I've come to a point in my life where spending hours on my phone just doesn't appeal to me anymore. I used to be on youtube, clickbait video after clickbait video, indulging in every single production buzzfeed puts out on the internet, willingly getting myself stuck in that whirlwind that seems almost inescapable. I don't mean to sound wiser than thou when I say this but honestly, I'm over it.
Other than my weekly dose of Jenna Marbles, what I really enjoy doing whilst I'm alone at home lounging in bed, car-less and fret free, is watch documentaries. I find them educational, eye-opening and nicely produced. I feel educated after watching documentaries (cheh) as stuck up as it sounds. I've decided to list down a few documentaries which I truly enjoyed, and hey, maybe the next time you are consciously 'wasting time' you can tune in on these too!
1. Maternity Leave and Why the United States is the Only Developed Nation Without it
- Broadly
Broadly makes some amazing documentaries, I'll suggest more than one from their channel in this post, but this documentary is hands down one of the most insightful ones I've had the pleasure of watching. I was so shocked to find out that America does not in fact have mandatory maternity leave (did you guys know this), but this documentary offers more than that. It looks into 3 main countries as case studies, USA with no mandatory policies on maternity leave, Papua New Guinea which is the only other nation with no mandatory maternity leave policies, and Sweden with one of if not the best family leave policies in the world. This documentary also offers insights on American policy makers who believe that family/maternity leave bring harm to both social justice and the economy, and opened up my eyes to the idea of paternity leave. A must watch, if you have an hour to spare. Just click here.
2. The Land of No Men : Inside Kenya's Women Only Village
- Broadly
I first came across the idea of matriarchal villages whilst scrolling through tumblr, and was happy to find a documentary on it. This was my first Broadly documentary, and I loved how the presenter presented this documentary. Matriarchal villages in a deeply patriarchal nation is something that is both amazing and tugs at my curiosity. This one is more light-hearted but just as insightful, click here to watch.
3. Cult Leader Thinks He's Jesus
- Vice
I think books and documentaries about cults are intriguing, like whoa, these people exist and are real. This documentary explores a cult which seem to live a very peaceful, idyllic life, worshipping a leader who claims to be Jesus Christ. In general, Vice makes lots of documentaries which are equal parts educational and shady. Click here to watch this documentary, and check out Vice as well if you have the time!
4. What It's like to be Intersex
- Buzzfeed Yellow
I always knew that being intersex was possible, but was never aware of the issue of children being forced to undergo surgeries which quite frankly, weren't truly necessary. For those of you who don't know, being intersex means being born with both characteristic male and female genitals, the malay term for it is kunsa. This video is short (less than 4 minutes) but is documentary like, and opened my eyes up to the whole intersex issue. If you want to learn more, pleaseeeee take some time to watch it here.
5. Grace Neutral Explores Korea's Illegal Beauty Scene
- i-D
I didn't know that tattoo-ing is illegal in Korea, and being someone who loves the idea of tattoos and wishes to be inked, I found it interesting that people with tattoos are literally shunned in a nation that prides itself on aesthetic to the point of condoning plastic surgery. This documentary not only explores South Korea's tattoo scene, but also rises up the question of societal pressure on girls to look a certain way. I love Grace Neutral, pushing societal boundaries, and a well filmed and edited video, and this documentary provided all three. Click here to check it out for yourself.
I'm big on social justice and fighting discrimination, and I feel like being informed is the first step to achieving just that. Documentaries are great cause they're fun to watch and they are informative, so I really hope you people watch some of these videos here. I enjoyed all of them and I really hope you do too! Comment below if you have any documentary suggestions, I'd really appreciate it.
Till next time!
love,
Mira
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