Our Blog Posts
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Ode to Camp, or: I Died in Couture and Came Back in Sequins(A Poem in Heels)
Mary Mba (Ph.D) Darling,I was born in a wig and reborn in rhinestones.When the doctor slapped me, I said,“Not the face.” I am Camp.Not a style,But a resurrection. I paint my lips with irony,Contour my cheekbones with pastiche,My eyeliner so sharp it cuts through heteronormativity.I don’t cry—I glitter. I’m the chandelier at a funeral.The swan…
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Immortal and Undone: Beauty, Power, and the Women Who Refuse to Die
By Mary Mba (Ph.D.) When I was a child, Mom was a teacher and had a rich collection of literary work that I always got lost in as my escape. One of the memorable books I read was She—not just the first novel, but the entire trilogy: She, Ayesha: The Return of She, and Wisdom’s…
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She Who Must Be Obeyed: Beauty, Power, and the Divine Feminine in Death Becomes Her
By Mary Mba, Ph.D. I’ve watched Death Becomes Her more times than I can count. I’ve taught it in my Women in Film classes for years, always amazed at how this glammed-up, campy 1992 film sparks such serious conversations about aging, beauty, power, and the lengths women are asked to go to remain visible. But…