The following blogs on this page revolve around females in arranged marriages. Although not all of them are directly related to my autoethnography, many of them were inspired by the ideas I had while writing it. These blog posts reflect…

In the mid-twentieth century, women in the United States were expected to have one job: to start a family and satisfy their needs. Betty Friedan’s scathing exposé shattered this happy housewife myth and revealed the deep sense of malaise among…

Can a woman be considered more attractive in Latin America than in India? The traditional perception of feminine beauty varies from country to country and from generation to generation. Stereotypes include a Bengali desire for long black hair; a Latin…

The dominant marriage institution in most countries of South Asia including India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are arranged marriages. The different religions and cultures throughout these regions have distinct ways of organizing the arranged marriage, but ultimately in all of them…

Heart shaped face, big brown eyes, and full rosy lips. The only thing that could steal the spotlight from her beauty was her even more vibrant personality. I came over to her house often. I loved watching her in the…

Unlike my younger brother who can write beautifully with music blasting through his headphones, I cannot concentrate on my writing assignments with disturbing noise dividing my attention. Even as I was writing the previous sentence you just read, I had…

A Love that was There from the Start Written by: Robin Alexander   Growing up in a religious household, reading was priority for our family. My mother and father always read the bible to my brother and I. My mother’s…

I don’t have the best memory. Most of my memories from childhood are quite vague and fragmented. But what I do remember vividly was my older cousin constantly pinching my skin between her fingernails when she wanted me to do…

Out of the three prompts for the Macaulay Honors College admissions essays, I enjoyed crafting every word for this one: From what frequent activity do you derive your greatest joy? Why is this activity meaningful to you, and how does…

The author of The Five-Paragraph Essay explained my opinion of this format into two perfect words: empty vessel. The practice of trying to fit one’s writing content into this rigid structure limits creativity and ideas. Writing is a journey and the destination…