This creative project consists of a series of narrative and interactive videos that explains the Mediterranean Diet from both nutritional and cultural perspectives, its history, and shares the stories and insights of female farmers in Southern Italy. These women preserve native ancient varieties of edible flora and cultural practices that have evolved with the plants and the territory. This video series recognizes the women preserving their traditions and local varieties native to Southern Italy and highlights the importance of local place-based eating and foodways. The videos provide questions and vocabulary to engage with the audience and challenge them to develop ideas and ruminate on the material presented.

Since the early 2010s, there seems to be a shift from the dominant Eurocentric beauty ideal to a new beauty standard that embodies more ethnic features, reflected in the growing number of women who want to enhance or adopt ethnic features through cosmetic procedures. As more white women adopt this new beauty standard, research into how perceptions of race are shifting is warranted and thus I explore the following question: What can we learn from white women who have undergone cosmetic procedures to appear less white and how are contemporary beauty standards changing perceptions of race?

Although Immigration and LGBTQ+ issues have been at the forefront of political discourse in the US, there is often less of an emphasis on the intersection of these two. LGBTQ+ migrants often face a disproportionate amount of abuse and assault while in transit or detention compared to their straight counterparts, yet receive considerably less media attention. As congresspeople, news sources, and past presidents villainize or infantilize immigrants, what is spread by the general media is often not a true reflection of the nuanced and diverse stories of migration–much less for those with intersecting identities like LGBTQ+ migrants. This project is in collaboration with “DETAINED: Voices from the Migrant Incarceration System,” which aims to provide the public with real narratives of those who previously have been or are currently incarcerated in detention centers. The stories highlight the humanity of migration, deconstructing the false narratives spread by the media. This StoryMap will dissect LGBTQ migrant discrimination and resistance in three sections. The first is an exploration of policy, law, and historical moments that impacted the way in which the US immigration system is set up. The second is a collection of individual LGBTQ migrant stories while in detention or in transit. The third is an exploration of acts of resistance to discrimination, violence, and alienation experienced by LGBTQ migrants. This is meant to be viewed digitally, find the StoryMap at this link: https://arcg.is/108Wan