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Samhita Mukhopadhyay

Samhita Mukhopadhyay is the executive editor of Feministing.com and author of Outdated: Why Dating Is Ruining Your Love Life.

Recent Articles

But We're Not Muslims!

There is no such thing as "good" or "bad" minorities—racism affects us all.

Samhita MukhopadhyayAug 10, 2012
(Flickr/ljlandre)

When news broke Sunday that an armed Neo-Nazi walked into a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and opened fire on the congregation, killing six people and wounding three, I was flooded with memories of the Hindu temple I attended as a child. Donning traditional Indian garb, each Sunday the predominantly South Asian congregation would gather on the ground floor of a brownstone on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The scent of incense and flowers filled the sparsely decorated room as the organ played devotional music. Congregants would meditate, eyes closed, while waiting for the Swami to arrive and give his lecture. I cannot fathom violence in a space of such serenity and peace.

Marrying Yourself

A radical re-envisioning of marriage, or just reinforcing the pressure to say “I Do?”

Samhita MukhopadhyayMay 15, 2012
(Flickr / Sakura Photo - Dallas Wedding Photographer)

Nadine Schweigert got married this February, but there was no exchange of rings or vows. Schweigert got married to herself. At 36 years old and a mother of two she decided not only is she happy with her life—but she wanted to share and celebrate that happiness in front of a room full of family and friends. Whether she meant to or not, she also showed the world she didn’t need a man to get married.

Was Adrienne Rich Anti-Trans?

By failing to acknowledge the late author's views on womanhood, feminists risk writing trans people out of the movement.

Samhita MukhopadhyayApr 16, 2012
(Flickr/PhotoComiX)

In the last few weeks, many obituaries have praised the revolutionary poet and feminist theorist Adrienne Rich. While these homages are well deserved, what has been largely ignored in considering the legacy of Rich is her history of transphobia. With the exception of a small group of critics, Rich’s ideas about trans identity—and trans women in particular—have gone unscrutinized. It’s indicative of the larger inability within the feminist movement to recognize trans voices. 

The White Stuff

The blog Stuff White People Like, became an Internet sensation but it's more than just a humor blog -- the site tells us something about the mostly white, affluent audience that has so enthusiastically embraced a mocking rundown of their culture.

Samhita MukhopadhyayJun 19, 2008

They like running marathons and eating sushi, venerating Jon Stewart and bragging about not owning a TV. They talk endlessly about HBO's The Wire and dance self-consciously to '80s music. They're into "irony" and have a tendency to threaten to move to Canada.