The Happy Trail

  With the recent exhibit Art AIDS America at the Tacoma Art Museum and the current exhibit Surviving and Thriving: AIDS, Politics, and Culture in Collins Memorial Library, students may be wondering: why AIDS? Why now? The response to that question should be: why not? At no point since its first documented appearance has AIDS disappeared. The current consensus in the medical community is that HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) first passed from chimpanzees to humans when infected blood came into contact with bush hunters in Central Africa; from then, the...

February is Black History Month; a time to celebrate and recognize African American history and achievements when a lot of the time those achievements and moments in history go unnoticed and/or uncelebrated. It is important to recognize all of the things black people are voicing and fighting for, especially when they are so often silenced. There are plenty of people who can be celebrated, plenty of people who have accomplished a lot doing a huge array of things. There are scientists, politicians, activists, singers, etc. There are times when many...

  When condoms became more mainstream as an effective method to prevent both unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, one of the main pushbacks against using them was that they were awkward. People of all genders cited reasons such as not wanting to stop sexual activity in order to put on a condom. After all, it makes sense. Applying a condom involves walking across the room (assuming one is there), going back and putting it on, and then proceeding with one’s activities. It’s awkward and requires both parties to begin...

The representation of women of color is on the rise in media and pop culture today, yet they still face hypersexualization when being depicted in television and film. This hypersexualization continues to enforce racial stereotypes and has a longer lasting effect on women and young girls overall, regardless of race. It’s not uncommon to hear about women being objectified in the media, but it’s especially apparent when looking at the portrayal of women of color over the past few years; representation of women of color has definitely increased, especially when...

For many college students both at Puget Sound and across the nation, an idealized romantic partner is very likely to be the same age as the student in question. There are many reasons for this; such a partner will be more likely to be going through similar struggles, will better understand the student’s cultural references and will be more inclined to spend time in similar social circles, among many other reasons. The prospect of a romantic relationship with a non-student therefore becomes unappealing, and this is compounded if there is...

Wetlands (2013), originally premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2013 and then went on to the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. If you’ve heard of the film, it’s either because you recognize the Charlotte Roche novel on which it is based, Feuchtgebiete, or you are like me and have heard of it because of its extremely bawdy, incredibly explicit and potentially nausea-inducing content. Columnist Rebecca Schuman of Slate magazine described the film as Germany’s “Fifty Shades of Gross.” The film, directed by David Wnendt, follows the story of Helen...

Positioned at number 11 on the Hot 100 Billboard Charts, Usher’s hit song “I Don’t Mind” features rapper Juicy J as Usher serenades a stripper. “Shawty I don’t mind/ If you dance on a pole, it don’t make you a ho,” Usher croons on the chorus, proceeding to inform his romantic interest that, “long as you comin’ home, girl, I don’t mind.” The remainder of the song follows suit, with Usher describing the workplace circumstances of his partner and dismissing the notion that his partner’s profession implies  promiscuity. In an...

“Who’s to say that love needs to be soft and gentle?” Truer words were never spoken. This is just one of the memorable quotes from our kinky film of the week. This week we will take a look at the sado-masochistic office romance portrayed in the 2002 film Secretary, adapted from the short story in Mary Gaitskill’s 1988 book Bad Behavior. The film, directed by Steven Shainberg, follows Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a young woman who comes from a neurotic family and suffers from an illness of self-mutilation, and Mr....

After the release of the highly anticipated film 50 Shades of Grey, we here at the Happy Trail want to recognize other films that have pushed kinky boundaries in the theater. For the next four weeks, I will be dedicating my articles to reviews of groundbreaking movies that are known for their portrayals of kinky delights. Sorry Christian and Anastasia, your antics won’t be included in this series. This week’s movie will give tribute to the French book-turned-film Histoire d’O (or Story of O). In the 1975 adaptation of Pauline...

First released to the public on July 29, 2014, the pop anthem “Bang Bang,” featuring the talents of English singer-songwriter Jessie J, American singer Ariana Grande and American rapper and singer-songwriter Nicki Minaj, has gained enormous critical and commercial success. The song debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, while the song peaked at number six on the American Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Critics and fans alike lauded Minaj’s rapid-fire rap. They gave acclaim to the...

For many college students, the concept of sex toys is not a revolutionary one. While not necessarily a passtime that many flaunt, the use of sex toys—either for masturbatory purposes or for use with others—would not be considered unprecedented to many of us. When discussing sex toys, the main image that comes to mind for many college students is the dildo. But where did the dildo come from, and why does it dominate our imaginations so? The oldest known dildo is a siltstone 20-centimeter phallus from the Upper Palaeolithic period...