A queer feminist anthropologist exploring the realities of culture, gender, and sexuality in contemporary Asia
When I first arrived in Beijing in September 2014, I knew almost nothing about the country I’d just moved to. I was embarking on a new life that didn’t seem to have a sell-by date – I had no idea how long I’d stay or even when I would next go home. While many of [...]
Why is it that men are permitted to be obsessed about their work, but women are only permitted to be obsessed about men? Barbra Streisand (b. 1942) is American singer, songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. In a career spanning six decades, Streisand is among the ten best-selling female artists of all time in the US music industry. She [...]
I’ve vowed to myself that my body is my public, political sphere as well as my private, personal sphere. It’s my mannequin on which to display my beliefs, my vehicle in the fight for gender rights, my pathway to strength and to weakness. I’m not afraid to bare the truth to the world. What doesn’t help is feeling that the system is pitted against me because I speak a different language, because I am a foreigner, and because I am a woman.
Some people love her because she’s Aung San’s daughter. Most people love her because of what she’s done. I don’t care about who she is; it depends on what she’s done.
I'm a Lenny subscriber. So I'm treated to intelligent, witty, Feminist writing at the end of every week, when I need it most. Lenny's weekly letter picks me up just as my Friday evening is setting in (I'm 13 hours ahead of NYC). On the way home on the Beijing subway after 7 hours of [...]
My own education is my most valuable asset. It anchors me, allows me my freedom and never stops growing. Why did it take me so long to begin sharing that passion with a captive audience?
It’s taken a long time for me to write this down, but I hope I can do it justice: this was the worst job interview of my life. It’s laughable now, but at the time, I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. The experience shook my confidence and undermined my faith in humanity (just [...]
I’ve reached the end of the year feeling a little lost. I’ve let myself get comfortable in what I am doing right now, which is unfamiliar territory for me and therefore a little unnerving. It’s times like these we need a reminder of what we’ve achieved, what we’ve weathered and what we’ve enjoyed. Looking over [...]
When I graduated - with a first class degree I might add - I hadn't really pictured myself working in a big corporate office. But neither had I intended to work full-time at an empty pub, spend several weeks on jobseeker's allowance and attend a series of godawful interviews. But that's life - you take [...]
Zhēn de Gender 