gender fluidity really a new phenomenon? This week, we’re discussing the origins of the gender binary and the (pretty big) role co...

Familial and community pressures to attend university are nothing new in South Asian cultures. However, South Asian millennials are faced with many new challenges that the generation before us didn't necessarily have to deal with: increasing costs of education, higher student debt, the rising cost of housing and real estate, and higher income disparity among our generation. This week we have two special guests joining us - Sumya and Himel - to give us their perspective on dealing with academi...

This week, we’re tackling a very divisive topic: sex work. In 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada found Canada’s sex work laws to be unconstitutional because the laws deprived sex workers of their right to security. Parliament introduced the controversial Bill C-36 in 2014 in response to this decision. But has this made sex work any safer? Have online platforms, such as OnlyFans, made a difference? Join us this week as we discuss Canada’s sex work laws, OnlyFans, state paternalism, and agency.

When Black Lives Matter protests erupted around the globe last year, many companies responded by making statements of solidarity on social media, donating hundreds of thousands to dollars to organizations like BLM and NAACP, and implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives. This was part of a larger trend of philanthrocapitalism - where corporations and billionaires take it upon themselves to solve pressing societal issues. But are they really making a difference? In this episode, we're t...

As children of immigrants, we often feel stuck between a country that has never accepted us, and a country we have never known. How do we understand our cultural identity in light of this, and how does it compare to our parents? Join us for this very special episode, as we discuss immigration, identity, loss and survival with our mothers, Sadia Gulshan and Pushpa Kanagaratnam.

For a long time, Asian people were either unseen or reduced to harmful stereotypes in mainstream pop culture. While we still have a long way to go, we have more opportunity to create our own stories today than ever before. So, where are we now? This week, we discuss the representation of Asian people in pop culture and how we can do better.

Ontario’s sex-ed curriculum has been rife with controversy in recent years. In just 5 years, the province has implemented or re-implemented 3 different sex-ed curriculums. So, where do we stand now? This week, we explore the confusing and highly political world of sex education.