brains & bikinis
Waves of activism across the Middle East
Born out of a strong rejection of confining labels, b&b was created by and for Middle Eastern activists who like to dismantle systemic barriers, and look good while doing it.
From art and fashion to politics and passion, brains & bikinis is a blog that highlights the intersectionality of it all, and insists that nothing exists in a vacuum.
“A quick reminder to myself and to all the strong, political women out there: Embracing your looks does not, or at least should not, delegitimize your intellect nor your rigor.”
Tala Majzoub • Blogger
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More, More: Desire, Autonomy, and the Feminine in Nosferatu
Vampire narratives have historically framed women’s bodies as sites of consumption. But what happens when women choose to give themselves, without being coerced or conditioned? Robert Eggers’ latest adaptation of Nosferatu shows us how that this choice becomes a radical act of agency.
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America's Student Protests Are Part of a Far Larger Anti-War Movement
The student intifada is under attack because it threatens the power structure, and attempting to silence it will only fuel it.
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Decolonization is not a Metaphor: Stop Seeing Things in a Vacuum. Free Palestine.
Last Saturday, Palestinian group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood inside Israel. Surely enough, this is what oppressed fighting the oppressor looks like – and no one else gets to dictate how the fight for liberation is executed.
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![Mother with Dead Child II, Postscript to Guernica; photographed by author at the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum]()
All art is fundamentally at least a bit political, make with that what you will
In a world where each brushstroke can be a powerful act of defiance, I find that "l'art pour l'art" rings hollow. We live in radical times, and our art should take a radical stance the same way we are.
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Who are you creating for?
“Don’t write for the audience. Quench the audience”
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Art on Display
Freedom of speech is not a neutral concept, untainted by societal prejudice. Though the condition is not ideal, restrictions may birth creativity beyond creativity.
