“Made in Italy”: The Cost of Cachet
Anna Utochkina of Unsplash
Italy had always been dear to my heart as I love art, fashion, and culture. When it comes to design, aesthetics, and hand-made craftsmanship, the Italian heritage had no equal. Authenticity, quality, and prestige were part and parcel to the “Made in Italy” moniker. But this legacy is being challenged as the global appetite for luxury goods increases and companies strive to meet these demands by any means necessary.
Gone are the days where Italian handbags, shoes, belts and other specialty items were produced by local, Italian artisans. Instead, the reality of a label stating “Made in Italy” has numerous implications. On the most egregious end, it may be a product made in another country. Continue Reading
Intimacy Disorder: The Root of Addiction
By Alex Holyoake of Unsplash
What is emotional intimacy and how does this impact addiction? The lack of true intimacy where an individual does not feel emotionally safe to share their thoughts, feelings, concerns, desires, and needs leaves one vulnerable to develop addictive tendencies as a means to cope.
This can be a one-time incident or the cumulative effect of what’s known as attachment trauma where connection, bonding, safety, and trust are compromised. Ruptures in attachments (i.e. with parents, primary caregivers, coaches, and/or other significant figures) can be overt and explicit like physical or sexual abuse where “something is done to an individual”. Continue Reading
The Incel Movement: The Sexual, Social, Recreational, and Racial Implications
Annie Spratt of Unsplash
They’re teased for being virgins (“virgin-shaming”). This is a new societal shift that has radically changed within the past two decades. It wasn’t long ago when you may have been shamed for being sexual outside of marriage, now you’re shamed if you haven’t had sex before marriage. Think about the 2005 movie, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, where the main character is encouraged by his friends to lose his virginity as an objective unto its own. Now retitle it, The 20-Year-old Virgin, to reflect today’s societal pressure of what age it means to be considered sexually mature. In short, the worldview is if you haven’t had sex by 30, you must be not only sexually inadequate, defective, and inept but also socially.
They’re also teased or bullied for being socially awkward or being different. This oftentimes can be due to physical disabilities, physical characteristics Continue Reading
