There is a long history of neglect when it comes to medical trials for women. According to the World Economic Forum, “historically, the medical system’s approach has been more of a patriarchal investigation into the human body, with data and results stemming from male-only testing and trials.” This gender bias resulted in a lack of understanding of the female body. While efforts to improve this misunderstanding have been somewhat successful, such as the inclusion of women in clinical studies becoming mandatory in the United States in 1993, this fault continues to affect women today. For example, while 80 percent of pain research is done on men, 70 percent of people with chronic pain conditions are women. There have also been studies that show that resources for researching diseases are disproportionately put toward those that mainly affect men. Policies need to be changed in order to ensure that women are fairly included in all clinical studies.

Another area that needs more focus is research on areas that only affect women. This includes “maternal and menstrual health, as well as … conditions that present differently in women than men.” This research would help tremendously with treating these areas of health with preventable issues. For example, the CDC reports that “four out of five pregnancy-related deaths in the [United States] are preventable and Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.” Another area that has a huge impact on women but is not well researched is autoimmune disorders, which according to Health.com “[occur] when the immune system attacks itself.” Not only are 78 percent of those affected by autoimmune disorders women, but “autoimmune diseases are now the fifth-leading cause of death in women younger than 65.” Specifically, the seven most commonly misdiagnosed women’s illnesses are polycystic ovary syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome. The cause of autoimmune disorders is still unknown, but some researchers believe that it may have to do with sex hormones, double X chromosomes and evolution. An increase in funding and more gender-balanced research teams would be a good start for improving these issues by giving researchers the resources they need.

Another huge issue relates to the direct care of women in doctors’ offices. Many women leave these offices feeling as though they were not listened to, having their symptoms and worries disregarded and ignored. According to Harriet Brown from Health.com, experts say that “they are told that their complaints are all in their heads or that everything will be fine if they would just stop worrying.” In actuality, these are women who often end up having an autoimmune disorder. According to Virginia Ladd, founder and executive director of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, “more than 40 percent of women eventually diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease have basically been told by a doctor that they’re just too concerned with their health or they’re a hypochondriac.” This was also an issue in other areas of health, not just autoimmune disorders. One study researched a total of 981 emergency room visits and determined that when it came to being treated with powerful opioid painkillers for acute abdominal pain, women were 25 percent less likely than men to be given them. Another study found that when middle-aged women described symptoms of heart diseases, they were twice as likely to be wrongfully diagnosed with a mental illness than men. Women need to be taken more seriously and actually listened to when speaking. No one knows better about their own body than the person themselves, and women should be given the same grace that men are given in a doctor’s office.

The health industry needs to be held accountable in order to get better care for women across the United States. This accountability includes better funding for researching women’s health, adding preventions for gender bias and a shift in how women are treated in doctors’ offices. Hopefully, these improvements, if actually applied, would shrink the disparity and eventually close it completely.

Lily Tener is a sophomore majoring in English.

There are many reasons why there are not widespread, readily available male contraceptives. Some “experts say the success of the [female] pill may be partly responsible for the lag in development of male contraceptive options,” according to The Washington Post. Some people may argue why we should fix something that isn’t broken. However, just because it isn’t broken doesn’t mean that there is not room for improvement. Giving partners more options to prevent pregnancy is something that should be looked into more, especially with the recent shift in abortion laws in the United States. As Washington Post Columnist Susanna Schrobsdorff writes, it seems that the hard truth is that until “they can suffer the consequences of an unintended pregnancy, men aren’t likely to reliably take responsibility for birth control.” Funding for research has been a large issue because of this. In fact, “Drug companies … didn’t trust that men would use… [the pill] — despite surveys suggesting otherwise — so they wouldn’t invest in the large-scale clinical trials needed to show the Food and Drug Administration that the method is safe and effective,” according to The Lily. Other issues with developing a male contraceptive have to do with biology. “Men make millions and millions of sperm every day, whereas women only release one or two eggs per month, making it an easier reproductive process to target.” Instead of dealing with these male contraceptive issues, more resources were used to give women more options. While this should be continued, more methods for men should also be pushed forward.

Currently, the two contraceptive methods for men are condoms and vasectomies. While these have been effective, condoms are misused about 13 percent of the time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and vasectomies are not always reversible. There are three new main male contraceptives being researched. The first is the male contraceptive pill, which is non-hormonal and was found to be 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy when used on male mice. Human trials for this were scheduled to begin last year. The second option is a “hormonal gel called NES/T… which is applied to a man’s shoulders and upper arms once a day.” Finally, a non-hormonal injection known as ADAM blocks sperm in ejaculation and is currently in human trials. These all look promising, and the more funding they can get, the sooner more good contraceptive options can become available.

A big concern for the new male contraceptives is the possibility of side effects. The two drugs being used, Nestorone and Dimethandrolone (DMAU), increase hormone levels and suppress natural testosterone production, blocking sperm. However, men still retain relatively high testosterone levels while taking the drug, so there should be no side effects from this reduction. “DMAU can be taken as a once-daily pill or a long-acting injection, while Nestorone comes in a gel that is applied to the man’s shoulders and upper arms every day.” However, in some preliminary studies, subjects experienced weight gain and changes in sexual drive. Even so, people who use the female contraceptive pill have been dealing with these same symptoms and worse, such as blood clots and cancers, ever since their release onto the market. Having this delay in creating “an oral contraceptive for men” is further evidence of a pernicious double standard in reproductive health care. Schrobsdorff argued that “Men, as medical researchers put it, have a very ‘low threshold’ for side effects.” While it would obviously be ideal to have no negative side effects for either male or female contraceptives, it is unreasonable to expect those who take the female contraceptives to shoulder the burden in the meantime.

Sharing the contraceptive responsibility between both partners should be the standard, as both are equally as responsible for a pregnancy. As Krystale Littlejohn, an assistant professor at the University of Oregon and author of “Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics,” said, “Changing the ‘heavily gendered dynamic … is critical to the successful uptake of new male contraceptives.” The many options for male contraceptives should be better funded and further researched, so that they can become accessible to the public as soon as possible. This is more important now than ever, with people’s abortion options becoming limited in the United States. This research will better everyone involved, giving people more choice in a country where reproductive rights are becoming less and less protected.

Lily Tener is a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and English.

While Lively and Baldoni are amazing actors, known for their roles in the shows “Gossip Girl” and “Jane the Virgin,” respectively, they just do not seem fit for these characters. The biggest thing that fans have criticized is their age. Bloom is supposed to be 23 years old, and Lively is 12 years older than the character at 35 years old. Similarly, Kincaid is supposed to be 30 years old, while Justin Baldoni is 39. While their age does not affect their ability to act out the role, it does affect how the characters will be seen on screen.

The clear age gap between Bloom and Kincaid is part of what affects the power dynamic in their relationship. Bloom has a certain innocence about her, being fresh out of college and trying to build a life for herself. Kincaid already has a life for himself and was the one who pursued Bloom in the first place, quite literally showing up at her doorstep and begging her. Having both of the characters age up and appear closer in age on screen will make their dynamic less effective. This has happened before — for example, in “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” Percy was older and the tension between him and another older character, Luke, was not present. Furthermore, due to mature content or minor labor laws, younger characters are typically played by older actors. Because the characters in this film are not children, aging the actors was completely unnecessary.

While those two castings may not seem like the best option, maybe we will be pleasantly surprised by the final product. The casting of West as Corrigan, on the other hand, is likely to enrage fans even more. While it is not confirmed that he will be playing the role, this was a rumor floating around due to an Instagram comment he left on a post about “It Ends With Us,” where he insinuated that he would be interested in the role. Altas is a fan favorite, so his casting is very important. The age issue would be even more extreme were Shane, 44, to play Corrigan, 26 years old, with an 18-year age gap. Corrigan and Bloom are supposed to be closer in age since they knew each other when they were in high school, having a three-year age gap. Their history is a very important part of the story, and ignoring this age difference would not make sense for the movie.

The fans that are disappointed by the casting have made that clear in the comments of Hoover’s Instagram cast announcement post. In the absence of a cast for almost four years, there have been many fan-casts that fans are disappointed were not chosen. It seems that the most popular fan-casts are Abigail Cowen as Bloom and Theo James as Kincaid. Cowen is an up-and-coming actor, well known for her role as Bloom in the show “Fate: The Winx Saga,” and who many think look exactly as they imagined Bloom. She is also very close in age to Bloom at 24 years old. James is best known for playing Four in the movie “Divergent,” and many envisioned him as Kincaid. Although he is still a bit older than Kincaid, at 38 years old, having an older actor with a younger one could play into showing the age gap and power dynamic between him and Bloom. There is also a fan-cast for a younger Bloom in many flashback scenes, and fans hope Sadie Sink will fulfill the role. Sink has been rapidly increasing in popularity since her role as Max in “Stranger Things” and her performance in Taylor Swift’s short film “All Too Well: The Short Film.” She is close in age to the 15-year-old character at 20 years old. There are also similarities in looks between Sink and Cowen that would make them a good match for an older and younger version of the same character.

While we cannot change the casting for Bloom and Kincaid, there is still a chance that fans will be happier with the casting for the other main characters, such as Corrigan, Alyssa Kincaid, Marshall and younger versions of Bloom and Corrigan. Hopefully, fans will be pleasantly surprised by Lively and Baldoni’s performances and their ability to bring the book to life on screen.

Lily Tener is a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and English.

Period products should be easily accessible to everyone — even those who cannot afford them. No woman can opt out of menstruation, which is a monthly struggle that causes significant physical distress. Those who are forced to use toilet paper instead of pads or tampons for a long period of time are risking health conditions such as yeast infections, urinary tract infections and toxic shock syndrome. This can be very dangerous, especially since these people are also unlikely to be able to get help for these conditions. The inaccessibility of menstrual products can also be emotionally taxing. Research has shown that a lack of access to period products can cause women and girls to miss school or work.

Blood is not the only issue that menstruating people have to deal with. There is also period irregularity, pain, cramping, bloating and irritability, which can all be reduced by using painkillers and birth control. Not only do these solutions add to the costs, but they can be very difficult for homeless people to get access to. “Instead, many … find themselves curled up in pain without relief, sleeping on the streets. Overtime, the monthly inability to feel clean and secure can leave many homeless [menstruating individuals] in a depressive cycle of guilt and vulnerability.” Giving these people access to menstrual products for their cycles should be the bare minimum.

Some may be surprised by how big of an issue period poverty really is. One study done at George Mason University in 2021 found that in 2020 14 percent of women in college were dealing period poverty. These women were also found to be more likely to be affected by depression. Additionally, a 2019 survey in St. Louis showed that, at least at some point in the year, about half of low-income women were forced to choose between food and period products. Assistant programs did not aid with the cost of the products, leaving them to fend for themselves. “Without the basic resources needed to feel clean, safe and secure, periods can be devastating for the over 210,000 women experiencing homelessness in the United States.” If women can not afford basics such as shelter and food, it is unreasonable to expect them to be able to afford menstrual products.

There have recently been some small steps taken in the United States to help with the lack of access to period products. Some states, including New York, Virginia and Oregon, have passed legislation that requires public K-12 schools to provide students with free menstrual products. Additionally, 32 states have begun to remove the tampon tax, with 13 having succeeded so far. However, more needs to be done so that those without access can gain it. In Scotland, the new legislation has made it so that, along with schools and colleges, “period products would [now] be available at libraries, swimming pools, public gyms, community buildings, town halls, pharmacies and doctors offices.” Putting this into effect in the United States would be a huge improvement and change the lives of menstruating individuals who struggle to attain these products.

Where period products are currently viewed as a luxury, they should be seen as, and inevitably are, as the National Organization for Women argues, “a basic necessity just like food, water and shelter. Every woman should have the right to a safe and healthy period.” Menstruation is a natural process and not something people should be ashamed of having to deal with monthly. Having easy access to period products would help many individuals across the United States, allowing them to get those needs met without as high an emotional and physical tax.

Lily Tener is a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience.

Over the years, the amount of students that read for fun has plummeted. A study from the American Psychological Association found that, in the late 1970s, “60 percent of high school seniors read from a book or magazine every day … but by 2016, the number had plummeted to 16 percent.” This may be due to students’ dislike of their English classes, as this is where they get the majority of their exposure to prominent novels and other literature. Another study’s literature concludes that “research indicates that there is a definite theme of student dissatisfaction or concern about the texts they are required or ‘forced’ to read in the classroom,” and that this dissatisfaction is connected to the decline in reading.” English classes are often structured in a way such that students are assigned readings — usually classics. Then, students are forced to overanalyze every detail, sit through classroom discussions they barely participate in and write a report about a book they were likely disinterested in. Associating these experiences with reading can make a student believe they dislike reading, when, in reality, they have just not been exposed to a type of book they enjoy.

There is so much potential to teach students about books in a way they enjoy that will lead them to become lifelong readers. A Live Science survey about boredom among students found that “when asked, the most common explanation of why a student doesn’t like English is the desire to pick how they do their work and what their work is about.” A simple shift to fulfill students’ personal desires could transform the dull classroom discussions dominated by teachers into lively, engaging conversations between students. When a person enjoys a book, it can be fun to talk about it with others. If teachers are having to force students to talk in discussions, they are probably selecting the wrong books. By giving students a choice, assignments will feel less like work and more enjoyable. Studies have found that allowing students to choose their own reading materials increases positive feelings about reading. Not only can giving students a choice of books make them more engaged in class, but it can also encourage them to read on their own time.

This does not mean that the entire current curriculum must be discarded. It just needs adjustment. There are certain aspects of common English curriculum that are important, such as books that challenge readers and improve comprehension, analysis and deeper thinking skills. While classics are typically used for this, other books can do it just as well. Additionally, not every book needs to be extremely challenging. It is just as important to allow students to explore interest in books as it is for them to learn language from them. Exposure to certain themes, ideas and issues is another big reason why classics are used in class. However, non-classics can give this exposure while being more interesting and relevant to students. As Ava Bourdeau, an opinion editor at The Samohi writes, “works such as ‘The Hunger Games’ may not have the most advanced diction, [but] they have turned many young people into avid bookworms, while also dealing with issues of conformity, leadership and identity.” Classics don’t have to be entirely replaced and can, instead, be read in addition to books of students’ choice.

In order to successfully restructure how English classes are taught, there must be a balance between giving students freedom to explore books and improving their comprehension and deeper thinking skills. Setting parameters on book choices and offering a diverse selection should help with this. Based on age and reading skill, students can choose books with a certain degree of difficulty. To make sure there is a diversity of books, they can be separated into different units based on genre, time period and more. When classics are assigned, even giving students a choice between a few classics may be more motivating. Melanie Hundley, a former English teacher and current professor at Vanderbilt University says, “’If kids will read and you can build their reading stamina, they can get to a place where they’re reading complex text.’” Having a larger and more diverse range of literature would be beneficial for the students and teachers, who would no longer have to try so hard to get the class engaged.

Changing how English classes are taught is one of the most important things in getting students interested in reading. The current system implemented clearly is not working, since assigned reading is very unmotivating for students to read and be interested in. By giving students the freedom to choose and explore a more diverse collection of novels, they are more likely to be engaged in class, transforming the environment they are learning in. Hopefully, this will also lead to students developing a lifelong love of reading.

Lily Tener is a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience.

The biggest debate at the end of the book is whether the contents of the manuscript, or the letter that Lowen, the protagonist, finds are true. Either outcome would have changed the story completely. There is a degree of manipulation used, which blurs fact and fiction, making it hard to find the truth. However, the release of this newest chapter makes it more clear than ever that the letter must be true.

“Verity” is about a struggling writer named Lowen Ashleigh, who is offered the opportunity of a lifetime — the chance to complete a series by bestselling author Verity Crawford, who is injured from a car accident and in a vegetative state. Lowen moves into the Crawford home to sort through all of Verity’s notes and drafts. Verity lives there with her husband Jeremy and Crew, their son. While searching through Verity’s office for her notes, she comes across a manuscript for Verity’s autobiography. This manuscript is very disturbing, as Verity admits to killing one of her two dead twin daughters. Lowen eventually discovers that Verity is faking her injury and decides that Jeremy deserves to know the truth. Once she shows him the manuscript, Jeremy confronts Verity and proceeds to attack her, ending in her murder. Months later, Lowen finds a letter left by Verity right before they killed her. This letter explains that the entire manuscript was just a writing exercise called “antagonistic journaling.” We are left to wonder about which is the truth and which was manipulated.

After reevaluating everything originally believed to be the truth in this book, the letter ends up ringing true. Verity’s explanation for writing the manuscript in the first place makes sense — that it was a writing exercise used to help with her writing from the villain’s perspective in her books. She took real events from her own life, tweaking and manipulating the story enough for it to become a fantasy. When her kids died she continued it as a coping mechanism for her grief, believing it easier to blame this villain she had created than to face the reality. Some might argue that it is strange that Verity did not place a warning on the top of the manuscript that said it was fiction. However, she may have truly believed that no one would ever read it, since it was only practice for herself. Additionally, if she had actually killed her child, writing it down in a confession and printing it out wouldn’t have fit the pattern. It would not have fit in with Verity’s past actions, especially since it would be risking her relationship with Jeremy, who was her obsession in the manuscript.

Within the manuscript, there is a detailed scene of Verity murdering one of her twin daughters. She brought Harper — one of the twin daughters — and Crew onto the lake behind their house and proceeded to tip the boat purposefully. She saved Crew, telling him to hold his breath, and left Harper to drown, tangled in a fishing net below. Verity reveals an alternative narrative in her letter. Verity explains that Harper asked to go and they went without life jackets as usual. As the boat accidentally tipped, Verity told Crew, who didn’t know how to swim, to hold his breath. Her focus was on him since Harper knew how to swim. There was also no way for her to have known there was a fishing net below that would drown Harper. This clears away any uncertainties about what really happened as every detail in that manuscript had a plausible explanation. Writing the manuscript, all Verity needed to do was change small details, mainly her own character’s thoughts and motivations, in order to make the fabrication so believable.

The biggest reveal in the letter was that, prior to the events of the book, Jeremy had found Verity’s manuscript and tried to kill her, framing it as an accident. There was no hint of Jeremy’s flaws in the manuscript, likely because Verity’s biases bled into it. She wrote about him positively and maybe even exaggeratedly, making Jeremy appear perfect for the sake of the story. However, looking back on the events of the book, Jeremy’s character and motivations are brought into question. When Lowen showed Jeremy the manuscript and he left to read, he was gone for only a short period of time. Lowen even said that he had not been gone long enough to have read the entire manuscript. Immediately afterward, Jeremy confronted Verity, and instead of calling the police, he jumped straight to murder. It would make sense that he was trying to cover up his original attempt at murder rather than call the police and risk Verity telling them the truth. The bonus chapter confirmed this theory when Jeremy showed his true colors, killing a woman to keep the secret of Verity’s murder. This made it obvious that he was willing to, and more than capable of, murder.

Some may wonder why Verity would fake her condition after the car accident if she was really innocent. Since it has been revealed that Jeremy tried to kill her, it makes sense that Verity was terrified of him. In the letter, Verity says that in the hospital, he caught her with her eyes open and a look of rage crossed his face, like he was willing to try to kill her again. Faking unresponsiveness was the only thing she could do at that moment. She continued to pretend in order to have time to destroy the printed manuscript, which Jeremy could have used as evidence against her. There was also the issue of needing money to run and wanting to take Crew with her. She had to wait for the right moment, faking her condition for the sake of self-preservation and escaping with Crew.

The biggest takeaway from this book is that everything is not always as it seems. Manipulation is a very powerful tool and can cause people to completely believe lies, unaware of when they have crossed that line between fact and fiction. Even the readers were left in the dark and given no clear sign of whether or not Verity was a manipulator. By taking a closer look at all of the characters’ actions, it is revealed that the letter must be true since their choices support its explanation.

Lily Tener is a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience.

Romance readers are often boxed into a certain stereotype and placed in a negative light. In a column for Pacific Standard, Noah Berlatsky said, “The attitude toward romance readers is either condescension or contempt — Romance readers are either poor souls who need help, or they’re debased fools who should be scorned.” Eighty-four percent of romance readers are women, often associated with negative stereotypes. The idea that a woman must have a lack of romance in her life in order to enjoy the romance genre is a common, unjust misconception. According to the book “Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained,” 59 percent of romance readers are in committed relationships. This misconception can be harmful and should be changed so that people can enjoy the romance genre without a feeling of judgment.

A very common excuse for rationalizing why romance novels are not “real literature” is the claim that they are written poorly. While obviously there are going to be some romance books that are not well written, this can be said about any book genre across the board. Language in romance novels does not have to be groundbreaking in order to be engaging and enjoyable. As Maya Rodale, a contributor from the HuffPost, said, “Romance readers and writers do know good writing — it’s the kind that make you forget you are reading, that transports you to other worlds, makes you feel all the feelings and makes you want to pick up another book and repeat the experience.” In fact, it can be a challenge for authors to write in a way that makes everything easy to follow while still evoking such strong emotions. Another part of the poor writing belief is that romance books are repetitive. However, this does not have to be a bad thing. While some might find it predictable, others enjoy the familiarity that comes with these typical romance tropes. In their simplest form, romance novels are based on love, passion and relationships from the real world. There is bound to be some repetitiveness in real-life romance, so it would make sense that this is reflected in the novels.

The content of romance novels is also critiqued. Scha Zakir from Affinity Magazine wrote, “Time and again, we hear people complain about romance novels being too ‘cringy’ and cheesy for their taste.” There is a certain stigma attached to exploring and learning about love and romantic relationships. Part of the reason for this may be that certain outdated, sexist tropes from older romance novels have affected its reputation. However, many modern romance novels touch on relevant issues and have strong, intelligent female leads. Not only that, but a person can learn a lot about romantic relationships through these novels. They allow people to discover what interests them romantically in a safe space, and there is no reason for people to be put down for this. It can even be quite beneficial to educate yourself on abusive behaviors in romantic relationships, whether emotional, physical or verbal. As Zakir said, you “sometimes don’t even realize you’re in a toxic relationship because the signs are so subtle,” and romance novels can help people identify them if they appear in their own lives.

Despite the fact that romance novels are one of the most popular fiction categories, many men do not read them, with only 16 percent of romance readers being male. This is misogyny at its finest — when content relating to women is perceived by men to be unfitting for them. The trend seems to be that men “are put off because of what romance novels symbolize … rather than by anything in romance novels themselves,” Berlatsky writes. Men appear to avoid reading romance either because they are embarrassed to be associated with it or because they have subconsciously internalized misogynistic ideas.

Women seem unable to enjoy anything without being criticized for it, being labeled as “basic” or a “pick-me.” Reading romance novels is a clear example of this, although these books give women power to discover their wants, which they should not be put down for. Sophie Gilbert has said that romance books hold a “revolutionary potential inherent in women expressing and exploring what they really want.” These books give women control that they do not always have in the real world — “a world where virtually everything that’s pleasurable for women is shaded with guilt,” as Gilbert writes. Romance novels give women power by providing a temporary escape, in the pages of books, where they are free to express their wants without external societal pressure.

The first step in changing the negative view of romance novels is bringing attention to the unfair and misogynistic ideas about them. By making people aware of these antiquated beliefs that are still affecting these readers today, a change can be made. People should be able to enjoy whatever they want and read without being judged, freeing romance readers from feeling unnecessary embarrassment from reading a genre they enjoy. Romance novels are empowering for women and allow freedom they may not have in the real world.

Lily Tener is a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience.