THE AESTHETIC ANTHOLOGY
COMMUNITY DRIVEN HUB OF PERSPECTIVES ON MEDIA
Welcome to the first of many! Humber College’s eSports team is Ontario’s first school funded eSports program leading the way in the legitimization of the emerging sport.
SEASON 01
EPISODE 01 - IN THEORY
2 knuckle heads compete to get the most compliments on the worst piece of art possible.
Joshua Zawidzki, Myles Glinski, AJ Leonard, Chase Hopkins , Jade Vachon
EPISODE 02 - BOTTOMS
Video essay examining a film through a gender lens
Maia Quinlan, Artemis Stroud, Rheanna Owusuansah, Amelia Raczka
EPISODE 03 - THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR
Our podcast examines the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and how it addresses race and class through its themes. Our podcast looks at a variety of different aspects including the characters, backgrounds, society, etc.
Ethan Gopi, Jasmine Geller, Nicole Ambrico, Frank Handal, Malik Fortier
EPISODE 04 - SPIDERMAN
The Friendly Neighbour Podcast follows five comic-obsessed fans as they dive into the four Spider-Man franchises. This episode breaks down the characters and storylines while exploring bigger questions about the world Spider-Man lives in, including how race and social class shape Peter Parker’s life and struggles.
Brianna Carnovale, Emily Severino, Chloe Leone, Mya Martino, Vicky Nikolakakos
EPISODE 05 - AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER
Our video essay dives into the world of Avatar the Last Airbender discussing the issues within each nation.
Eric Li, Jet Kang, Jeric Yuzon, Riley Boyle
EPISODE 06 - PRINCESS AND THE FROG
Welcome to the first of many! Humber College’s eSports team is Ontario’s first school funded eSports program leading the way in the legitimization of the emerging sport.
ART DIRECTION, BRAND IDENTITY DESIGN, GRAPHIC DESIGN, GRAPHIC
EPISODE 07 - DEEP DIVE INTO SATOSHI KON’S “PERFECT BLUE”
In this episode, we analyze how Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue depicts the exploitation of women in the entertainment industry and how the film’s visual, auditory, and symbolic motifs are used to reinforce its critique.
Abinaya Ragupathy, Ji-Hoo Kweon, Merve Yildar, Jairo Jimenez Ibarra
EPISODE 08 - EUPHORIA
We dive into the vulnerable representation of Euphoria’s female characters through a woman’s gaze. Each woman has her own battles, struggles, and trauma, yet is grounded by the interconnectedness of their gender identity and social categories.
Arianna Moore, Cadence Kwok, Cara Deloraya, Annika Azarcon. Trinity Nartey
EPISODE 09 - TO BE HERO X
Analysis of original show « To Be Hero X » through the lens of the reading « The Definition of a Super Hero »
Nysa Mohamed, Jessica Baldassarre, Jaden Yabut, Sofia Friesen, Kris Phanthavong
EPISODE 10 - CLUELESS
Video essay about fashion and identity.
Reese Reja, Celeste Ursino, Beth Lee, Celina Imerti. Valerie DiBonaventura
EPISODE 11 - THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
Podcast discussing the fantasization of young girls and an analysis on the fetishization of girlhood.
Hailey Courneya, Sophia Hermansson-Bostrom
EPISODE 12 - CHAINSAW MAN
This video essay offers an extensive look on the problematic representations of gender and class in MAPPA’s anime, Chainsaw Man (2022). Episode 12 analyzes key characters, their interactions and relationships.
Benjamin Park, Tom Liu, Edwin Deng, Julianna Yip
EPISODE 13 - GET OUT
In this video essay, we examine how Peele uses terrifyingly subtle visuals to convey messages of racism in plain sight. For our analysis, we will be focusing on three specific scenes from Get Out in this context.
Jessica Edet-Nankere, Chloe Wong, Helenah Robinson, Katerina Konandreas
EPISODE 14 - THE KARATE KID (1984)
This project analyzes The Karate Kid to evaluate how effectively it represents teenage challenges, family dynamics, and race. It highlights Daniel LaRusso’s single-parent upbringing, showing the stereotypical financial and emotional struggles associated with nontraditional families, while also emphasizing resilience and success.
Tristan Day, Erynn Clarke, Keaton Smith, Kaili McLellan, Kamalarajah Punitharajah
EPISODE 15 - CHAINSAW MAN
In this video, we analyze Adventure Time and its aesthetics and how they're used to reflect gender, sexuality and family dynamics.
Nol Arevalo, Zoey Benitez-Ticar, Mika Ballesteros, Keira Young, Owen MacRae
EPISODE 16 - SPILL THE CHA, BRIDGERTON SEASON 4
The content focuses on the themes of race, gender, and sex from the series. It examines how the show creates a special perspective from an Asian female as the lead and reshapes the romantic narratives in popular media.
Xian Yang, Sarah Zhao, Ashley Wang, Gloria Le
EPISODE 17 - SEXUALITY & CLASS IN ‘I LOVE LA’
Our discussion includes how there is a "Sex and the City" factor for Gen Z, where identity is tied to internet fame, wealth, and "transactional" relationships. Specifically, our discussion includes how Maya and Tallulah deal with their relationship when their status and money don't align
Freya Willems, Riya Savundranayagam, Maya Safar, Sofia Timotheatos
EPISODE 18 - REMEMBER THE TITANS
Arun Udayakumar, Mathis Tang, Luca Varricchio, Jasmine Andrew, Caleb Snyder
EPISODE 19 - SPRINTING TOWARDS THE AMERICAN DREAM
A video-essay analyzing “The Pursuit of Happyness,” a movie that is surrounded by the American Dream, race, and evolving family dynamics.
Omercan Ozkan, Ariel Blanco, Lindsay Jack, Marin McIntosh, Ruby Uren
EPISODE 20 - CIVIL WAR
This podcast explores how the audience's perception of social struggle during the Civil War is influenced by narrative viewpoints. The film's choice to follow a gang of travelling photojournalists covering a near-future American civil war instead of using military or government figures to depict the conflict is the main topic of contention.
Rania Mubashar, Emma Pavlovic, Liv Nearing, Mia Greenidge, Maggie Mcgregor
EPISODE 21 - REMEMBER THE TITANS
A short series of skits parodying the classic “The Devil Wears Prada”. Here we unpack classism and the competitive environment of the Media Industry as demonstrated in the microcosm of the RTA Media Production program.
Alicia Lim, Erin Moelker, James Alloul, Victoria Alexander, Tiago Romeiro-Adam
EPISODE 22 - SUPERBAD
Stewart Buchanan, James Deogrades, Kyle Fogarty, Finlay Watt
EPISODE 23 - SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE (2018)
Maas Abdulamir, Casey Ambtman, Julia Deli, Matthew McCarthur, Robyn Kotorynski
EPISODE 24 - SINNERS
Elisha Bramble
EPISODE 25 - BARBIE (2023)
A Taking a deeper look, we will examine the film in relation to gender and race, both of which are extremely relevant to the film’s cultural and societal impact. Emphasizing the missed opportunities for representation throughout the film and why the film’s message is maybe more surface-level than you think.
Meghan Ong, lle Garcia, Joe O-Le, Rainna Morgan, Sam Karja
EPISODE 26 - WHIPLASH (2014) DEEPER THAN JAZZ
In this short video, we take a dive into Whiplash (2014) and how it challenges and addresses the topics of class, gender and race. Can we learn anything new from this movie over a decade old? And how do the topics addressed in the film hold up today?
Maham Ansari, Aleyah Richards, Tim Liu, Evan Spizzirri, Emilio Gaytan
EPISODE 27 - HEATED RIVALRY
How does the critically acclaimed show Heated Rivalry connect to today’s culture? Why is it so popular? This video essay dives into all the ways that the 2025 Canadian hit television series connects to sexuality, race, and stereotypes, and why it stands out among other television shows of today.
Xane O’Brien, Allyson Casquejo, Alina Habtian, Hanna Koh, Ladan Hassan
EPISODE 28 - WHY DO ADULTS LIKE KIDS STUFF?
In this 10-minute video essay, Mya, Ayla, Neo, Sugey and Adeena analyze some of their favourite kids shows to answer the big question, Why Do Adults Like Kids Stuff? From Bluey to Gravity Falls, certain children's television shows have attracted large audiences beyond their intended age demographic.
Ayla Coates, Sugey Callata, Mya Morris, Neo Capulong-Jarvis, Adeena Baptiste
EPISODE 29 - VIDEO GAMES; GTA V, EA SPORTS FC 24
Essay analysis on video games and how categories of race and gender reflect and reproduce societal power structures.
Shawn Hrapunsky, Jocelyn Bignell, Sarah Castillo, Hannah Bellerby, Marcquis Arcand, Myrina Shallabi
EPISODE 30 - THE BATMAN
This video essay covers how the class division showcased in the movie “The Batman” exposes political corruption within Gotham, and how it ties to our world.
Amrit Channa, Ansh Saini, David Kral, Andrew Hill, Ian Chung
EPISODE 31 - SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
This podcast analyzes Silver Linings Playbook from the perspective of gender, class, and ability. We talk about and learn from each other about how the different parts of their identity impact their relationship with each other and the loved ones around them.
Rukhsana Balouchi, Tanisha Kumar, Kiki Demopoulos, Aanya Jaiswal, Wadea Buttu
EPISODE 32 - LETS GO GAMBLING!! HOW WE ENJOY DIFFERENT VIDEO GAMES
A weekly podcast hosted by a group of TMU media students who are interested in everything media. This week they explore the relationship between video games, their main characters, hero archetypes, and how to enjoy them all differently.
Shawn Hrapunsky, Jocelyn Bignell, Sarah Castillo, Hannah Bellerby, Marcquis Arcand, Myrina Shallabi
EPISODE 33 - THE BUFFY PODCAST
A podcast discussing gender subversions in the 1997 show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Brought to you by avid fans of the show, and a few newcomers as well. We hope you enjoy some interesting takes on a genre defining television show.
Shaun Ganzeveld, Nathan Carpenter, Bob Kroczynski, Ohanna Kang, Fran Marciano
EPISODE 34 - MODERN BOND CULTURE
A retrospective on the James Bond franchise and their cultural impact. We strive to critically analyse the films from a current day perspective and offer our perspectives on how they culturally reflect their time periods versus today.
Ryan price, Jordan Bickramsingh, Alem Djedovic, Mishael Frank, Mathew Fernandez
EPISODE 35 - PLURIBUS
The show’s calm, beautiful, and eerie visual style makes the collective world appear peaceful and desirable at first, but slowly reveals it as emotionally oppressive and controlling.
Antara Navya Shorey
EPISODE 36 - LITTLE WOMEN (MOVIE)
A video essay connecting the film Little Women to the reading "Cult of Domesticity." The "Cult of Domesticity" describes the ideology of the "true woman" and their societal expectations. Both the movie and the reading take place in the same historical period and reflect women's expectations.
Sabrina Wassay, Sameen Yousuf, Hiba Tariq, Carol Wong
EPISODE 37 - MODERN BOND CULTURE
A 3-person discussion on the significance of the class and gender aspects in Marty Supreme.
Zach Thomson, Tianna Copithorne, James May, Jack Della Rossa, Vie Urrutia
EPISODE 38 - ANNA KARENINA (2012)
An essay on Anna Karenina, examining the performance of identity, gender, and class.
Shaelyn Desrochers, Sadie Maahs
EPISODE 39 - THE GODFATHER
An essay that examines how lighting, fashion, style, and performance make power feel intimate and tradition feel timeless, while also showing how the Corleone family’s respectability depends on violence, hierarchy, and the exclusion of women from truth and power..
Slayter Clark
EPISODE 40 - ADVENTURE IN GAMING
Finley Carnegie
EPISODE 41 - PARASITE
An essay of Parasite analysing its depiction of class through space, aesthetics, and multisensory experiences.
Aiden Burt, Sigourney Baker
EPISODE 42 - BRAVEHEART
Izzy Untalan, Luisa Pugliese, Robert Pascual, Claire Davie, Dylan Rivero
EPISODE 43 - SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
An in-depth analysis on gender in the television series Spongebob Squarepants. Why has the show been a piece of contention in children's media for decades? And how it defies western societies view on gender.
Edison Wilmot
EPISODE 44 - A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
An essay on Anna Karenina, examining the performance of identity, gender, and class.
Esther Rho, Jack Lodin
EPISODE 45 - TRANSFORMERS
Robots Against Misogyny is a newsletter style analysis of Micheal Bay’s Transformers franchise through Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory. It works to be accessible yet informative, in hopes to encourage more people to think critically about the media they are consuming.
Meaghan Elizabeth Bowman, Abby Hales, Elijah Benner
EPISODE 46 - VIDEODROME
Eva Rodrigues
EPISODE 47 - TRON LEGACY
Jasper Jang
EPISODE 48 - THE BATMAN
The Batman is rigged to favor the rich. I'm using Plato's theories on visual deception to argue that the super dark lighting, warped lenses, and top-down camera angles aren't just for a cool noir vibe—they physically blur out and hide Gotham's working class to show how society ignores the poor.
Luca Paron
THE AESTHETIC ANTHOLOGY
CREDITS
SPECIAL THANKS
Toronto Metropolitan University, Creative Industries, The Creative School