Chinese Epidemic: The Thin Ideal

“I can’t believe you’re an XL in China. That’s crazy!”

Growing up my mom used to buy all my clothes from China, and every clothing item she bought for me seemed to be a size XL that would sometimes be too tight for me. I couldn’t bring myself to…

Your Name’s Success in Japan was it’s Failure in the West

Buying Knowledge: The Economic Inequality of Standardized Testing

Growing up in the Los Angeles County area and going to high school in Orange County exposed me to a culture fixated on the notion of “you have to score a 1500 or higher on the SAT or else you won’t get into college.”…

The American Misunderstanding of Masculinity in the “Yakuza” Series

Ethiopian Food’s Lack of Adaption in America

American is incredibly diverse when it comes to all the different types of foods from other countries that we consume. Some food, such as Italian, Mexican, and Chinese, have become staples in our diets. Despite this, some other cultures’ cuisines have…

Hammams in America?

“Yala al Hammam.” My grandma chimed enthusiastically, indicating to us that it was time for our visit to Hay Agadir, the neighborhood public bathhouse to visit and perform a hammam: something she was looking forward to all week. We grabbed our bathrobes, a change of clothes, and we were on our…

Zootopia Through Chinese Lens

In 2016, Disney released once again another cartoon film starring animated anthropomorphic animals — Zootopia. The film, which revolves around Judy Hopps, a rookie bunny cop, and Nick Wilde, a small-time hustler fox, who work together to uncover Zootopia’s disappearances of…

Hayao Miyazaki’s Criticism of War Translates Poorly to America

Imagine a movie with grand adventure, intense action — with dramatic storytelling so fantastical that it transports you to a different world. A story filled with the three movie genres that are the most popular in the…

Animal Crossing: A Difference in Societal Perception

Translating 3 Idiots to the U.S.: Why the greatest success has limited success

One of the greatest effects of modern globalization is the rapid exchange of media, including films from all across the world. While Hollywood has maintained its dominance in the film industry…