Riley Kawola Portfolio

            Whether we realize it or not, toxic masculinity is plaguing the United States. In the movie  Tough Guise 2,  director Jackson Katz, describes what toxic masculinity is and how it is affecting men today. Personally, I had heard very little on the topic, and was shocked when I found out the truth about why many men behave the way they do.     Growing up as a girl, I was never shamed for crying or showing emotion. In fact, it was completely normal. But, I grew older and realized that men were not granted the same privileges. Katz explains why this is: toxic masculinity. From a young age boys are told to be tough and hide their emotions. And when they do show their emotions, they are called harsh nicknames and made fun of. Unfortunately, this type of behavior is cyclical, and roots back to old fashioned and outdated stereotypes. The idea that men need to constantly be tough and mighty, has very negative impacts. All of ...

In her TedTalk, Celeste Headlee talks about ways in which one can be a better conversationalist and gives ten rules one should follow when having a conversation. I personally found each rule helpful, and plan to implement as many as possible, but one in particular stood out to me. And I would like to share that rule with you. Headlee states "Don't Pontificate". She goes on to explain that everybody is an expert on something, and that you can learn from everyone. As I began to think about this, the impact of this quote really started to resonate with me. As I began to think, it became clear, that if everyone has something to learn, then everyone should be equal, and treated with the same respect. And this might seem like common sense, but it's shocking to see how many people view others "as below them". Handlee brings up great conversation points, but also shows how you should look at conversations as a learning experience. Handlee expresses a main concept th...

           One of my favorite ways to get information is through blogs. They are often set up in a way that is easy to read and to find the information you need. Below are some of my favorite bloggers and what each of them publish content about, and why I recommend them.  The first blogger I ever really got into was Sophia Lee . She covers everything from college to cleaning. I started reading her blog when I was a sophomore and continue to read it. looking through her blog has made me feel much more comfortable about going to college. She gives so many great tips from organization to moving in. My favorite part about her blog is how organized it is. As someone who is very type A, this blog is a dream to read. She makes a lot of her posts in list format, which makes it easy to locate information, especially if I'm on my phone and don't want to spend a bunch of time looking for a specific piece of information. She also includes a bunch of spreadsheets a...

  Here is one of my all time favorite quotes. I look at it whenever I am in need of insipration or even a burst of energy.