7 Essays To Read This Weekend: Orientalism, Black Beauty, And Anna Kendrick

We’re all too familiar with pop culture’s “cool big sisters," the ones who have no interest in mentoring their younger siblings. Now, thanks to the internet, the world is seeing the rise of the "awkward older sister," which Caroline Framke wrote about this week. Women like YouTube sensation Grace Helbig, Amy Schumer, and Rookie mag founder Tavi Gevison have started a movement of women mentoring teens with compassion and honesty. Read it at The Atlantic.

For decades, the public has blamed Yoko Ono for breaking up The Beatles, but this is a myth that deserves to die. Lindsay Zoladz, a critic at New York magazine, looks back on Ono’s art, recalls her own past opinions of the artist, and reflects on how they’ve changed. Read it at Vulture.

Where the media sees "thugs" taking advantage of the Baltimore riots, Khaliah Williams sees a society that has failed our children. Williams, who teaches at a high school outside the city, wrote a powerful essay, sharing sentiments from her students, who condemned the media's use of the word "thug." Read it at BuzzFeed Ideas.

The theme of this year's Met Gala, "China: Through the Looking Glass," was conceived to be a celebration of China and its designers. In the end, the event turned out to be a spectacle of the West's idea of the country rather than a genuine tribute to China. Jiayang Fan critiqued the "Orientalist costume parade," asking some pertinent questions about how the world views China. Read it at The Awl.

"We live in a world in which black features are only beautiful on the face and body of a white woman," Lauren Dozier writes. In an essay, originally published on Literally, Darling, she recounts growing up in a society that constantly imposes "white" standards of beauty on women and how that clashes with black beauty. Read it at the Huffington Post.

We all know that the women around us contain multitudes. Anna Kendrick, who has fought against and defied Hollywood's type machine through on-screen roles and interviews, powerfully suggests that celebrities can as well. BuzzFeed News feature writer Anne Helen Petersen wrote about the Pitch Perfect 2 actress, her image, and how she's much more than just a "cool girl." Read it at BuzzFeed Ideas.