Wednesday, October 14th, 2026

Opinion

Your tattoos do not make you less feminine

October 14, 2026

Kylie Grunsfeld, Opinions & Humor Editor Women online are taking to their phones in droves to announce that they regret their tattoos, warning others against getting any. This is happening as the beauty industry is actively pushing “natural” and “classic” femininity, which prioritizes clear skin, natural-looking makeup and dissolving fillers.  As tattoos become more mainstream and the percentage of those getting tattooed increases, so does the percentage of people going through tattoo removal treatments. However, I do not think it is a matter of chance that tattoo removal is most common among Millennials and Gen Z, according to Removery. Women are also more likely than men to go through removal procedures, according to New York Cosmetic, Skin & Laser Surgery Center. Tattoos throughout U.S. history have correlated with rebellion, counterculture and toughness. It is fair to say that these associations are far more linked with masculinity than femininity. Sailors and military servicemen were the first and largest group of individuals to get inked when tattooing was brought to the U.S., according to PBS. Years later, whether consciously or subconsciously, we still associate tattoos with these kinds of professions.  Tattoos on men are manly. Tattoos on women are trashy, dirty and

Pre-medicine students need to read more poetry

October 14, 2026

Lily Holmes, Contributing Writer The pre-medical pathway is regarded as one of the most stressful academic pathways, requiring vast clinical and non-clinical volunteer experience, rigorous prerequisite classes and strong GPA and MCAT scores, all while hundreds of fellow students compete for the same prize. The pre-medicine track is also primarily known for its heavy focus on STEM courses, especially biology and chemistry subjects, that often take hours of studying outside the lecture hall to master.  Most pre-med students choose to major in biological sciences, pre-healthcare or pre-med pathways covering most of the prerequisite coursework and providing specialized, preparatory coursework, according to the American Medical Association. While these are indeed very efficient pathways, the value of a humanities major or minor cannot be overlooked.  There is no preference for major or minor in medical school applications, meaning students should choose whatever track in which they are most interested and can reliably produce strong performance.  No track has been definitively identified as the “most successful,” as the term can be defined in many different ways, and each major carries its own benefits and risks. One’s major of choice is often flexible and will not fully limit what a student can study. Many

You cannot expect a village without being a villager

October 14, 2026

Molly Christianson, Staff Writer A little while ago, I saw a TikTok that really stood out to me. It was a random picture with a yellow font that said, “What y’all are calling princess treatment is something I’d do for one of my friends on a Tuesday.” It made me realize how often we romanticize things that should just be normal parts of friendship.  When did checking in on someone, showing up for them or simply being there become something reserved for romantic relationships? Why are significant others expected to provide your emotional support? Everyone says “it takes a village,” but it seems like people want the benefits of having a village without wanting to actually be a villager. Growing up, my parents used a different metaphor: do not put all of your eggs in one basket. They were telling me to build a support system of different people in my life to lean on when I need them.  You cannot expect to have people who will show up for you if you are never willing to show up for them. Being part of a village means understanding that sometimes you are the person who needs help, and sometimes you

Can ‘swirling’ be pro-Black?

October 14, 2026

Maritza Baptiste, Staff Writer I did not know about motivational speaker Dr. Umar Johnson until a couple of years ago when he made plans to do a talk on campus. I briefly researched him, and for a while, “Black queens forever, snowbunnies never” became a staple of my vocabulary.  While Dr. Umar was fairly new to me, his rhetoric and talking points were ingrained in my upbringing. I am used to references to pop culture figures going over my mother’s head, but she met my mention of Dr. Umar with “Oh yes, I love what he has to say.”  The deeper I delved into Dr. Umar and his talking points, the more perturbed I became by his stances on Black women and queer people. He preaches that Black men must uplift Black women by choosing us as romantic partners and having Black children. While I cannot condone Dr. Umar’s homophobic or patriarchal rhetoric, he does spark conversations around pro-Blackness being in opposition to interracial dating.  Recently, Ziwe, a satirical talk show host, released an interview with Black and lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes. Throughout the interview, Ziwe uses Sykes’ white wife and children as a springboard for questions about race, wealth

Your tattoos do not make you less feminine

October 14, 2026

Kylie Grunsfeld, Opinions & Humor Editor Women online are taking to their phones in droves to announce that they regret their tattoos, warning others against getting any. This is happening as the beauty industry is actively pushing “natural” and “classic” femininity, which prioritizes clear skin, natural-looking makeup and dissolving fillers.  As tattoos become more mainstream and the percentage of those getting tattooed increases, so does the percentage of people going through tattoo removal treatments. However, I do not think it is a matter of chance that tattoo removal is most common among Millennials and Gen Z, according to Removery. Women are also more likely than men to go through removal procedures, according to New York Cosmetic, Skin & Laser Surgery Center. Tattoos throughout U.S. history have correlated with rebellion, counterculture and toughness. It is fair to say that these associations are far more linked with masculinity than femininity. Sailors and military servicemen were the first and largest group of individuals to get inked when tattooing was brought to the U.S., according to PBS. Years later, whether consciously or subconsciously, we still associate tattoos with these kinds of professions.  Tattoos on men are manly. Tattoos on women are trashy, dirty and unladylike.  Ironically, we have seen a boom in tattoo sales in the last 20 years, specifically among women. 27% of men have tattoos compared to 38% of women, according to Pew Research Center. It is evident that the perception of tattoos being strictly masculine has changed in the past few decades. Many female celebrities lauded for being beautiful, such as Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox, are tattooed.  So, why are so many people’s views on their own tattoos starting to change? Why now? In an age when women are told to embrace their “divine feminine” and more traditional feminine roles, this trend does not strike me as merely coincidental.   My tattoos are a reflection of me. I have a tarot card, ladybugs and a few non-sentimental designs that I chose because despite their “meaninglessness,” they still speak to me. When I walk around, people can get a glimpse of my personality before I even open my mouth to talk. This is one of my favorite things about being tattooed: it is a method of self-expression that simultaneously speaks to who I was, who I am and who I want to be. I do not feel like being inked up and

Pre-medicine students need to read more poetry

October 14, 2026

Lily Holmes, Contributing Writer The pre-medical pathway is regarded as one of the most stressful academic pathways, requiring vast clinical and non-clinical volunteer experience, rigorous prerequisite classes and strong GPA and MCAT scores, all while hundreds of fellow students compete for the same prize. The pre-medicine track is also primarily known for its heavy focus on STEM courses, especially biology and chemistry subjects, that often take hours of studying outside the lecture hall to master.  Most pre-med students choose to major in biological sciences, pre-healthcare or pre-med pathways covering most of the prerequisite coursework and providing specialized, preparatory coursework, according to the American Medical Association. While these are indeed very efficient pathways, the value of a humanities major or minor cannot be overlooked.  There is no preference for major or minor in medical school applications, meaning students should choose whatever track in which they are most interested and can reliably produce strong performance.  No track has been definitively identified as the “most successful,” as the term can be defined in many different ways, and each major carries its own benefits and risks. One’s major of choice is often flexible and will not fully limit what a student can study. Many

You cannot expect a village without being a villager

October 14, 2026

Molly Christianson, Staff Writer A little while ago, I saw a TikTok that really stood out to me. It was a random picture with a yellow font that said, “What y’all are calling princess treatment is something I’d do for one of my friends on a Tuesday.” It made me realize how often we romanticize things that should just be normal parts of friendship.  When did checking in on someone, showing up for them or simply being there become something reserved for romantic relationships? Why are significant others expected to provide your emotional support? Everyone says “it takes a village,” but it seems like people want the benefits of having a village without wanting to actually be a villager. Growing up, my parents used a different metaphor: do not put all of your eggs in one basket. They were telling me to build a support system of different people in my life to lean on when I need them.  You cannot expect to have people who will show up for you if you are never willing to show up for them. Being part of a village means understanding that sometimes you are the person who needs help, and sometimes you

Can ‘swirling’ be pro-Black?

October 14, 2026

Maritza Baptiste, Staff Writer I did not know about motivational speaker Dr. Umar Johnson until a couple of years ago when he made plans to do a talk on campus. I briefly researched him, and for a while, “Black queens forever, snowbunnies never” became a staple of my vocabulary.  While Dr. Umar was fairly new to me, his rhetoric and talking points were ingrained in my upbringing. I am used to references to pop culture figures going over my mother’s head, but she met my mention of Dr. Umar with “Oh yes, I love what he has to say.”  The deeper I delved into Dr. Umar and his talking points, the more perturbed I became by his stances on Black women and queer people. He preaches that Black men must uplift Black women by choosing us as romantic partners and having Black children. While I cannot condone Dr. Umar’s homophobic or patriarchal rhetoric, he does spark conversations around pro-Blackness being in opposition to interracial dating.  Recently, Ziwe, a satirical talk show host, released an interview with Black and lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes. Throughout the interview, Ziwe uses Sykes’ white wife and children as a springboard for questions about race, wealth

Rapists are protected before women; The Cornell seven case is proof

October 7, 2026

Shiny Chandravel, Assistant Opinions & Humor Editor When I was 10, I knocked on my neighbor’s front door to play outside. Her brother opened the door and pulled up my shirt to look at my chest.  When I was 13, I downloaded Snapchat for the first time. A boy from school sent explicit images to my phone. When I was 15, a man groped teenage girls in my high school parking lot. When I was 18, a student at VCU slapped my behind. When I turned to face him, he was grinning. Growing up, I was taught that girls biologically mature faster than boys — but I do not think we are given a choice. Now I am 20, the same age that a former Cornell University student states she was allegedly drugged and gang-raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in Oct. 2024, according to BBC News. The alleged assault was reported to campus police in Nov. 2024. Now, almost two years later, the nation is solemnly observing how one of our country’s most respected institutions, an Ivy League university, reacted to reported sexual violence.   Tragically, that reaction was far from appropriate.   Two expulsions. This was the

The politics of being famous: When should celebrities speak up?

October 7, 2026

Molly Christianson, Staff Writer  A concert is supposed to be simple — people buy tickets, listen to music and spend a few hours enjoying themselves. Politics are not necessarily a part of the experience. However, for some of the biggest names in entertainment, separating a career from politics is becoming increasingly difficult.  Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour became an example of that. During a Sept. 4 performance at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore spoke on his views and told the audience “Free Palestine.” He also performed his song “Hind’s Hall,” which was written in support of Palestinians. Following the performance, some venue owners objected to Macklemore’s participation in the remaining shows and Sheeran’s promoter eventually announced that he would no longer be part of the U.S. leg of the tour. Sheeran and Macklemore are part of a much larger conversation happening in the entertainment industry. Celebrities are constantly faced with the question of whether they should use their platforms to speak about political and social issues.  Taylor Swift has also used her platform in a political manner but in a much different way. During the 2024 presidential election, Swift publicly announced that she planned to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, while

If you are an upperclassman at VCU experiencing loneliness, you are not alone

October 7, 2026

Kylie Grunsfeld, Opinions & Humor Editor As of this August, I am officially an upperclassman at VCU, which comes with a lot of perks — I can make my way around campus with my eyes closed and I no longer have to hurry down several flights of stairs at midnight because the student housing fire alarms have gone off once again.  When I started college, I was immensely comforted by the fact that there was so much guidance available for the transition. Everybody and their mother had words of wisdom to offer about leaving home for the first time. I cried many nights my first semester, certain I would never be able to top the memories made with friends that were now scattered around the country, but I knew that was natural. I was told it would happen. No one could blame me for feeling unmoored. Freshman year is an extremely well-documented period in the lives of college students. When you see yourself so frequently reflected in media, it is much easier to believe people when they tell you that you are doing nothing wrong. However, I have found that there are far fewer resources available to guide you once

Richmond, stop giving me parking tickets

October 7, 2026

Nick Echard, Contributing Writer Do you ever feel like you cannot find a place to park? Like you circle the block over and over again just to find a spot you will have to leave in an hour?  Richmond has a parking problem, and to understand this issue we need to look at the multitude of layers causing it, such as VCU, the SP Plus Corporation and the increasingly strict enforcement of parking violations.  Richmond has seen a 280% increase in parking citations this year, with stop sign parking citations jumping from 358 to 1,300 over the last year, according to the Richmonder. This comes as a result of a 2025 rule to increase the distance one can park behind a stop sign to 30 feet. One can also assume that this increase in parking citations has played a hand in the approximately $460,000 Richmonders pay in parking tickets each month.  As a Carver resident, I am no stranger to SP Plus. Their red and yellow logo and flashing yellow lights have become a beacon of dread for my friends and me.  SP Plus is a private company hired by the city of Richmond for a $28 million contract. SP

The government wants to strip your college funding and they are not hiding it

September 30, 2026

Marcus Beavers, Contributing Writer On Sept. 3, the House of Representatives passed the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026 (H.R. 4795) by a vote of 237–169. Introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the bill would prohibit higher education institutions that participate in federal student-aid programs from engaging in commercial boycotts of Israel that are not based on a legitimate business or economic reason.  Additionally, any higher education institutions receiving federal funding for foreign language or international education programs must annually certify that students and faculty may participate in programs located in Israel, according to the Congress Legislature. Simply put, the bill could put VCU’s eligibility for federal education funding at risk if the university were to participate in an institutional boycott of Israel.  Phillip L. Swagel, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, said that institutions who violate program agreements may lose the ability to be involved in federal student aid programs, which include Pell grants and student loans. The bill was approved by the House but still requires Senate and presidential approval before it can become law. VCU has already experienced major controversy surrounding pro-Palestinian protests, making this bill especially relevant to Richmond — and possibly to