Derek Deng

Articles

RECESS  |  STAFF NOTE

More than the model minority

By Derek Deng | March 22, 2021

So this week has been particularly jarring. 

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RECESS  |  CULTURE POP CULTURE

#ApologizetoBritney: Britney Spears and the media's problem with misogyny

By Derek Deng | February 22, 2021

In archival footage from her 1992 “Star Search” appearance, host Ed McMahon asks a blunt question of a ten-year old Britney: “Do you have a boyfriend?”

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RECESS  |  CAMPUS

Center for Documentary Studies adopts anti-racist curriculum for its continuing education program

By Derek Deng | February 1, 2021

Documentaries tell stories, and as consumers of media, we learn from those stories. And sometimes, those stories are dangerously problematic.

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RECESS  |  CULTURE

What went wrong with the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen

By Derek Deng | November 16, 2020

The wildly successful Bon Appétit Test Kitchen used to be at the top of that list. But now, after a series of workplace reckonings, empty commitments toward change and new additions to the Test Kitchen cast, it’s clear that what originally drove the channel toward internet virality is now gone. 

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RECESS  |  CULTURE

Claudia Conway and the Gen Z savior complex

By Derek Deng | October 21, 2020

In recent months, the daily shenanigans of 16-year-old Claudia Conway have been dissected and prodded at by DailyMail and other right-leaning news outlets.

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RECESS  |  CULTURE POP CULTURE

Sexism, Megan Fox and the tragic underestimation of 'Jennifer's Body'

By Derek Deng | October 8, 2020

Megan Fox’s narrative of exclusion from Hollywood isn’t unique. As a sex symbol, she was forced into a mold of what being “sexy” meant — and when she didn’t squeeze into that mold, her image was manipulated and tarnished forever by the men that held the strings.

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RECESS  |  CULTURE POP CULTURE

"Keeping Up With the Kardashians" is ending after 20 seasons. What now?

By Derek Deng | September 21, 2020

With “Keeping Up,” the Kardashians established a cultural stronghold on celebrity status. Through the show, they manipulated their narratives, attracted unanimous public attention and carefully carved out their brand.

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RECESS  |  CULTURE

What's going on with Ellen?

By Derek Deng | August 31, 2020

The format of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” is amusingly predictable. She brings someone onto the stage — preferably a child prodigy or a teacher in need of new classroom desks — and gifts them an impressive sum of money or a flat-screen TV.

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