September is recognized internationally as PCOS awareness month. From my story, it should be easy to understand the significance of adequate representation regarding any social/medical/political issues. Without the hormonal health anecdotes from a reality television star, I wouldn’t have felt the confidence at 16, 17, or 18 years-old to advocate so strongly for myself in front of numerous physicians who attempted to convince me that I was too young or naive to understand my health and what I was experiencing. 

Around the time of her viral Tiny Desk performance in March of 2024, lesbian pop singer Chappell Roan absolutely took off in popularity. Sadly, however, it looks like Chappell Roan summer is coming to an end, giving way to a new semester of schoolwork and readings. But if you’re looking to expand your media consumption for more vibes like those from The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, look no further: I’ve compiled a list of five books to go with five hit songs from the album to help get you started, spanning the range of genres from Horror to Canlit!

If you spend a lot of time on social media, particularly in the spaces interested in media consumption, you have probably come across someone reposting a screenshot of someone’s terrible take on the latest book, movie or TV show with the caption “media literacy is dead.” As someone who spends too much time thinking about and analyzing media, I find this difficult to believe, so let us analyze this claim.